Klok spent four years in Bangkok, begging on bridges, to support his parents and six siblings, under close watch by the broker who took him there.
He is one of seven children in a very poor family, has a deformity of his upper limbs. When he was seven, a broker told his parents that a disabled child could earn a lot of money begging in Thailand. His parents agreed, and paid the broker 3,000 Baht to take him to Thailand, which they promised to pay off from his earnings.
Klok rapidly became the main breadwinner in the family, often coming and going to Thailand. He had enough to eat, and had friends and learned to speak Thai, but he did not like begging. His parents did not like it either, but they had no choice.
When he was 11 years old, Klok was caught by the police. He was put in a detention centre with about 30 other children.
He says, “In the future, I would like to be a translator.”