Social Welfare to collect data on non-locals with refugee status

PETALING JAYA: The Social Welfare Department will collect data on foreign beggars with refugee status.

According to an official, the department already has information on foreign and local beggars.

“We will expand the survey to include foreigners carrying refugee cards,'' the official added.

The department identified a total of 119 foreign beggars in Malaysia between January and June. Of this, 57 were men and 62 women.

Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam lauded the move, saying that accurate data would help authorities deal with the situation in an appropriate manner.

“Right now, refugees are being forced into begging because they have no choice.

“They are not allowed to work or go to school here, so they have to beg for a living.”

He said that there was an increasing number of children begging on the streets, either directly or by selling things.

“Suhakam recommends that these refugees be provided with education and healthcare, and that their parents be allowed to work,” he said.

The Star reported yesterday that foreign beggars working for syndicates were stationing themselves at strategic spots, including traffic junctions. They also sell items like pens and tissue paper.

The foreign beggars have caused uneasiness among Malaysians and invoke scenes straight out of impoverished countries.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said most foreign beggars in the Klang Valley were linked to syndicates but he did not think the beggars were victims of human trafficking.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Departmenr head Datuk Seri Michael Chong estimated that each beggar could earn between RM7,000 and RM10,000 a month.

Last year, the Welfare Department rounded up 1,408 beggars. Of the total, 318 were foreigners.

The Star