DON'T FEED THE BEGGARS

For anyone who ever swished by a panhandler in Hong Kong without a second thought, Apple Daily has done an in-depth investigation and revealed that they're part of a begging guild so don't feel bad. Apparently there's a group made up of three women and one man who recruit old women in Hunan in groups of ten, bring them to Hong Kong on three month tourist visas, and house them in a dorm in Yau Ma Tei. They're tossed out on the streets at select locations every day with food, water and a mattress and they beg, closely monitored by their handlers. They make about HK$300/day, fork over HK$20 for rent, keep 30% of the money and give 70% to their handlers. After three months, a new batch is brought over.

Forget panhandling. What they really need is Stephen Chow, King of Beggars, to transform them into a fighting force.

(Thanks to EastSouthWestNorth for the translation)