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A netizen has exposed that Chinese national beggars in Singapore may belong to syndicates that come here to milk the sympathy of Singaporeans! The netizen

Two Beggars in Rome Two Beggars in Rome - One Catholic - One Jew- are sitting side by side on a street in Rome . One has a cross in front of him; the other one the Star of David. Many people go by and look at both beggars, but only put money into the hat of the beggar sitting behind the cross. A priest comes by, stops and watches throngs of people giving money to the beggar behind the cross, but none give to the beggar behind the Star of David. Finally, the priest goes over to the beggar behind the Star of David and says, 'My poor fellow, don't you understand? This is a Catholic country; this city is the seat of Catholicism. People aren't going to give money if you sit there with a Star of David in front of you, especially when you're sitting beside a beggar who has a cross. In fact, they would probably give to him just out of spite.' The beggar behind the Star of David listened to the priest, turned to the other beggar with the cross and said: 'Moishe, look who's trying to teach the Goldstein brothers about marketing!!

Rise in number of beggars by Theresa Tan http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...ory_284242.html THE number of beggars and vagrants rounded up by the authorities rose sharply in the first six months of this year, with many being foreigners. The foreigners, who included bogus monks and nuns and the disabled, were found begging at hawker centres, temples and MRT stations during festive periods. Most of these foreign beggars come from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) told The Straits Times. In the first half of the year, 181 destitute persons - or beggars and vagrants - were picked up. This is a big increase over previous years, which saw an average of 207 destitute persons rounded up each year from 2005 to 2007. The MCYS said foreign beggars and vagrants played a 'significant' role in the increase, accounting for 74 of the 181 people picked up. This compares with 51 for the whole of last year, 29 in 2006, and 21 in 2005. During the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, MCYS officers see more 'women and elderly men from neighbouring countries' begging outside mosques and in Geylang Serai. Foreign beggars are a familiar sight outside the Sultan Mosque on Fridays, when it is packed with worshippers, said Ustaz Mohd Khair Rahmat, a mosque manager. About 10 to 15 beggars, mostly foreigners, will hang around on Fridays and their numbers usually double during Ramadan, he said. Most are from Malaysia and Batam, with some from Pakistan. Ustaz Mohd Khair added: 'The Pakistani beggars are more aggressive. They will ask you for money, saying they are from some orphanage or madrasah in Pakistan. And if you ignore them, they will keep following you and asking you to give.' Earlier this year, the Sultan Mosque began telling its congregation that if they wanted to help the poor, they should donate money to the mosque, which would channel it to genuinely needy cases. On Friday, The Straits Times found over 10 beggars outside the mosque, mostly women. Some had young children in tow. They would not speak to the press. The MCYS patrols about 16 times a month to pick up vagrants and beggars on the streets of Singapore. It then conducts a 'detailed social investigation' into their background. Foreign beggars and vagrants are repatriated and blacklisted by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. Local destitutes who are found to be 'homeless, without means and without family support' are sent to a welfare home. There were about 1,790 destitutes living in the 10 welfare homes last month. It is an offence to beg in Singapore. Those who have at least two previous begging records can be fined up to $3,000 and jailed for up to two years. Said an MCYS spokesman: 'There is no reason for any needy Singaporean to beg or be a vagrant. If the public detects any person who needs more assistance, they should contact MCYS through the ComCare helpline at 1800-222-0000.'