“Lost loved ones: Portraits from the Deep South into the Red Zone”

Masaru Goto has been documenting people in the south of Thailand since early 2004. He has traveled through rural armed Buddhist villages, as well as Muslim villages, which are classified as "red zones" where support for the separatists is strong. Since 2004, more than 2,300 people have been killed and over 6,000 injured in the deep south of Thailand, where Buddhists live side by side with Muslims. The number of widows has risen to 1,000, and 1,740 children have become orphans. Violence in the region has affected people in all aspects of life, especially in that people have lost their families and suddenly lost their loved ones. The series of portraits shows the faces of those who have lost their loved ones in the conflict. The documentary series shows the reality of the situation in the south. The photographer wishes to show in this documentary that violence has increased to an extent where it affects almost all areas of life for local people, both Muslim and Buddhist. Background of conflict: Located close to Malaysia, 80% of the population in three Deep South provinces—Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala—is ethnic Malay Muslim. Long ago, the Sultanate of Pattani (Muslim Kingdom) ruled in this region, but the area was annexed by the Royal Thai Government in the early 20th century. Since the beginning of the annexation, separatist groups have called for independence. In January 2004, Muslim separatist groups calling for independence from the central Buddhist government have launched the attacks, setting bombs in the middle of the city and killing Buddhist villagers. The Thai government enacted an Emergency Decree and reinforced troops; young Muslim men have been "blacklisted" by authorities and assumed guilty with no reason given. An unknown number of people have "disappeared" but local Muslims never see justice, so local Muslims sympathized with separatist group and joined them. Now most rural Muslim villages in the south are classified as "red zones" where support for the separatists is strong. At the same time the government has reinforced its troops in the Deep South. All photographs ©2004-2007 Masaru Goto

About

MASARU GOTO has 19 years experience photographing social and human rights issues in Southeast Asia and South America. Masaru’s photographs convey a strong message of compassion; highlighting the plight and resilience of ordinary people who are caught in conflicts, suffering under oppression or economically disadvantaged.

In 2002, Masaru won the prestigious Fifty Crows Foundation award for Documentary Photography for his photos essay on Human Rights in Colombia “got rights? Human Rights in Colombia”. His photography books include “My Journal of Cambodia 1997-1998” is a powerful photographic essay about the final years of civil war waged by the Khmer Rouge and “Smile in Despair: Stories from a Cambodian AIDS ward” is about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Cambodia.

Masaru has vast experience photographing refugees and civilians affected by political upheaval. His work in Kashmir documented family impact by the Indian-led militarization; his photographs from Aceh, a part of Indonesia, were commissioned by Terre des hommes (TDH) Germany and Asian Forum for Human rights and Development (Forum Asia), a regional human rights organization and for an International information campaign. Most recently, Masaru has been working in Southern Thailand in Muslim communities affected by the outbreak of violence that erupted earlier this year. And he had currently finished in book project in collaboration with Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) about the refugees along Thai-Burmese border. Masaru immerses himself in long -term documentary project; spending time with the people in his images and sharing their sense of humanity. For the past four years, Masaru has devoted himself to a work-in -progress on the AIDS crisis in Cambodia. His photos portray the stigma and abandonment experienced by many people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. This work presented at the Bangkok International AIDS conference in July 2004.

And 2004, Masaru’s images of HIV/AIDS in Cambodia won two of the category, "LOVE" and "ILLNESS" for "the River of Life" World Health Organization (WHO) photo competition. Masaru strongly believes in sharing his photographs with NGO’s and civil society groups for advocacy and information campaigns on the issues he passionately examines in his work. He has participated in numerous campaigns on human right and social issues.

Masaru Goto's current location:
Bangkok , Thailand

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“Lost loved ones: Portraits from the Deep South into the Red Zone”

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