Beggars in Siem Reap and Angkor

Old Jul 18th, 2016, 06:59 PM
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Beggars in Siem Reap and Angkor

Hi, would like to know from anyone who's been to Siem Reap and Angkor, what's the situation like regarding beggars in Siem Reap and Angkor temples.

I've booked a trip there and I've been reading and researching Siem Reap and Angkor to manage our expectations. People seem to agree that the child beggars are persistent and they're everywhere (even in secluded corners of the temples, it seems).

I'm just wondering how persistent they are, and I've read that they hang around even after you said no (let's say when you're eating in a restaurant). What do you do, then?

Please share your story because people usually neglect to share this on blogs etc. Thank you.
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Old Jul 18th, 2016, 10:45 PM
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It's very simple. Just ignore them, and they move on.

If you give to a beggar, then you are really giving to some low-lifer who control these poor people.

You are also encouaging begging, and that results in the problem never going away.

There's plenty or organistions, charities,and NGOs in Cambodia who look after the poor and victims of war and other strife.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 03:40 AM
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They are not persistent and there are not that many of them. I have never found them to be a problem. They usually operate in groups for safety reasons and often one or more will speak good English. Either ignore them as LL suggests or, engage them in conversation an point out that they would be better off in school. Doesn't do the slightest good of course, but I have had some great conversations with some of these kids.

It is not a lifestyle for them and I totally agree with LL comments re supporting the low life that control these kids by giving to them.

In restaurants, I have never found the kids to be an issue, it is usually the elderly people that walk in asking for money. Heartrending but such is life in the developing world.

If you want to offer support to the kids of Cambodia, the Ponheary Ly foundation is one of those NGOs doing great work in SR - http://theplf.org/wp/
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 05:43 AM
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In India its as LL said. Just ignore them. They move on to the next person. Don't even make eye contact.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 06:36 AM
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The children who sell things at the temples are the ones who are persistent. I didn't see many beggars at Angkor - I remember an elderly woman who was tending a Buddha statue. But the children mostly want to sell things to you.

I agree, support the PLF. Indeed, read about it at the above website and see whether you might want to spend some time working with this wonderful organization.

To prepare for your visit to Angkor, I highly recommend Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 12:39 PM
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I agree with supporting the PLF. She owns "seven candles", a guest house in Siem Reap and offers tour guide services for a reasonable cost. Although we did not stay there, we hired their guides to tour the temples and got a chance to really understand the economy, the poor and politics from a native. All the money made from her services go into the Foundation.........a way to understand more about the Country you will visit.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 12:43 PM
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Oh, another thought from the guide was never give money to the children who are begging. We took his lead and if we wanted to buy something, that would be a more appropriate way of giving but we did not have to.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 01:50 PM
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Please share your story because people usually neglect to share this on blogs etc. Thank you.

They are omnipresent. Not technically begging, mostly trying to sell you stuff, like soda or water or t-shirts. My favorite tactic was the kid that said "you no buy, you make me cry", followed closely by the kid that paddled up to our boat on Tonle Sap in a wash bucket. The big winner, though, was Corn, the little girl that followed us around a temple reciting all the state capitols. Corn got $20 and a "stay in school" speech, which was probably the wrong move on our part.

Frankly, I'm not sure what the answer is. Cambodia is probably at least a generation away from being able to provide any real opportunity for their kids. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know there are a bunch of NGOs and charities doing their thing, but the sheer enormity of the problems there mean that it is almost certainly too little, too late for the kids that are hustling you.

Just be prepared and try to keep your sense of humor. For the most part, they congregate at the parking spots and don't follow you into the temples, so buy or don't buy and be on your way.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 01:59 PM
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Tg, it would have been better to talk to her about staying in school and giving the money to the PLF.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 03:48 PM
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"Frankly, I'm not sure what the answer is" Ask any professional working in any aid organisation or children's charity and they will tell you that the answer is definitely NOT to give them money. By doing that you are perpetuating and increasing the problem.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 03:53 PM
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When we were in Temples in Sihanoukville our guide said the same thing about why not to give money to kids beggars there. So true I think.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 04:20 PM
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Ask any professional working in any aid organisation or children's charity and they will tell you that the answer is definitely NOT to give them money. By doing that you are perpetuating and increasing the problem.

Cambodia's problems and those of the people there are not primarily driven by whether tourists buy overpriced sodas from kids. Cambodia has decimated human capital, decimated infrastructure, and incompetent and corrupt leadership. Heck, there is some question whether corruption is pervasive, if not endemic, in the education and aid industries there. Given the inability of aid agencies to affect real change in the country, and possibly even contributing to the corruption problems, I'll remain circumspect about whether they have the answers.

