Fears grow that the children in beggars' arms |are often drugged unconscious in Chiang Mai. AGENCIES CALL FOR ACTION

Beggars with sleeping children in their arms are a familiar sight on the streets of Thailand's Northern capital. But in a sinister new turn, suspicions are growing that the children are often drugged into unconsciousness.

 Child trafficking suspected

"We have received reports that one of the girls in a male beggar's arms is asleep all the time," says Duan Wongsa, co-ordinator for the Anti-Trafficking Coordination Unit Northern Thailand. "This case may be linked to human trafficking, violations of children's rights, and social problems."

She is calling on relevant government agencies to urgently tackle these problems.

Her agency's investigations have found that the beggars with sleeping children often target tourist spots like the Night Bazaar and walking street.

"It seems they operate as a network, because they always manage to evade arrest," Duan says.

Tourist-season patrols

Mongkol Danwilaipitikul, who heads Chiang Mai social-development and human-security office, admits that there are reports that children might be drugged during their begging rounds.

"We are now trying to gather more information," he says.

He says the number of beggars usually rises during the tourist high season.

"We plan to patrol the hotspots four or more times each month," Mongkol says. "We want to put an end to street begging. At the very least, we should be able to reduce the number of beggars in Chiang Mai during the Songkran Festival."

He urges members of the public to call his office with any relevant information.

"Please tell us about the physical appearance of the beggars, their regular spots and the time they usually show up."