Showing 1 - 10 of 11
Voices of the silent
Spectrum, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 11/03/2012
» Last Thursday was International Women's Day, an occasion that for a century has served for people to demand greater civil rights, representation and equality; to honour wives, mothers and girlfriends and the accomplishments of women; to call for an end to global hunger and poverty; and, increasingly, to highlight the plight of refugees and the displaced.
A sonic bang for your bucks
B Magazine, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 18/08/2013
» Among the stars arriving for Bangkok's inaugural Sonic Bang festival on Saturday is one band that is no stranger to Southeast Asia. Frequent visitors to the region, Placebo have brought their reflective, gender-twisting or drug-exploring lyrics, their androgynous look, their dark, melodic instrumentals around the world, and now to Bangkok for the third time.
Photo journey brings myanmar into the light
B Magazine, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 07/04/2013
» From mountains to beaches, monks to spirits, colonial architecture to hill tribes, Myanmar is a gem of contrasts and natural beauty. It is also sublimely photogenic, making books such as the newly published Burmese Light: Impressions of the Golden Land, by Hans Kemp and Tom Vater, visually arresting.
Is 'White Prison' making Bang Khwang a darker place?
Spectrum, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 17/03/2013
» Bang Khwang Central Prison is undergoing a transformation under an initiative aimed at ridding the notorious "Bangkok Hilton" and eight other facilities of drugs and other contraband. The "White Prison" policy came into effect last May under new director Vasant Singkaselit. Under the policy, visitors have been banned from bringing food, clothes or other items for prisoners; even books are banned. Prisoners are allowed to meet visitors once a day for 45 minutes, up to two visits a week, while visitors can only seen one inmate per day. Inmate workshops have been cancelled, punishments have become harsher and access to help in case of medical or fire emergencies has been limited.
Locked away and forgotten: inside a high security jail
Spectrum, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 04/11/2012
» At two security checkpoints visitors are frisked and scanned with metal detectors. No sharp objects, no liquids, no metals, no mobile phones or gadgets.
Yen and the art of travelling on the cheap
B Magazine, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 02/09/2012
» There is a sign on the door of the Capsule Inn Tajima near Ueno Station in Tokyo discouraging tattooed patrons from making use of the baths or overnight capsules. This is aimed at Yakuza, organised crime figures, who once had leverage over urban businesses but whose influence has waned somewhat in recent years, even in the entertainment districts where they used to thrive.
After the horrors, Cambodia looks to reclaim its heritage
Spectrum, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 14/10/2012
» For decades, thousands of Khmer antiquities have been sold on the international art market and through major auction houses in London, New York and elsewhere, bought up by leading museums and wealthy collectors. A large portion of these artefacts came with little or no ownership history, meaning they could well have been looted from temple complexes by thieves during the country's years of political turmoil, with Cambodia powerless to stem the trade or repatriate any of the items.
It's time to meet the neighbours
B Magazine, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 15/07/2012
» It vies for the title of most photogenic country on earth. Bigger than Thailand, with a similar size population, Myanmar has through years of international financial sanctions fallen behind the rest of the region in terms of influence and standing, with a military government that didn't tolerate threats to its authority. Nevertheless it has some of the region's most variegated scenery _ from mountain trekking to pristine beaches _ stunning temples and sites, delicious food, and the great sincerity and beauty of its people.
'Asia's Vegas' more than bright lights
B Magazine, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 13/05/2012
» Mediterranean-style cobblestone squares. Chinese shophouses. Western brand outlets. Cantonese dim sum for brunch and galinha a Portuguesa (Portuguese-style chicken) for dinner. Sixteenth-century cathedrals and forts stand beside Chinese mansions and gardens, or temples thick with incense. Garish high-rise casinos and decrepit apartment blocks form a backdrop over narrow winding lanes along the old city walls _ a clash of tastes that mesmerises and disorients.
All packed up and many places to go
B Magazine, Ezra Kyrill Erker, Published on 15/01/2012
» Twenty or even 10 years ago, Western budget travellers would descend on the country, spending tens of thousands of baht on flights and then, to the bemusement of Thais, proceed to travel in third-class train carriages or buses to rudimentary guest houses on the beach or upcountry that cost 40 baht a night, where they showered out of buckets and shared dormitories with strangers.