beggar n. One who solicits alms for a living
Last night Pattaya police responded to a complaint of an older Khmer woman abusing a young girl. The ‘mother’ was furious with the four year-old’s take for a long night of begging. Little Bo bore bruises on her arms and legs. Some old. Some new. During interrogation at the police station, Bo’s ‘mother’ confessed that the little beggar reaped 1000-2000 baht/night during high season.
Low season Bo was lucky to make 500 baht.
500 baht times 30 nights adds up to 15K/month. More than most bar girls earn, but not enough to save her from a beating without the intercession of beer drinkers. Bo has to earn or else.
It’s a tough gig and Charles Dickens wrote about street urchins in OLIVER TWIST.
Fagin.
The master of evil is reincarnated in Thailand by a ruthless Mafia importing helpless children from Cambodia. Drugged kids roam Pat-Pong or Pattaya to harvest 10-baht coins from drunken farangs. It’s hard to say ‘no’, but bar girls don’t like the beggars, because they compete for the same 10-baht coin and they have kids at home. A streak of bad luck and their child might be out of the street as a kor taan.
Most of the kids are victims without hope, however there was one beggar on Patpong who ruled the street. He had no arms and a long pony tail. He made more money than top go-go girls and always had a clever laugh to tell a farang, “You fat. Me skinny.”
No one took offense and any fat cunt that did couldn’t catch him.
But he was one out of thousands revolving from Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya, until they’re too old and their masters or families find another purpose for them. A vicious circle and I give them food along with a 10 baht coin. At least something stays with them.
ps You do not have to wai beggars, although some of them are more noble than us.
Also you can make donations to the Pattaya Orphanage.
It’s a good cause.
www.pattayaorphanage.org.uk
For a related article click on this URL
https://www.mangozeen.com/thai-etiquette-1-wai-greeting.htm