Nowadays, although there are a lot of organizations and centre of educations where help orphans and poor people in Phnom Penh, but I have still seen some beggars along the streets begging for money from travelers at the traffic lights, from guests at the restaurants, at the national museum, on the public gardens, or at tourism places. What measure is the government taking to protect or reduce beggars in Phnom Penh?
There are many cases which make them to do this because they are unemployed, have got a lot of children, low educations, homeless, or lazy. Therefore, there are strategies to make money such as forcing their children to beg, holding their small babies and asking for money or playing a trick on foreigners by sticking bandage on their children’s arm, leg, or head.
The first thing that I would like to talk is beggars on the street especially at the traffic lights. How to earn their money like brushing cars which stop for a moment at the traffic light with their own feather and sometimes holding small infants in order to ask for money. I know that this action is not absolutely illegal, but it looks effecting to republic disciplines such as being traffic jam and looking impolite for passengers or tourists.
In fact, one day before, I saw two beggar girls calling and begging a driver girl in a car. Later, she said “I have no money” suddenly, before the two girls left from the car, they blew out their slobbers on car. That true event happened on Monivong Street near Peit Chen traffic light. If the owner car knew that, she might argue with or complaint to the two girls. So this is problem that the government should deal with.
For another matter, when foreign tourists come to visit the national museum or the royal palace, there are many beggars around the foreigners for asking for money. I think activities should not be turned up because it could make them not come in our country again or not depressed as they are visiting there. In contrary, as long as there is no beggar, it looks attractive and proud of our countries. All in all, in order to become our developing country, as Khmer citizens should avoid from begging. Especially, most of them are not paralyzed, not bind, have arms and legs, so they have a power personally or can be farmers, dish washers of a restaurant, car cleaners, however, we are illiterate.
Written by Meas Sophy
Hum~~I think sometimes those children or those beggars they want to do like that te mov. If they don’t want to be beggar or poor, they will find the way to get rid of it. But sometimes they don’t think like that. They think begging is the only way for them to make a living.
The reasons for what they beg are because of poverty. By the way, some people have enough possibility to make money by themselves but they do not. And they view begging as their work because it is possible to make more money than farming. And this is the laziness of people. How to reduce their laziness and poverty????