High in the hills of Thailand are villages where selling children for profit—not for survival—is commonplace. While the government would prefer to say that no such problem exists—one organization stands in their way. The Children's Organization of Southeast Asia (COSA) is working on a new method to stem the tide of child sex trafficking in northern Thailand. While most other organizations 'rescue' children who have already been sold and been victimized. In villages where satellite dishes and other amenities have taken the place of sold children, COSA is working to educate villagers on the benefits of not selling children—they are working on an individual basis to solve the problem for each child before it happens.
Explore Laos
In the third episode of his series “In Asia,” German traveler and director Vincent Urban transports his viewers to Laos. We travel with him to Luang Prabang, a city in Northern Laos that is home to abundant Buddhist monasteries and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our next stop is Phone Savan, capital of the Xiengkhouang province, where Urban captures the daily lives of people who work the fields and bring their produce to market. In Vang Vieng, we are introduced to the region’s aquamarine freshwater lagoons and waterfalls. Vincent finishes his trip by exploring Vientiane, the lively capital of Laos, on bike and by visiting Don Khong, an island in Southern Laos, where he engages in various outdoor activities, including playing soccer with the local children. He concludes the video by teasing his next stop: Cambodia.
MALAYSIA: Take Off with Vincent Urban
The first of five episodes about a Southeast Asian Journey by Landrover, by Vincent Urban and Clemens Kruger. Take off with them as they explore Malaysia. Watch.
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VIDEO: Scuba Diving in the Heart of Yap
Julie Hartup, part of Manta Trust, a non-profit organization, recently went to Yap to begin a long-term monitoring and research program. This footage was complied over four days of scuba diving at a shallow cleaning station with help from the Manta Ray Bay Resort.
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A Glimpse at Myanmar
The military junta has ruled Myanmar since 1962; challenges to the junta are quickly thwarted with a heavy hand. Information coming and going is monitored closely. Journalists cautiously sneak in and out, but many are blacklisted after reporting about the political situation.
The former capital city of Yangon, while not without its beauty, is developmentally stalled in the past with beat down cars cruising by crumbling buildings. No ATM’s can be found; a visitor must bring all the money they need with them.
It’s easy to forget the 2007 Saffron Rebellion. It’s easy to forget that the country’s beloved Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Aung San Suu Kyi, was under house arrest for the better part of the past two decades before her release in November of 2011. But regardless of its troubled past, you will rarely have a smile unreturned wherever you go. It’s easy to have a look around and feel that everything is just fine and dandy.
JUSTIN MOTT @jmott78
Justin is an editorial and commercial photographer born in Rhode Island, USA. He is living in Hanoi, Vietnam and working throughout SE Asia on personal projects and assignments. In 2008 his work on Agent Orange orphans was recognized in the PDN Annual and was awarded the Morty Forscher Fellowship for humanistic photography given out by the Parson’s School of Design in NYC.
For more on Justin and his photography visit: Mott Visuals
PHOTO ESSAY CURATED BY: Nelida Mortensen