GROWING UP IN THE MEKONG (2004)
In the Mekong basin, Thailand is the land of unlimited opportunity. The number of immigrants is enormous. Every day about 10,000 Cambodians cross the border with goods to sell legally – or with contraband. Many children are also traded along the border, who will end up in Bangkok as prostitutes, beggars or street vendors. Vannaphone Sitthirath produced the photo essay GROWING UP IN THE MEKONG (2004) on the children on the Thai border with Laos and Cambodia. They come from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, and are almost all victims of exploitation, drug addition and abuse. Some sell their blood to stay alive. Others dream of becoming a teacher or doctor, but only a handful will escape their poverty.
