Brief Description

In light of the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the lives of migrants, Mekong Migration Network (MMN) conducted an in-depth study on migrants and returnees’ experiences in navigating and negotiating the evolving circumstances they were presented with. This study gives greater weight to migrants’ narratives and provides a textured account of the options migrant workers were presented with during the pandemic, the choices they made, and the consequences of these choices on their lives.

As a complementary component of this study, John Hulme documentary photographer traveled to Phang Nga, Mae Sot, and Chiang Mai to capture individual stories of resilience and humanity, featuring migrant workers from Cambodia and Myanmar who have migrated to Thailand in hopes of a better livelihood. The use of a participatory photoshoot combined with a storytelling element thus enables raw images, personal stories, challenges, and victories of migrant workers to be brought into the limelight.

A selection of these photographs was showcased by MMN in collaboration with SEA Junction, on 15-20 December 2020 at the corner space, 1st floor, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). The exhibition provided a platform to showcase the images and stories of migrant workers taken on the field. It is our hope that these images served not only to raise awareness of the lives of migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to build empathy by enabling the general public to look through the lens of another. We also hope that it served as a means to illustrate how complex systems, whether in relation to migration policies or social protection policies, can impact migrants’ lives, further initiating a discussion on existing problems and possible solutions.

Photographer
Ella Nanda Sari

Poster
Lattapol Jirapathomsakul