In Reply to: And I have seen the locals give money posted by bintangplease on Tuesday, 6. May 2008 at 07:58 Bali Time:
and you will quite often see locals handing out a few coins to those that are in genuine need.
There is an old man in legian with a deformed leg and he hobbles slowly past restaurants clutching his walking stick. The workers in the restaurant all go out the front and hand over money to him from the tips they have earned that day. The communties help those in need and generally know what situations these people are in.
Also it's a harsh statement as commented above that babies are drugged. How would you know if one baby is drugged and not another. I'm sure that a mother who is generally in need with no means of income like the woman mentioned here by 'Bintangplease' would be very upset if she heard a tourist implying that her baby is drugged.
As there is a trade of beggars who are in a ring of being professional beggars dispatched to their daily / nightly spot to recieve handouts only to return to the ring leader and get a measly return for doing so. It is hard to know who's genuinely out there for themselves. Then again those that do beg for handouts are in despair to be in that situation.
I personally do not give handouts to women with babies standing on tourist strips and traffic lights late at night, so it does not encourage them to keep returning. In the late hours of night they should be home, with the baby tucked up safe and sound (this was Stanmars wife reaction and her donation which she gave with concern was in hope that she would now go home). That goes for children walking around the streets late at night selling freindship bands, they too should be at home and not exposed to the night and unknown threats which they could encounter. However, even though it's not a good thing to see, it is not good to encourage them to keep themselves out on the streets at night doing what they are doing, as they will keep returning knowing that it worked the night before.
It's a sad situation but unfortunately that is the life they are living, which makes it a difficult situation for 'wealthy' tourists to be in, when approached. For some tourists it is an instinct and a very small donation which to them is nothing...Like that song 'Mr Wendell '$2 means a snack for me but it means a big meal to you'
So Stanmar in saying this, you did what you thought was right, which was a kind and genourous thing to do. Don't be swayed by the situation and please return to Bali, just your presence and enjoying a holiday is giving to the community.