Thai Catholics assist Myanmar’s Karen refugees
Catholics in a northern Thai province have been supporting thousands of displaced Karen refugees from Myanmar — in stark contrast to the Thai government’s unwelcoming policy regarding refugees and migrants from the military-ruled neighbouring country.
Apr 24, 2021
CHIANG MAI: Catholics in a northern Thai province have been supporting thousands of displaced Karen refugees from Myanmar — in stark contrast to the Thai government’s unwelcoming policy regarding refugees and migrants from the military-ruled neighbouring country.
Church leaders joined by Catholics in Chiang Mai have welcomed and supported thousands of Karen refugees with aid after they fled their homes in Myanmar’s Kayin state and hid in the forest near the Thanlyin River on the Thai-Myanmar border.
Bishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana of Chiang Mai said that the diocesan team of lay volunteers, priests and nuns has been providing aid to Karen people in two locations south of Salawin National Park near the border.
Bishop Vira also appealed to church groups in Thailand to assist the refugees with aid including money, water, food, medicine and daily essentials.
Sr Aranya Kitbunchu, president of the Federation of Religious Superiors in Thailand, has joined with Chiang Mai Diocese and Caritas Thailand in the rescue operation for refugees.
“The refugees are in a desperate situation: they need food, water, medicine and other basic services to survive these difficult times,” said Sr Aranya, who acts as the coordinator of volunteers and representatives of religious orders responding to the refugee emergency since late March.
Fighting between Karen rebels and the Myanmar army has escalated since the military coup that ousted the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government of Aung Sang Suu Kyi on Feb 1.
Amid the upsurge in skirmishes, the military launched airstrikes coupled with ground attacks in five areas allegedly controlled by the Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Karen National Union.
The attacks left three civilians dead and wounded seven others, forcing more than 10,000 people to flee their homes and hide in the forest. Some 3,000 mostly Christian Karen people have crossed the border into Thailand to avoid the conflict.
The Thai government of Prime Minister Prayut Chanocha, a former military chief, has been unwelcoming to refugees from Myanmar. The European Karen Network alleged that Thai authorities blocked humanitarian aid to Myanmar refugees and deported dozens despite the threat of violence in Karen villages. The move triggered an outcry from human rights groups. — ucanews.com
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