PATTAYA, THAILAND – Pattaya City launched an anti-begging campaign on 4 March and shortly afterward detained nine people during a targeted enforcement operation.
Campaign opens at City Hall
The campaign opening took place on 4 March at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose courtyard in front of Pattaya City Hall, led by Kiatisak Sriwongchai, acting on behalf of Mayor Poramese Ngampichet.
Among those present were Rachanee Worarat from the Chonburi Provincial Quality of Life Protection and Promotion Center, deputy city clerk Panrada Attohi, and representatives from the city administration, police, and immigration authorities.
Officials framed the initiative as a coordinated response, combining social services and law enforcement to address begging in key tourist areas.
Why the city stepped up action
According to authorities, the joint operation was triggered by recent complaints about beggars in Pattaya submitted via the social welfare hotline 1300.
The operations were conducted under the Begging Control Act B.E. 2559 (2016), under which the responsible provincial center said it organized inspections on a monthly basis.
The city linked the latest campaign directly to these reports, positioning it as a follow-up to ongoing monitoring rather than a one-off measure.
Three main routes under scrutiny
Immediately after the opening ceremony, enforcement teams moved out for intensive checks in several parts of the city.
They focused on three main routes: Pattaya Beach Road, Pattaya Second Road, and the area in front of Wat Chai Mongkol Royal Temple.
Officials concentrated on busy tourist spots where both foreign visitors and local residents frequently encountered people asking for money.
Nine detained, including two children
Authorities reported that nine people were found allegedly engaged in begging activities during the operation.
Those detained included three Thai men, two Thai women, two Thai children aged 13 months and six years, one Cambodian woman, and one man from Myanmar.
All nine were taken to Pattaya City Police Station, where documentation was carried out and further legal steps were initiated under the applicable regulations.
Police, immigration and social services involved
The action involved officers from the city’s social welfare division, a municipal unit responsible for maintaining peace and order, the provincial center for quality-of-life protection, Pattaya Police and Immigration Police.
Authorities presented the joint presence of multiple agencies as essential for addressing both legal and welfare aspects of street begging.
The social welfare side was tasked with assessing individual circumstances, while police and immigration handled enforcement and status checks.
Appeal to tourists: do not give money
The city explicitly urged the public and visitors not to give money to beggars, aiming to reduce incentives for organized or repeated begging.
In its statement, Pattaya also warned against
“profit from misfortune under the guise of merit-making”
said Pattaya authorities,
linking cash donations to concerns about public order and the city’s image as a clean tourist destination.
Officials argued that withholding money and using official reporting channels was more effective than direct giving on the street.
Reporting channels and hotlines
The city asked anyone encountering beggars or homeless people to report them immediately so that social work and enforcement could be coordinated.
It highlighted the free 24-hour hotline 1300 of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, as well as hotline 1337 and the round-the-clock Pattaya City Police Station.
Authorities said these channels were intended to route cases to appropriate services while supporting the broader crackdown on street begging.