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8th January, 2012
TAWAU: The Tawau Welfare Department is seeking public cooperation not to give in to beggars’ demands in the district. Its assistant director Asnah Kassim said that the kind-heartedness of the general public, though good, is encouraging the poor especially foreigners to beg. “We are seeing that begging is becoming a growing problem in Tawau,” she said.
The department with the help of local authorities is now rounding up beggars especially children who were forced to beg by their elders. According to the department, these children did not have any document. “We want the public to support our effort in ridding beggars in the district,” Asnah said adding that the department was also shorthanded in fighting the begging menace.
Yesterday, an operation was carried out to round up beggars and among those found were 14 beggars, vagrants, mentally unstable individuals aged between seven and 60s.
Asnah said that it was the first such operation this year and it was conducted with the support from the Tawau Municipal Council, Health department, National Registration Department, Federal Special Task Force and police.
The council enforcement chief Azinun Sanarul said his office would cooperate with the department to address the begging problem. According to him, Tawau is an important tourism town as it is linked to the diving spots in the east coast islands.
New Sabah Times talked to a seven-year-old girl who was caught begging. The girl identified as Lolina said she was selling plastic bags in the market and it is her daily chores for the past months. “I can earn RM20 a day,” she said adding that she stays in Kg Ice Box and will take the bus to the market every day.
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