Chinese consulate condemns ‘professional begging’ after arrests in Melbourne
- Seven elderly Chinese nationals in Australia on tourist visas charged with begging and possessing property suspected of being the proceeds of a crime
- Police say ‘they’re not vulnerable people, they have got access to housing and they’re just taking advantage’
China’s consulate in Melbourne on Saturday condemned “professional begging” operations, after local authorities arrested a group of elderly Chinese nationals who were allegedly flown to the city to make money from passers-by.
The consulate said it had yet to verify the identities of the seven people arrested in the Australian city’s central business district on Monday and Tuesday.
It added that the case should be handled according to the law.
“The dirty conduct of organising and manipulating elderly people to beg ought to be condemned,” the consulate said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring the development of the case.”
Police in Melbourne said the seven people were charged with begging and possessing property suspected of being the proceeds of a crime, according to Australian media reports.
Of the seven, three were women aged 65, 67 and 71, while two were men aged 68 and 72, police said.
Officers also seized A$1,000 (US$700) in cash and receipts suggesting some of them had converted the local currency into yuan, The Australian reported on Saturday.
The seven people charged had claimed to be homeless but were found to have access to shared accommodation in the area, Acting Inspector Giovanni Travaglini was quoted as saying.
Describing the group as “professional beggars”, he said they had gone to Australia on tourist visas and were not genuinely in need.
Some of them arrived just three weeks ago, while others had been in the country for longer.
“They’re not vulnerable people, they have got access to housing and they’re just taking advantage and deceiving the good people of Melbourne,” Travaglini said.
In the state of Victoria, begging or gathering alms is illegal and can result in a jail term of one year.
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Travaglini said the seven people charged had all been offered referrals to homelessness support services, but only one had accepted, national broadcaster ABC News reported on Friday.
He said although they had been charged, they were free to leave the country.
Victoria Police said it was working with the Australian Border Force, Australian Federal Police, the City of Melbourne and the Salvation Army on the case, according to the report.
Organised begging is common in China, with children, disabled and elderly people often used to ask for money on the streets. In April, a couple and one of their relatives were charged with fraud in the central province of Hubei, accused of making 10,000 yuan a week from begging, Legal Daily reported. The three people, who are believed to own a villa in the city of Laohekou, have yet to face court.
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