“The Ignatian way of discernment and leadership is very practical and appealing to me,” shared Benedict Jin Chi Lo, a teacher at St Joseph Private Secondary School in Sarawak, Malaysia. “This one short week has truly reaffirmed my vocation to … Continued
They are coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Vietnam, Somalia, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and even Iraq. Some of them are children and some were still children when they first set foot in Thailand years ago. What do they have in common? … Continued
The sound of children playing in a school playground or the bell ringing to signal the start of class may be commonplace for most of us, but for many asylum seekers and refugees in Bangkok, it has been a long … Continued
In a farm in the north of Thailand, a man bends as he plants peppers. However, Mr Sun is not just planting peppers; he is getting a fresh start in life as a free man. Originally from Myanmar, Sun is … Continued
The threat of rain did not dampen the clear joy of the first students of Xavier Learning Community. It was the official opening and blessing of their school, the Bishop of Chiang Mai was presiding at the Mass and more … Continued
Seeing divided families is a painful sight and this is often the case in immigration detention centres where women and men are held in separate detention cells. For 25 years, the Jesuits have been working closely with the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Bangkok to facilitate the release of detainees and help them return to a life of dignity and freedom with their families. Two years ago, Jesuit Refugee Service Asia Pacific handed over responsibility for this work to the Jesuit Foundation – Prison Ministry Thailand.
For 25 years, the Jesuit prison ministry in Thailand has been accompanying foreign prisoners primarily through providing counselling and companionship. Today, the programme serves about 1,200 prisoners spread across in 10 prisons in Bangkok and other provinces, and two prison hospitals.
This year, the team encountered a number of challenges.
In May 2015, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) approached the Jesuits in Jakarta for the help of Myanmar scholastics as translators for its interviews with Myanmar citizens who had been enslaved in the Thai fishing industry. Several scholastics did so, among them Simon Kam Sian Muan, who is now back in Myanmar for his Regency. He shares here what he learnt from the experience.
Since the historic elections in November 2015, there has been a wave of optimism for national reconciliation, which may allow for Burmese refugees who fled to camps on the Thailand-Myanmar border decades ago to return.
