Press statement on child and street beggars in Tawau

YB DATUK CHUA Soon BUI, MP Tawau said she would bring the matter of the increasing child and street beggars in Tawau to the Parliament to seek for a total solution to the matter. She said although the problem is nothing new as the public is used to it by now, but Tawau might be mushrooming with street and child beggars because the non- effective enforcement by the authorities which might send a wrong signals to those who are operating behind these kids that it is alright to do it in Tawau.

YB DATUK CHUA said she encountered with these about 10 years' old kids mostly girls early this year at Sabindo, who were carrying nude babies about 6 months' old, seen to be under-nourished with eczema especially on the face, lying the babies at the five-foot way, seek for sympathies and beg for money. She said she was more shocked to see the kid later dragged the baby on the floor and ran towards big cars to solicit for more money. She asked the kids for their addresses so that she could bring food and clothings for the children. These kids just ran away without responding. She said she had report the matter verbally to some authorities but it seem that more kids are doing it in other parts of Sabindo.

Datuk Chua who is also the SAPP Vice President urged the authorities to act on the matter seriously, what are the status of these kids and babies in Tawau? Who are the syndicates or people behind it because they don't seen to be afraid of the authority. What message does it give to the visitors and tourists that there are many street kids and nude babies beggars in Tawau ? - when asked by a foreign visitor in Tawau, can't the government do anything about it? YB CHUA said it is bad enough that many street kids are selling peanuts at Sabindo night stalls, and now our streets are looming around with nude babies beggars. If left unattended, the safety and security of these babies are atrisk and our law and enforcement being ignored. The people behind them might resort to even more drastic moves to look for more sympathy and more money.