Malaysians criticise a foreign tourist for openly begging at an R&R stop, calling it disrespectful and urging authorities to act.
ANOTHER foreigner was recently caught begging in public, sparking backlash online.
Now viral on Threads, a Malaysian woman alleged that she saw the foreign man openly begging at the Ayer Keroh rest and recreation (R&R) stop.
“It honestly left me feeling uneasy. Malaysia is a country where people work incredibly hard to earn a living, and public begging — especially by visitors — raises serious questions.
“Travelling to another country comes with responsibility and respect for local norms,” she wrote in her post.
READ MORE: Malaysian calls out tourist begging at Kedah rest stop
According to photos attached to the post, the foreigner had written a message on a piece of cardboard asking locals for help to support his travels, in both English and Bahasa Melayu. A cap placed in front of him appeared to contain a small amount of donated money.
She also pointed out that many other countries have strict laws against such behaviour and criticised what she described as double standards imposed on Malaysian travellers, who she claimed often face harsh consequences abroad.
“The same standards should apply to everyone,” she added.
Netizens largely opposed the foreigner’s actions, with many calling on the authorities to take action, while others noted that similar incidents have occurred in other Asian countries.
“Genuinely, how shameless do you have to be to sit there expecting people to donate while scrolling on a phone that probably cost more than your ticket here? Don’t travel if you can’t afford it,” one user wrote.
“Funny how people look down on ‘third world countries’, yet come here asking locals to fund their travels,” another commented.
“There was a man posting about being a ‘begpacker’ in India and relying on locals for food and travel expenses while making money on TikTok,” a user claimed.
“You know this is starting to happen in Sri Lanka as well? If the roles were reversed in their countries, the outcome would be very different,” another added.
