KOTA BARU: Begging syndicates in the state are now turning to using foreign children as a new tactic to gain sympathy from the public.
The syndicates with members comprising both locals and foreigners are believed to have been actively using children as young as four years old.
According to a source, these foreign beggars can normally be found in the vicinity of banks and mosques and that they are usually ‘active’ in the evenings and at night, between 7 to 9pm.
“All of them have been entering Kelantan via several illegal jetties located along the Kelantan/Thai border,” said the source.
It is understood that these foreign beggars are mostly women with their children, and they would move from one place to another regularly to avoid detection by the authorities.
“Some of them tried to conceal their illegal activities by selling junk food such as potato chips and snacks brought from their home country,” the source added.
According to the source, more foreign beggars are expected to arrive in Kelantan before the fasting month.
One of the beggars, who only want to be known as Ha, said she has been begging with her five-year-old son early this year.
The 34-year-old, who is from southern Thailand, said she would move from one bank to another bank, selling junk food.
“At the same time, I also ask for some money from the public here. Kelantan folks are known for their generosity and they would normally spare some change for us,” said the woman whose husband was also begging by the roadside.
Kelantan Welfare director Said Sidup said the department has been conducting operations regularly to curb the activities of these syndicates.
“We conduct operation from time to time to rescue these foreign beggars from the syndicates.
“Some of our operations were jointly organised with other departments and agencies such as the Immigration Department and the police.
“After rescuing the foreigners, we will hand over them to the Immigration Department for further action,” he said.