Amid violence, church postpones relief effort in Bangkok

BANGKOK -- Thai church leaders urged Catholics to be actively involved in relief work in the Thai capital after the army stormed the main "red-shirt" protest site.

Bishop Joseph Pibul Visitnondachai of Nakhon Sawan told the Asian church news agency UCA News that he wants Catholics to be involved in blood donation drives and visit those wounded in the violence that erupted anew May 13.

Key leaders of the anti-government movement surrendered during the May 19 military operation, but riots and fires continued in many parts of the city throughout the afternoon, and violence spread to other parts of the country.

Actions by Catholic volunteers were hindered by security concerns as armed forces cleared central Bangkok of protesters and the government imposed a curfew throughout the city.

"Now we can only urge people to pray for the country," said Bishop Pibul, who heads the Thai bishops' Commission for the Law and Economy.

Saying the government is illegitimate, for two months the protesters occupied large areas of central Bangkok, demanding that parliament be dissolved and new elections called.

Thai troops stormed the encampment where the protesters had holed up, bringing an end to the contentious standoff.

Thai church leadership had planned to call Catholics together for a prayer rally in the capital May 23, but Bishop Pibul said such a gathering was in jeopardy after the crackdown.

Church leaders asked the faithful to pray the rosary for the dead and for the country daily for the rest of the year.

"We call on all sides to stop violence and cooperate to solve the political problems by love and forgiveness," they said in a statement.

"We call for a return to dialogue to calm down the situation and resolve matters peacefully," they added.

Several Catholic churches and schools opened their doors as safe havens to people trapped in the conflict zone May 18.

The week of violence, which left at least 41 people dead and hundreds more injured, prompted Thai Catholic leaders to issue a plea for calm and a return to negotiations.

A May 17 appeal from the protesters for a cease-fire and U.N.-mediated talks was rejected by authorities.

The president of the bishops' conference said he feared "the country is at the beginning of a civil war."

Archbishop Louis Chamniern Santisukniran of Thare and Nonseng called for negotiations to begin anew, saying that "an intervention of religious leaders might help to explore new avenues of dialogue and mediation and provide a peaceful solution to the crisis," Fides, the Vatican's missionary news agency, reported May 15.

The violence forced nearly all Catholics to stay away from Mass May 16 at parishes near the protest zone.

Those who made it to Mass prayed for the dead and injured as well as for peace in the country.

At least five Catholic centers are in areas where fighting has been fiercest.

Four families, including women, children and elderly, have moved into Holy Redeemer School, said Father Sirichai Laukobkul, parish priest of the adjacent Holy Redeemer Church in Ruam Rudee.

“They feel unsafe. The violence, smoke from burning tires, the cutting off of electricity and water supplies, and jamming of mobile-phone signals in some areas have forced people to flee,” the priest said.

Pairin Chotsakulrat, a Catholic and leader of the Peace Witness Volunteer group, said her organization asked Catholic churches and schools to aid those fleeing violence.

Our Lady of Fatima School in Din Daeng, the Sacred Heart Convent School and Mercy Center orphans’ home, both in Klong Toei, as well as the Jesuits’ house, Xavier Hall, at Victory Monument, have answered Pairin’s call.

“Our church is prepared to accommodate the affected people and provide sleeping bags and basic necessities,” Jesuit Father Vichai Pokthavi of Xavier Hall said.

Mahidol University’s Research Center for Peace Building is also providing humanitarian support.

“We already helped 20 families move from Klong Toei district to their relatives’ homes,” Jaisiri Worathamniem, a Catholic working at Mahidol, said.

“We also provide information for community leaders on how to manage oneself if violence happens and how and who to ask for support.”