Sadly I’m coming to the last few days of my 6 weeks in Thailand shooting my short documentary film ‘Forgotten borders’. The last few weeks have been life changing, eye opening and every other cliché you can think of. I have seen somethings that are beyond belief, heard stories I wouldn’t even want to read and met some of the most incredible and inspiring people in the world. The Thai-Border towns are so diverse, hectic, volatile, corrupt and incredible all in one place. Everyone I have met who has experience the same things as me have all said that this place is addictive. So much that nearly everyone that comes returns. If you get the chance to visit for a decent period, emerge your self into the cultures and politics and I promise you won’t come out the same person.
It seems so strange to have not really taken any still images at all in the last 6 weeks after shooting everyday for a month in Myanmar, as here I have mostly been filming, researching and interviewing. Of the very few images I have taken this is one of my favourites. The girl is a Muslim street child living in Mae Sot on the Thai-Burmese border. Living as muslims in a predominantly Buddhist country makes life even more difficult than it already would be. The tensions in the community are extremely high at the moment with the recent conflicts in western Myanmar between the Buddhist Arakanese and Muslim Rohinya people which have lead to over 50 deaths. I hope with all my heart that the needless killings end.
Absolute peace in our world is an unattainable goal. But it is one towards which we must continue to journey, our eyes fixed on it as a traveller in a desert fixes his eyes on the one guiding star that will lead him to salvation. Even if we do not achieve perfect peace on earth, because perfect peace is not of this earth, common endeavours to gain peace will unite individuals and nations in trust and friendship and help to make our human community safer and kinder. – Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech 16/06/12
