This sly beggar can walk
By Alvin Lim
The New Paper
Sunday, Nov 13, 2011
The elderly man crawled helplessly along the sheltered walkway, one hand outstretched to beg for cash.
Touched by the sight of the frail-looking man who seemed to have lost the use of his legs, passers-by stopped to give him money.
But here's the surprise. After having collected some money, the man would suddenly stand up and walk towards a nearby coffee shop - to order a bottle of beer.
Workers at Cash Converters, a thrift store outlet at Eu Tong Sen Street, have observed the man begging outside the shop since it opened in August.
One store assistant, who gave her name as Ms Wendy, told The New Paper that the man would beg outside the store "at least three to four times a week" in the evenings.
She said: "He will stay for about 20 minutes each time... that is usually enough for him to collect enough for drinks.
"On some weeks, he would come every day."
But it appears that people who frequent the area have seen through his trick.
Said Ms Wendy: "When I first saw him I really pitied him, but after I saw him stand up on his own and walk to the coffee shop, I realised that he was a fake."
She said that many pedestrians occasionally stopped to give money but observed that "many people avoid him now".
When The New Paper visited the store at 7.20pm last Thursday, workers said that the man had appeared outside the store only minutes before, but was approached by the police soon after.
A worker said that the man had been taken aside for questioning and left the area shortly.
Lunch and dinner act
Three of the five drink sellers that TNP spoke to at a nearby hawker centre in People's Park said that they had also seen the man begging at the centre.
A stallholder who gave her name as Madam Tan, 60, told TNP in Mandarin that the man would target lunch and dinner crowds.
She said: "He would go on all fours and crawl around the hawker centre to beg for money. He was always silent and expressionless, and would stretch out his hand so sympathetic diners would give him money."
True to his routine, she said, the man would then get up and walk off after collecting enough for a beer.
Madam Tan also said that the man would go for more expensive beers, like Baron's Strong Brew, which contains more alcohol than regular beer.
Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported last Tuesday that the elderly man had revealed in an interview that he was "jobless" and "without family".
He told the evening daily that he started "living off the streets" after twice having surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding 18 years ago.
He said that he could no longer work due to his poor health, and survived on "kind-hearted people" who bought him food and gave money.
He tearfully said: "I was born an orphan, and when I was old enough to work I stayed in a dormitory. I never had a home to call my own."
The man was then seen headed to a nearby coffee shop for another beer.
Police said they received a call on Oct 28 at about 5.10pm regarding a man crawling at Eu Tong Sen Street before the Upper Cross Street junction.
A police spokesman said that the man, who was in his 60s, was found to be capable of taking care of himself, and was able to walk and did not require any police assistance.
'Do not give money to beggars'
Don't give. Handing out cash to a beggar would only encourage the problem, says Mr Sim Ngee Mong, a senior social worker with Covenant Family Service Centre.
Mr Sim told The New Paper in an interview yesterday that people should not have to "resort to begging" here.
He noted: "Firstly, there's the legal issue... begging is illegal in Singapore. Secondly, there are services in place to help people in need."
Mr Sim noted that the "occasional" good samaritan sometimes refers beggars to welfare organisations for help.
He said: "If you really want to do something for the person, talk to them and find out if they are willing to receive assistance.
"If they are willing to talk about themselves, they should be able to come out and seek help."
And such help exists in the form of family service centres and welfare homes such as the Angsana Home, where the destitute can find shelter.
Mr Sim said: "I've come across cases where the destitute reject help just because they fear losing their freedom."
He noted that such welfare homes usually come with a "various forms of controls" to discourage occupants from staying and leaving as they pleased.
We reported in September that 133 beggars - 87 locals and 46 foreigners - were picked up last year by officers from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.
Begging is an offence in Singapore. Those who have at least two previous begging records can be fined up to $3,000 and jailed for up to two years.
