Companions in a mission of justice and reconciliation

25 May 2011

A Lahu community rebuilds

Categories: Uncategorized

fire aftermathOn April 17, 2011, the Lahu community at Chaka in northern Thailand watched in horror as five of the seven houses in their village as well as the rice barns burned to the ground. It was a devastating loss for the 450 villagers, most of whom are farmers engaged in rotation farming of hill rice.  Some tend to their cattle while some of the young engage in the seasonal picking of lychee and longgan in the orchards in Chiangmai.

On hearing the news the following day, Fr. Paul Niphot Thienivan fire aftermathof the diocese of Chiangmai rushed to visit the community with donations of money, clothing, rice and other foodstuff.  Fr. Niphot has been a friend of the Lahu community,located 25 km from Chengrai in northern Chiangmai, for over 35 years and has built a relationship of trust with the villagers.  Fr Niphot is director of Research and Training for Religo-Cultural Communities (RTRC).

Upon learning of the plight of the Lahu community, Fr Colin Tan SJ, regional superior of the Jesuits in the Malaysia-Singapore region, offered to donate towards the rebuilding of their houses. Fr Jojo Fung SJ presented the SGD500 donation to Fr Niphot for the Lahu at a meeting in RTRC on May 10, 2011. It was a welcome collaboration between the Society of Jesus MAS and RTRC in helping the Lahu rebuild their lives.

Share this article

More News

Subscribe to JCAP eNews

Stay Connected with the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific.

Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific will use the information you provide on this form to provide news and updates. Please tick the box below to confirm your subscription.

JCAP eNews

You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at enews@jcapsj.org. We will treat your information with respect. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at enews@jcapsj.org. We will treat your information with respect. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

GDPR We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.