Guangzhou has started using college students to ask beggars to get off the streets or face public humiliation.

It is another of the government's many attempts to rid the streets of beggars who use it as a profession instead of taking government aid or paid work.

The volunteers try to persuade the beggars to go to government aid centers or back to their hometowns, or, if that doesn't work, warn passers-by that the "beggars" actually have other options.

Officials say organized begging is increasing in Guangzhou.

The Guangzhou Aid Center said the growing presence of beggars, especially professional beggars, marred the city's image, posed a threat to social stability and affected residents' sense of security.

The organizers -- the municipal civil affairs bureau, the municipal committee of the Communist Youth League of China and Guangzhou Volunteers Association -- said at Sunday's launch ceremony that the college students were commissioned to tell the public that unnecessary charity would help increase the amount of organized begging.

The students, five in one team, were dispatched in 10 groups to the Guangxiao Temple and Sanyuan Palace, two places popular for beggars.

The Guangzhou Aid Center regularly sent staff members to persuade beggars into accepting aids including free tickets to their hometowns, with less-than-satisfactory results.

A beggar, who wore a sign saying he needed money to pay for his education, told the volunteers he could earn a "satisfactory" 60-100 yuan (US$7-12) a day.

A beggar dressed as a monk in front of the Guangxiao Temple told passers-by he had to beg after being driven out of the temple. The volunteers found he earned 30 yuan in an hour. If calculated on this base, he could earn at least 2,000 yuan a month.

A resident told the volunteers that he had seen an old couple beg in front of the temple for more than 10 years. The resident said the couple made their grandson leave school to join the begging group to earn more money.

There were nearly 50 beggars in front of the Sun Yet-sen Memorial Hall. Preliminary statistics showed 90 percent of the beggars preferred to remain beggars over getting a job and made up sad stories to win people's hearts. The beggars' average income was estimated to be about 600 to 3,000 yuan per month.

(Shenzhen Daily April 26, 2005)