The floods meet all the criteria to be considered a catastrophe: millions of people affected, significant damage to property and infrastructure, and insufficient local capacity. But the central government is suspending its decision. The declaration is not just a formality, but responds to pre-established criteria. The provincial government of Aceh is evaluating a request for aid from the UN.
In Cambodia, three bishops issued a joint appeal as air strikes and artillery fire continue for the sixth consecutive day along the 800-kilometre Thai-Cambodian border. “We pray for all the victims” and “affirm the closeness of our hearts to all displaced families, and especially children, the sick, and vulnerable people,” reads their statement. Meanwhile, in Thailand, the Catholic Bishops' Conference is mobilising to help the communities affected by the fighting.
The Ministry of Energy would like to restart atomic energy production in the Philippines in the province of Pangasinan with the construction of a 1,200-megawatt plant. In a pastoral letter, the bishops of the region where the plant would be built express their opposition: ‘After Fukushima, let us choose prudence, investing in renewable energies that guarantee safety, resilience and true long-term development for our people’.
The border dispute is not the only factor in restarting clashes. Scores of online scam centres operate along the border, run by criminal networks linked to Cambodian elites. Thailand considers them strategic military targets and is using the war to build up nationalist support ahead of upcoming elections. Thailand's opposition People's Party has called for a return to diplomacy.
The Philippine president urges Congress to focus on four reforms, including a bill limiting the power of large political clans. The Church welcomes the initiative, but doubts remain as to whether a Congress dominated by powerful clans will agree to curb their own influence.
The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has reignited, with new airstrikes and hundreds of thousands of displaced people on both sides. Domestic Thai political tensions are behind the military crisis. PM Anutin Charnvirakul's government, in difficulty and on the verge of parliament’s dissolution, is exploiting nationalist rhetoric to bolster support. Meanwhile, Cambodia is drawing militarily closer to Vietnam.