At any rate, the question posed in this thread was two-fold: how pervasive and persistent is the begging, and what to do to avoid it interfering with your trip. Those questions are pretty readily answered. It is pervasive and relatively persistent and to avoid it, move along and don't give in.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 09:11 PM
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I live in Phoenix Az. Everyday I'm stopped by men in strip mall parking lots
Looking for money!
They are everywhere.
Just yesterday... As I got out of my car in the Walgreens parking lot. I was approached by a man in his 20s asking me if he could wash my windows.
Could I spare some change. I said no.
Today as I was going to pay for gas there was a man looked like on drugs standing
In front of Quick Trip store with a cat in a plastic carrier he left in the hot sun.
It was close to 110 today.He was begging for money.
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Old Jul 19th, 2016, 09:18 PM
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Hello and thank you all for the replies and suggestions.

Specifically about the persistence, could anybody elaborate (from your own experience) if this 'persistence' means they follow you around for 10 minutes, an hour, or the whole duration of you exploring the temple?

I am no strangers to beggars or peddlers but I do get annoyed if they linger. Not as in within my sight but linger as in they latch on to you.

I once visited this sacred site in East Java and there was this guy, a local, probably 40 something who struck up a conversation with us and started following us around. We said we didn't need any guide but he lingered. He just stayed within a few feet away, didn't talk to us but whenever we moved, he moved, and whenever we stopped, he stopped.

We knew he wanted money and we didn't want to give him just to get rid of him. It would be an insult to other locals who set up inns or eateries to earn a living, and especially because he was an able-bodied man who (in my opinion) was just too lazy to actually do something.

We weren't in any danger, didn't feel threatened for our lives but we felt too awkward and uncomfortable to be able to enjoy the site.

I just want to be prepared in case I encounter similar type of begging in Siem Reap.
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Old Jul 20th, 2016, 04:20 AM
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We have spent a lot of time in Cambodia over the years and have never encountered what you describe. I really wouldn't worry too much about it. If a polite no does not work then just be more forceful. I doubt you will get anyone following you around. The kids get bored after a while and there are so many tourists in Siem Reap there are always richer pickings elsewhere.

It never hurts to learn a few words of the language of any country you are visiting. Hello, goodbye, please, thank you etc. Just saying " no thank you" in their own language usually has a dramatic effect on such individuals.
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Old Jul 20th, 2016, 05:47 AM
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Specifically about the persistence, could anybody elaborate (from your own experience) if this 'persistence' means they follow you around for 10 minutes, an hour, or the whole duration of you exploring the temple?

IME, they largely stick to the parking lot and do not go into the temples.
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Old Jul 21st, 2016, 03:09 PM
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We spent five days in Siem Reap in March, including three days visiting the Angkor temples. We met vendors outside the entrances to the temples. These were adults, typically selling bottled water. They were neither assertive nor persistent. As far as I can recollect, we were never approached within the temples grounds, nor while eating at local restaurants.

The only places where we encountered children were at Banteay Srei and Being Mealea, both some distance outside Siem Reap. I cannot remember whether they were selling anything or simply asking for money, but they did display an interesting knowledge of Canada: "The capital of Canada is Ottawa. There are two official languages, English and French ..." When we failed to show any interest, they moved on. There had many other visitors to speak to.

Cambodia has a great struggle ahead of it. As tg points out, they have had a tumultuous history, and their leadership — profoundly corrupt and deeply entrenched — will advantage themselves before they ever raise their citizens' standard of living.
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Old Jul 21st, 2016, 04:40 PM
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I had to have some PT a few yrs. ago. My therapist was from Cambodia. His family escaped thru the jungle to freedom from the "Killing fields" regime. This genocide was really not long ago. So sad.
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Old Jul 21st, 2016, 10:51 PM
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>>

Yep. The Cambodian people want visitors to go to the Killing Fields and S21 Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh to see the horrors they went through.

Considering the harrowing happenings at KF it is a very tastefully presented place to visit. S21, on the other hand is a raw experience, but a must-see.

Both can be included on an easy independent day trip by Tuk Tuk from any hotel in Phnom Penh, and can also take in the Russian Market. Sundowners to complete a very interesting day at the Happy Hour [1700-1900], at the Foreign Correspondents Club [FCC} on Sisowath Quay.
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