ASIA/CAMBODIA – A missionary: “Tension and hostility with Thailand persist, while the battle rages on social media”

Phnom Penh – “There are still thousands of refugees in Cambodia; precariousness and suffering are prevalent among the population of the provinces bordering Thailand. The tension and mutual hostility are still palpable; it is evident in the way the two sides speak and look at each other. But now the real battle has shifted and is being fought on social media,” Father Paul Chatsirey Roeung, a Thai missionary living and working in Cambodia in the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, told Fides. The priest, a member of the Thai Mission Society and national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Cambodia and Laos, serves as a bridge between the two nations, as his pastoral commitments require him to travel frequently between Thailand and Cambodia, the two countries affected by a border conflict in 2025. The missionary explains: “The border between Thailand and Cambodia remains closed. We can only travel by plane, while the bus route has to go through Laos. Relations are tense, and diplomatic discussions are underway as each side tries to present its version of events to the media and the international community.”
Regarding the evolution of the conflict and its prospects, Father Chatsirey Roeung notes that “we will have to wait for the results of the elections in Thailand,” scheduled for February 8. “We will see what the government will be and whether, with the new administration in Bangkok, concrete steps can be taken to reduce tension, promote dialogue and peace, and restore normal relations between the two neighboring countries.”
Meanwhile, on the Cambodian front, the Ministry of the Interior has reported that nearly 500,000 people, 80% of the 640,000 internally displaced persons, have been reintegrated or are returning to their communities, although more than 100,000 displaced persons still remain in refugee camps. Caritas Cambodia continues to assist thousands of displaced families, primarily refugees in pagodas, Buddhist temple complexes, or schools, offering them safety and dignity. Thanks to the mobilization of Caritas volunteers, food and essential goods are being distributed to displaced families in border provinces such as such as Preah Vihear, Siem Reap, Odor Meanchey, and Banteay Meanchey.

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