Thai Salesian Provincial in Cambodia

In a conference on last Thursday to the students and teachers of the social communication section of the community of Sihanoukville, the Salesian superior for Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, Fr. John Bosco Thepharat Pitisant, underlined the importance of communications for the Salesian mission and the development of societies like Cambodia.

Fr. Theparat was in his canonical visit to the Don Bosco schools in Cambodia, mainly Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, where he participated in their respective Graduation Day. About 800 young people finished their 24 months technical formation in both schools this year in areas like mechanic, electricity, secretarial, hotel management, automotive, social communication and many others. Since 1991 Don Bosco has given technical certificates to almost 5 thousand youth from the most impoverished communities of Cambodia, especially rural areas and for very low fees that are affordable by the students, while relying in charitable funds.

In the Graduation Day of Sihanoukville on Tuesday, August 13, the governor of the city, Mr. Bong Sarath and other members of the city authorities, visited the school and greeted the new Don Bosco technicians. Fr. Theparat and Mr. Sarath interchanged thanks and talked about the contribution of the Don Bosco schools for the development of the country by giving skill formation to young people from poor communities. For Fr. Theparat, this gesture of Mr. Sarath as governor of the port city is a very important encouragement for the continuation of the Salesian mission in the region and in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Thursday, September 2, was the last day of the Salesian superior in Sihanoukville and Cambodia. In order to close his official visit to the center, he addressed a conference to the students and teachers of the social communication section in the television studio of the Don Bosco Audiovisual Center. As the students have finished their first year and one of his areas of skill is English as second language, the conference was done entirely in English. Fr. Theparat encouraged the project and underlined the importance of areas like communication and information technology for the Salesian Mission and the development of countries like Cambodia. He said to the 18 young students that they must dream with a best future for their country. He wished that the section could afford the creation of a radio station and television channel. He said that in Thailand the government has opened the possibility of create Radio Communities and on that idea the Salesians have founded already three radio stations that have been very important for the encounter with the young people of the modern times. “If Don Bosco were alive this time, he would be very happy with the Internet, the radio, the television, the modern media, to reach more and more young people,” he said.

Fr. Theparat motivated also the Salesian communities in Cambodia to welcome the Don Bosco Casket that will arrive in Cambodia in December 2010 for three days. The Pilgrimage of the Don Bosco Casket began in Turin on April 2009 as a way to prepare the Salesian world for the celebration of the bi-centenary of the birth of Saint John Bosco (1815 – 2015).

Watch the three videos of the conference of Fr. Theparat and his departure from Don Bosco Sihanoukville by doing click here.