Honiara City Mayor, Andrew Mua, says the council discourages people to beg for money on the streets of Honiara.
Mr Mua however says if people are unable to afford the high cost of living in Honiara, then they should return to their home provinces to live off the land.The Mayor was responding to reports that street beggars are carrying with them an appeal letter signed by both the City Council and the Red Cross.
Mr Mua says his administration is not encouraging people to go out and beg on the streets.
The City Mayor says he too noticed beggars on the streets and has instructed the council's law enforcement team to get those beggars off the street.
"To see people sitting and begging on the streets is not good. People may be doing it in other countries, but we don't encourage it. This is not the right thing to do and we don't encourage it in the city. We will get our law enforcement people to find out who these people are and get to the Red Cross and others to talk to them."
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