It was his experience as an ethnic minority in Thailand that prompted JRS Asia Pacific staff member Sanan to devote his life to helping Burmese refugees and migrants who had fled their homeland and come to settle across the border in the town of Mae Sot. As a member of the Thai-Karen group, Sanan knows what it is like to be marginalised: the equal rights he shares with his compatriots have not always been fully respected in practice, he says.
In late June, Singapore suffered from the worst ever haze in its history. The haze came from forest fires in Sumatra, across the Malacca Strait. A row broke out between some government officials in Singapore and Indonesia.
On World Refugee Day in 2013, JRS Asia Pacific calls for renewed hospitality by host governments towards refugees and asylum seekers in order to respect refugee rights to sanctuary, sustenance, and education.
Jesuits in Southeast Asia will be taking a more active role in the fight against human trafficking, which Pope Francis recently called “a despicable activity, a disgrace for our societies, which describe themselves as civilized”.
The Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat has released “Promotio Iustitiae no.110”, a document dedicated to the Global Ignatian Advocacy Networks, which are centred on five areas – Ecology, Right to Education, Management of Natural Resources and Minerals, Migration, and Peace and Human Rights. “Promotio Iustitiae no.110” provides an introduction to the networks, a theological grounding for Ignatian advocacy, a possible model of collaboration, and position documents on each network, including objectives, and plans for future action.
If the JCAP major superiors needed a reminder of the extent of and differences in our Conference, the last two locations for our biannual meeting certainly provided that. The island Republic of Palau, population 20,600, is a vastly different locale from that of our previous assembly held last July in Macau, a part of China, population over 1.4 billion.
… this by the tender mercy of our God
who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,
to give light to those who live
in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet
into the way of peace.
Luke 1: 78-79
Love is born in the most unlikely places. A star gives hope to the most unlikely witnesses. Gifts are carried by the most unlikely guests.
Ibrahim*, a young man of 32, has been in Cambodia for nearly three years. His home is Myanmar, more specifically Arakan state. He is Rohingya. He is part of a Muslim minority from Myanmar, which has faced persecution for decades. Many consider them to be stateless, as Myanmar does not recognise people of this ethnicity as citizens.
The seafood factory on the southwestern coast of Thailand is sometimes referred to as the “Burmese university in Ranong”. It is one of the few opportunities available to many Burmese migrant children denied an education due to chronic poverty and social pressure.
The Conference team is expanding and strengthening. Consultations between the President and Provincials over several months have resulted in the missioning of Jesuits from various Provinces to core positions in the Conference. This generosity of spirit will greatly help the Conference to keep the Society in Asia Pacific oriented towards the service of faith and the promotion of justice.
The appointments announced by Conference President Fr Mark Raper SJ in December are: