Jordan family arrested for panhandling.

November 30, 2023 Tanyaporn R.

A family from Jordan was arrested because they were begging for money on the street. The Immigration police received complaints from business owners in Nana, Bangkok about a foreign panhandling group. The group would beg for money in a harassing way from the stores in Nana, locals, and tourists. Officials started investigating the area and discovered the persons in the complaints. Investigation reveals that the beggars are foreigners from Jordan. The group has been residing in a hotel located in Nana. They would meet every day in front of a mall in the area before separating to find money for the day.

Their method of begging for money is direct and pressuring. Persons who fall victim often feel threatened to give the person money. Tourists who are shopping are the usual targets. If someone hands them money, the begging will continue and the beggars will demand more money. This includes following, pulling, and yelling at the victims. The big group is separated into smaller groups of 2-3. Some of the women will also be carrying a baby to seem more desperate for money. Often times the groups would approach tourists while they are using the ATM. Because of this, the bills are often big and they would get away with 500-1,000 THB per victim.

If the victims say no, the beggars will start to get loud and beg even more. Officials inspected a hotel room and found 7 Jordanians inside, these 7 led police to 16 more Jordanians working in the group. Officials asked to see their travel documents which revealed they entered Thailand with a visitor visa. Out of the number, 1 had overstayed the visa. Officials revoked the remaining persons visa as they are a danger to the people. It is believed they entered the nation with the intention to panhandle locals and tourists. Officials also arrested 33 foreign beggars in tourist provinces including Chiang Mai and Phuket. Out of this number 27 are Cambodian, 2 Myanmar, 2 Russian, and 2 are Chinese. All of the suspects are now blacklisted from entering Thailand.