KL pseudo-beggars deploy new tactics
SHAH ALAM - Foreign beggars in Kuala Lumpur are now seen from deploying more aggressive tactics to pressure people into handing them more money.
This now includes the use of force if a person refused to spare them money or threatened to report the matter to the authorities.
A trader in the Masjid Jamek area Fatimah Rahim, 29, claimed that beggars had once injured her mouth as she had told them off for their actions.
She said no action was taken over the incident that happened last March as the report she lodged was rejected by the authorities.
"It's not the first aggressive act I have witnessed. Even before, there were many beggars forcing people to donate.
"The beggars who are mostly Rohingyas and Syria, also often cursed and raised their voices to the public," she said.
Fatimah added, as a result of these high-pressure methods, beggars could earn up to RM300 per day.
"They earned money this way. How do i know? Because they had asked to exchange money so that they could send some back to their families at their home countries," she said.
Muhammad Hussein Nizam, 29, said he was once stopped by a group asking for donations.
He said even though he had ignored them, the beggars still tailed him and forced him to comply.
"Physical contact should not happen between strangers.
"I'm worried the issue will drag on and the group would target the elderly who are less able," he said.
