ASIA/THAILAND - Apostles among Burmese refugees, the Capuchin Friars bring food and spiritual comfort

Chiang Mai (Agenzia Fides) - In the Thai parish of Mae Teng, in the diocese of Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, 350 Burmese Catholics belonging to the Kayaw, Kayah and Kayan tribes have found refuge. In recent days, the death of a little girl from the Kayaw tribe, whose parents did not know who to turn to for her funeral, has drawn the attention of the Capuchin Franciscan friars who work there. Brother Denchai, Brother Alshem Anuchit Sombunpoolpeume and Brother André Thaweedet Sawanphaophan welcomed the family, celebrated the funeral rite, and offered them comfort and support in their grief. Now, the Capuchin friars have established a bond with the refugees and begun to visit their villages and settlements to better understand their needs and offer them material and spiritual support.

The men of these tribes, the brothers report, are engaged in training elephants, while the women sell crafts to visitors. However, their economic situation remains precarious: they are mostly illegal immigrants, without official residence and work permits, and they lack rights, like thousands of other Burmese refugees who have fled the conflict and are not recognized by the Thai government.

The Franciscans are committed to providing food, medicine and other essential goods, but they also guarantee a supportive presence that is not secondary: spiritual, through liturgical celebrations, sacraments and human closeness, based on authentic fraternity. These elements are as important as material food, sometimes even more so, as they bring peace and hope to afflicted hearts.

Now, the friars plan to organize an educational course for 45 children and young people who cannot pay school fees. At the same time, they are looking for resources to buy medicines and cover medical care, something these families cannot afford with the little they manage to earn. To respond to their needs, the Capuchin Missionary Centre in Milan has also been mobilized, with its director, Friar Giovanni Cropelli, who wants to take advantage of the favourable time of Lent to raise awareness among the faithful about charity and to support these needs. “These refugees - he notes - are part of the so-called “ghost towns”, which are not recognized in any way by the State. Without civil identity, they have no access to medical care, education or any public service. They are in a state of extreme need”. He adds that “among them, there is an even more disadvantaged minority, the community of Catholic refugees, who, fleeing the civil war, have left behind their home, their relatives, their memories and their roots”. Forced emigration is a consequence of the deep political, social, economic and humanitarian crisis that followed the military coup in February 2021, aggravated by the civil war, which has created more than 3.5 million internally displaced persons and thousands of people crossing the border into neighbouring Thailand.

The Thai government has tried to curb this phenomenon through repatriation policies, creating detention camps for migrants or refugee camps guarded by the police, without allowing refugees to integrate into society. In 2024, the repatriation policy resulted in the detention of nearly 200,000 Myanmar citizens. As the war in Burma continues, with the compulsory recruitment law enacted by the Burmese junta, many young people continue to try to leave the country, choosing Thailand as their destination. Some enroll in schools, universities and study courses, applying for residence visas as students; for others, the only way is clandestinely, in the hope of finding work and regularizing their situation. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 3/3/2025)

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