http://patrikhermansson.com/ Photos by Patrik Hermansson sv Tue, 11 Aug 2015 02:53:08 +0000 Tue, 11 Aug 2015 02:53:08 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/asjars-family/ http://patrikhermansson.com/asjars-family/#comments Patrik







Just three days before I left Yangon I was hawled into a restaurant by Asjar and his two sons. Asjar, a talkative man in his thirties, was released from prison in the beginning of April, just two months before I met him. His crime: writing a report on human rights abuses in Burma and giving it to the American embassy, where he worked as a driver, as well as some foreign NGOs. Like most political prisoners, the police knocked on his door in the middle of the night and he had no time to take anything with him or tell anyone where he was going. Neither had he any idea of how long he would be away. This happened in 2005, he spent seven years in prison. A lot changes in seven years.

These photos, I took when I was invited to lunch by Asjar's parents. The first photo shows his father and mother.  The second photo shows Asjar's sister, her two daughters and their pet chicken during a break from watching a Bollywood movie. The third photo shows Asjar and his wife and two sons in their home.

There is more to see on Flickr.]]> Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:17:08 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/asjars-family/ http://patrikhermansson.com/asjars-family/feed/ 0 http://patrikhermansson.com/kyaukme-myanmar/ http://patrikhermansson.com/kyaukme-myanmar/#comments Patrik

While visiting the town Kyaukme I decided to go and have a look in the villages around town. After getting lost a couple of times and feeling like I was about to drop dead from heat stroke, I walked in to this small Shan village where I was asked to stay the night. My limited thai proved useful and I had a great evening. Many, if not most, adults in the village had at least during one period in their lives worked in Thailand, usually for about 5-10 years, without returning home. While these journeys pay for things like generators and some brick houses, the absence of family members is understandably very taxing on everybody involved.]]> Sun, 27 May 2012 17:02:40 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/kyaukme-myanmar/ http://patrikhermansson.com/kyaukme-myanmar/feed/ 0 http://patrikhermansson.com/thingyan-water-festival-mandalay-myanmar/ http://patrikhermansson.com/thingyan-water-festival-mandalay-myanmar/#comments Patrik

On a happier note! Thingyan is a water festival held to celebrate the Buddhist new year (similar to Songkran in Thailand). I was told it lasted for four days but that wasn't true. I counted to eight or nine days of having a bucket of water thrown in my face. It's crazy. Whole families stand by the road (or railway tracks) and throw water at everyone and everything that passes. A very joyful celebration. Little children are completely ecstatic!

This family, like most, was standing outside their restaurant. I played with them and their somewhat intoxicated father for a couple of hours. It felt good to get some revenge after a week of constantly being a target for girls with buckets of ice water.]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 02:17:29 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/thingyan-water-festival-mandalay-myanmar/ http://patrikhermansson.com/thingyan-water-festival-mandalay-myanmar/feed/ 3 http://patrikhermansson.com/myitkyina-mandalay-myanmar/ http://patrikhermansson.com/myitkyina-mandalay-myanmar/#comments Patrik

The school in Huay Tong, where i teach English, closed at the end of march for holidays. So after some persuasion from Burmese here in Thailand, I took the opportunity to go to Myanmar (or Burma). And I'm glad I did.

Myanmar is one of the poorest countries on the planet and is ruled by one of the strictest military regimes in the world. Criticizing the regime is punishable and media is heavily censored. But despite these hardships, the people I have met has been incredible and surprisingly vocal about their opinions.

Traveling is slow to say the least and as a foreigner your movement is limited. This photo is from my first train journey in the country, from Myitkyina in the north to Mandalay. 500 km in 24 hours is excruciatingly slow but being the only foreigner in the carriage, I drew some attention. The mother of the family across from me was very concerned of my well being. Although she spoke no English, and I no Burmese, she shared food and shuffled people around, thinking I was uncomfortable in the very limited space.

I also met one young man, who I'm not going to name, that happened to speak some English. He writes a blog, which happens to be censored, of democracy and human rights in Myanmar. In 2007 he lead demonstrations at his university after the government raised petroleum prices by 500%. One night he was warned by a friend that police was looking for him and that he needed to get away. The same night he left Mandalay and took refuge in a remote mountain village. He stayed there for one year, without contacting his family and friends.

I came across many, many stories like this one and worse during my time in Myanmar.]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 02:11:38 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/myitkyina-mandalay-myanmar/ http://patrikhermansson.com/myitkyina-mandalay-myanmar/feed/ 0 http://patrikhermansson.com/mechanichairdresser/ http://patrikhermansson.com/mechanichairdresser/#comments Patrik

Nikorn giving a boy in the village a hair cut in his garage. He's a mechanic/hairdresser. It's five baht.]]> Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:15:22 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/mechanichairdresser/ http://patrikhermansson.com/mechanichairdresser/feed/ 0 http://patrikhermansson.com/simiri/ http://patrikhermansson.com/simiri/#comments Patrik

Simiri is eight years old. He lives in the room next to mine with five other boys. The family I live with takes care of all of them, and a couple more. Some because their villages doesn't have school, some because they have no home to go to.

This is Simiri showing me around a temple not far from the village.]]> Wed, 21 Mar 2012 01:08:25 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/simiri/ http://patrikhermansson.com/simiri/feed/ 0 http://patrikhermansson.com/teaching-volunteer-thailand/ http://patrikhermansson.com/teaching-volunteer-thailand/#comments Patrik

I'm in Thailand. I live in a village called Huay Tong, in northern Thailand, with some of the kindest people I have ever met. I teach English at the school in the day and give lessons to anyone who's interested in the evening. I couldn't be happier.

This is from an afternoon playing football with some of my students. Will post more photos in the weeks to come. Don't know for how long I'll stay. I guess I'll go home when I'm ready.]]> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:09:37 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/teaching-volunteer-thailand/ http://patrikhermansson.com/teaching-volunteer-thailand/feed/ 0 http://patrikhermansson.com/the-opposite-of-now/ http://patrikhermansson.com/the-opposite-of-now/#comments Patrik

A piece of film that I liked but never published and now it's winter. I'm going somewhere warm soon I think.]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:25:45 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/the-opposite-of-now/ http://patrikhermansson.com/the-opposite-of-now/feed/ 1 http://patrikhermansson.com/birthday-party/ http://patrikhermansson.com/birthday-party/#comments Patrik

I don't remember if they were the first ones up or last standing. But I like to see people having fun just by themselves. It's from my uncles birthday party.]]> Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:20:05 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/birthday-party/ http://patrikhermansson.com/birthday-party/feed/ 1 http://patrikhermansson.com/circus-scott/ http://patrikhermansson.com/circus-scott/#comments Patrik

I was on my way to work last week and walked by Circus Scott around six o'clock in the morning.]]> Sun, 21 Aug 2011 22:06:12 +0000 http://patrikhermansson.com/circus-scott/ http://patrikhermansson.com/circus-scott/feed/ 2