“Coming here to become beggars” – M’sians Urge Authorities to Take Action Against Foreign ‘Begpackers’

South-east Asia is a hotspot for young western tourists who love to come to this side of the word to enjoy the warm weather, nice beaches and cheap food and accommodation.

Although this is great for our tourism industry, it has led to a rise in begpackers, who are tourists who travel with the intent to beg for money from the locals to fund their travel or even their trip back.

Such tourists have unfortunately become a main-stay in our streets as well as in neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and others.

Recently, Twitter user Abudi Alsagoff took to the platform to highlight this issue. In his tweet which was accompanied by a photo of a couple of begpackers, Abudi wrote, “Asking for money for their journey back. Hope that the immigration department tighten their enforcement and include these begpackers“.

“If they don’t have a return ticket, then deny their entry on the spot“, he added.

Abudi then called on Malaysians to start a trend on TikTok urging such foreigners to go back to where they belong.

“We all Malaysians need to be united against a common enemy.”

More enforcement needed

The post has since gone viral and many Malaysians agreed with Abudi’s take on the matter. A few netizens took to the comments section to add on to what was being said.

“Us locals are in the wrong too for always giving them money. You can help by calling the authorities such as the police or their embassy.”

“We should not be so stupid to help those who come to our country without money,” said another.

Meanwhile, a couple of users urged the authorities to take a more rigid stance on the matter and follow in the steps of countries such as Indonesia where a return ticket is needed for you to enter the country in the first place.

“After this, better implement (a rule) where foreigners need a return ticket.”

Another user stated, “Agreed. Other countries all check for return tickets and accommodations before letting people enter into their country.”

What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments section.

Also read: “Are you normal?” – Johor Restaurant’s Message to Those Who Donate to Beggars Causes Debate