งานวิจัยและบทความ

The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) is a Catholic Congregation that was founded in 1926. Originating in Rome, the organization now has secular priests conducting missionary work all over the world, including Thailand. In Lampang, PIME established the Pastoral Development Centre, which provides pastoral and socioeconomic work in the region. One of the organization’s prominent initiatives involves the cultivation of padi fields in the Karen village of Hooeemong, a project that reflects a larger goal of both Protestant and Catholic agencies: these missions aim to prevent mass migration to Bangkok by working with government agencies to improve socioeconomic conditions in isolated regions of Northern Thailand. This article outlines the work of the Catholic Church in Thailand regarding the Karen people, as well as the Akha and the Yao, concluding that these Hill tribes look toward the Church for both spiritual and socioeconomic help.