(3/8/2013)
The regional government in Buleleng, North Bali took steps to curtail street beggars on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, when they took 29 panhandlers into custody.
Local enforcement officials apprehended 29 beggars from Tianyar Village in Karangasem who were “working” the streets of Lovina and the area in front of the Kampung Tinggi Freight Terminal in Singaraja.
Upon arrrest, the 29 street beggars had their personal data recorded for future reference.
The head of the local enforcement authority (Polisi Pamong Praja) for Buleleng, Putu Hartana, said his office has received numerous complaints from the public and visiting tourists in Lovina, unhappy with the perpetual harassment from street beggars.
As reported by The Bali Post, the beggars goad the public for change. Said Hartana: “Yes, we often receive complaints that the beggars try to force donations, prompting us to arrest them.”
At the time of their arrest and while they were being loaded into trucks for further processing, many of the beggars tried to resist. In addition to names and addresses being recorded by the authorities, pictures were also taken. “In the process,” Hartana explained, “we found three familiar faces caught in previous sweeps.”
The beggars were warned not to return to Buleleng and then sent to the Social Departments Hall to later be driven back to their home villages.
Authorities promise that if they return to Buleleng they will be processed through the courts.
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