Two Russian citizens were arrested by Thai police for begging.
According to the publication The Thaiger, Russian tourists called for the help of passers-by. Yevgeny Malakhov, 36, and Alexander Kulikov, 32, were holding posters in Thai and English. The men wrote that they left Russia because of the start of a special military operation, and now they have run out of money:
“Help! I’m fleeing the war in Russia. My money is gone. I don’t want to go back to the war. Can you help with a donation? Do you have free food for me?”
The Thai police arrested them for begging. Immigration officers, tourist police officers and representatives of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security jointly detained the men at the Luminous Garden fair near Naris Bridge. Each of them is charged with:
“A foreigner who is allowed to temporarily stay in the kingdom is illegally begging on Naris Bridge, Talat District, Muang Surat Thani District.”
As commentsRussian edition “Lenta.ru”, requests for help and begging in this Asian country are prohibited and considered a crime. Legislation in this area became more stringent in 2019.
It is well known that obtaining refugee status in Thailand is difficult. The government considers those arriving from Russia to be tourists, not refugees fleeing the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Since September, the arrival of Russians in Thailand has increased seven times. This winter, the kingdom is providing a 45-day stay for tourists from Russia and other countries that have bilateral agreements with Thailand, with visa extensions upon arrival.
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