Members of the public can call ComCare Call at 1800-2220000 to report cases of begging.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
By Alvin Lim
The New Paper
Sunday, Nov 13, 2011
The elderly man crawled helplessly along the sheltered walkway, one hand outstretched to beg for cash.
Touched by the sight of the frail-looking man who seemed to have lost the use of his legs, passers-by stopped to give him money.
But here's the surprise. After having collected some money, the man would suddenly stand up and walk towards a nearby coffee shop - to order a bottle of beer.
Workers at Cash Converters, a thrift store outlet at Eu Tong Sen Street, have observed the man begging outside the shop since it opened in August.
One store assistant, who gave her name as Ms Wendy, told The New Paper that the man would beg outside the store "at least three to four times a week" in the evenings.
She said: "He will stay for about 20 minutes each time... that is usually enough for him to collect enough for drinks.
"On some weeks, he would come every day."
But it appears that people who frequent the area have seen through his trick.
Said Ms Wendy: "When I first saw him I really pitied him, but after I saw him stand up on his own and walk to the coffee shop, I realised that he was a fake."
She said that many pedestrians occasionally stopped to give money but observed that "many people avoid him now".
When The New Paper visited the store at 7.20pm last Thursday, workers said that the man had appeared outside the store only minutes before, but was approached by the police soon after.
A worker said that the man had been taken aside for questioning and left the area shortly.
Lunch and dinner act
Three of the five drink sellers that TNP spoke to at a nearby hawker centre in People's Park said that they had also seen the man begging at the centre.
A stallholder who gave her name as Madam Tan, 60, told TNP in Mandarin that the man would target lunch and dinner crowds.
She said: "He would go on all fours and crawl around the hawker centre to beg for money. He was always silent and expressionless, and would stretch out his hand so sympathetic diners would give him money."
True to his routine, she said, the man would then get up and walk off after collecting enough for a beer.
Madam Tan also said that the man would go for more expensive beers, like Baron's Strong Brew, which contains more alcohol than regular beer.
Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported last Tuesday that the elderly man had revealed in an interview that he was "jobless" and "without family".
He told the evening daily that he started "living off the streets" after twice having surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding 18 years ago.
He said that he could no longer work due to his poor health, and survived on "kind-hearted people" who bought him food and gave money.
He tearfully said: "I was born an orphan, and when I was old enough to work I stayed in a dormitory. I never had a home to call my own."
The man was then seen headed to a nearby coffee shop for another beer.
Police said they received a call on Oct 28 at about 5.10pm regarding a man crawling at Eu Tong Sen Street before the Upper Cross Street junction.
A police spokesman said that the man, who was in his 60s, was found to be capable of taking care of himself, and was able to walk and did not require any police assistance.
'Do not give money to beggars'
Don't give. Handing out cash to a beggar would only encourage the problem, says Mr Sim Ngee Mong, a senior social worker with Covenant Family Service Centre.
Mr Sim told The New Paper in an interview yesterday that people should not have to "resort to begging" here.
He noted: "Firstly, there's the legal issue... begging is illegal in Singapore. Secondly, there are services in place to help people in need."
Mr Sim noted that the "occasional" good samaritan sometimes refers beggars to welfare organisations for help.
He said: "If you really want to do something for the person, talk to them and find out if they are willing to receive assistance.
"If they are willing to talk about themselves, they should be able to come out and seek help."
And such help exists in the form of family service centres and welfare homes such as the Angsana Home, where the destitute can find shelter.
Mr Sim said: "I've come across cases where the destitute reject help just because they fear losing their freedom."
He noted that such welfare homes usually come with a "various forms of controls" to discourage occupants from staying and leaving as they pleased.
We reported in September that 133 beggars - 87 locals and 46 foreigners - were picked up last year by officers from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.
Begging is an offence in Singapore. Those who have at least two previous begging records can be fined up to $3,000 and jailed for up to two years.
Members of the public can call ComCare Call at 1800-2220000 to report cases of begging.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
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