Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI
TMS
Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) – Clashes on the border between Thailand and Cambodia continued today for the second consecutive day, with artillery fire from the armed forces of both countries. Clashes were reported in the provinces of Ubon Ratchathani and Surin, while some 140,000 internally displaced people have fled the border areas on the Thai side and 40,000 on the Cambodian side. Tensions remain high, with closed borders and deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two countries.“In this conflict, beyond territorial disputes, political and power reasons weigh heavily. Today we see how social media fuels hatred, hostility, and nationalism, influencing public opinion in both countries. “As a Catholic community, we are not on anyone’s side, but are only on the side of peace,” Father Paul Chatsirey Roeung, a Thai missionary who lives and works in Cambodia, in the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, told Fides. The religious, a member of the Thai Mission Society and National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Cambodia, is part of a group of about 12 Thai missionaries, including men and women religious, who carry out their pastoral work on the other side of the border. “As missionaries, we are committed to parishes, schools, and social works, and people know us, so we have not experienced hostility. However, we are concerned about the escalating clashes and the growing number of displaced people,” he says.The missionary shares his analysis with Fides: “The situation is complex, as several factors are at play. On the one hand, there is the long-standing territorial dispute: both countries use different maps to define their borders, which were frozen with the creation of a ‘free zone’ where military presence is not permitted. The sovereignty of the famous Preah Vihear temple, claimed for decades, was assigned to Cambodia in 1962 and its ownership was confirmed by the International Court of Justice in The Hague.Father Paul Chatsirey continues: “There are also economic interests at stake, such as the exploitation of oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Siam, and the issue of the “fraud cities” and casinos that proliferate along the border. All of this is connected to the political and commercial relations between two historically influential families: the Hun in Cambodia and the Shinawatra in Thailand, who have led both countries. All of these elements fuel the current conflict.”The missionary concludes: “We hope for an end to hostilities and the intervention of international mediation. As Catholics, we pray for peace: in Cambodia, we have raised awareness among parish communities and our young people. We want to remember the words of John XXIII and John Paul II: peace is the only path and the only good we desire and for which we are strongly committed.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 25/7/2025)
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