Oh they totally do this crap at home. They’re just called crustpunks instead of begpackers.
Seems crusties has its own separate wiki.
The irritating thing is the ones I’ve spoken to have all come from nice middle class (whatever that means) suburban homes. They’re just sitting outside playing at poverty. Idiots.
I don’t like working, but the main reason I wouldn’t want to do what they’re doing is that it looks harder than working.
? 
Last reminder: this thread is about “begpacking” in Taiwan, specifically the legal aspects like whether or not you should call the police when someone offers you a hug.
If these begpackers are good-looking enough they could try going on one of those trash variety tv shows and be judged.
Whenever I see a teen boy (or hell, any adult male) offering “FREE HUGS” my natural instinct is that I think he’s trying to cop a feel, while seeming innocent about it.
Leave SE Asia to come to Taiwan to plant rice… enticing. But yea these Beg Packers should be put to work planting rice.
Is it really illegal if they suggest a donation for a postcard or hug?
Aye.
This looks like a discussion of vagrancy, homelessness, and related issues from a legal perspective, and it also seems to include some legal history (because I don’t know Chinese, I don’t feel safe saying more about it):
http://www.ccswf.org.tw/files/7100/18/子題3--4張獻忠前理事長.pdf
The Google Translate translation for “vagrancy law” (流浪法) seems to yield a lot of discussions about stray animals, so I gave up on that.
I got the above PDF by pasting this into Google: 台灣有沒有針對此的法律 流浪漢. That’s probably incorrect Chinese, but it least it got some easy-to-see results. 
For my attempt to figure out a little bit of the stuff that’s in that PDF, please see the post below.
On the principle that the law doesn’t exist in a vacuum, I leave you with this old Irish song:
This is from the PDF on the other side of the link in my earlier post:
Again, I don’t know Chinese, and the above quote may be out of context, but I’ll take a shot at figuring out what it means.
At least according to Google Translate (and bearing in mind that the specifics of the quoted text seem to refer mostly to Taipei), the text above makes the problem look like it sort of segued from being mostly a police matter to being mostly a social-welfare matter. However, not included in the quoted language above (but just below it in the PDF) is language indicating that vagrancy (or begging, or other stuff like that) can become a police matter. I think, though, that the language indicates that the behavior has to become a threat to the social order for the police to get involved.
Of course, it’s quite possible I’ve misunderstood the whole thing.
請問發現街友時應如何協助？
常見問答
街友係指流浪（落）街頭、孤苦無依或於公共場所棲宿、行乞而需安置、輔導者，當發現街友時請立即通知警察局處理街友身分調查事宜，再由警察局視其需求及意願協助護送至本市三民或鳳山街友服務中心接受後續輔導服務。若街友有疑似違法事件請通報警察局查辦。承辦單位：社會局(社會救助科)街友服務中心：惜緣居(三民)3432263，慈心園(鳳山)7190895
www.gov.tw/News_Content.aspx?n=455B2352278A7C8D&sms=B827A099A8543C77&s=3DD882EA7A1DE276
機關名稱：高雄市政府
分類： 關於本站 > 常見問答
I found Kaohsiung gov. says a similar thing. It seems saying that if you find beggers, you call police and police check their IDs, then if required and wanted, the police will send them to social welfare. If there are illegality, it is a police matter.
Thanks, tando!
Couple strategically placed in different spots in Ximenting. Can’t decide if it’s working (hugs/service for money), performing (performance art) or begging (begging) and if legal. Give me some moneyyyyyy.!!!
What is this shit?
Get a job…Somewhere else!
Do charities need to pay tax on donations?