Foreign backpackers often get a bad reputation in Malaysia due to many of them conducting begging activities to keep up with their travelling, earning them the term ‘begpackers‘.
Recently, a backpacker was spotted at the southbound Ulu Bernam R&R in Selangor, seeking donations from the public so that he could travel home.
The Pedoq, what is this behaviour? X page shared images of the backpacker while urging the authorities to take action against him.
They wrote, “Greetings, PDRM and PLUS Malaysia Berhad, please pick him up and send him home. Why do we have to bear the cost of his ticket to go back to his hometown?”
In the images showcased, the alleged homesick backpacker could be seen sitting on the sidewalk of the R&R, with a cardboard sign written in both Bahasa Malaysia (BM) and English.
The sign read, “Hi, I have been travelling for 9 years. I really miss home. Please help me raise money for a ticket and some food. Thank you.”
In his donation bowl, a few RM5 and RM1 notes can be seen.
Why travel if you don’t have the funds to return?
Malaysians were not too happy about this as they believed tourists should not rely on others to fund their travels.
Considering this, they’re urging the authorities to implement stricter rules when allowing foreign tourists into our country.
“It’s so easy for him to exploit our kindness. Here (in Malaysia), many have never even experienced taking a flight. He can easily ask for donations to travel and go home. It’s best to blacklist people like this. It’s so infuriating to see these ‘white beggars’.”
“He can come (to Malaysia on his own), why can’t he go back (on his own)? Malaysia needs to start getting strict like Korea. If you want to enter their country, you’d have to show your itinerary, the hotels they’re staying at and return tickets. If they don’t have any of that, don’t let them in.”
“Why is this happening? Because the officers stationed at the border are not strict. In other countries, foreign travellers must have: a return ticket, proof of acommodation, a certain amount of money and an itinerary,”
“Side note: If you go to South Korea to watch a K Pop concert, you have to have a return ticket, itinerary and more, if not they’ll turn you away.”
Some even insinuated that the money donated to him may not be used to head home but instead, to travel to other countries.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
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