SAUDI ARABIA
THAILAND
EUROPE
GULF WAR DEMOS
ULSTER PROVINCE
ARTIFACTS
IMAGES 1997-1999
MAYDAY, LONDON 1999
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BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI

The bridge lies in the town of Kanchanaburi, Thailand. It was built by slave labourers, many of them british prisoners of war. It is part of a rail system, designed to link Singapore with the indian network. Civil wars in Burma have prevented this taking place, although recent reports suggest that new efforts are being made, again with slave labour, to complete the project.

The bridge was made famous in a book and film, of the same name. The book was written by Pierre Boulle, also author of monkey planet which became the template for a whole series of films starting with Planet of the Apes.

EXCELLENT BONG

The picture shows a saudi engineer smoking a traditional water-pipe. In Jeddah at that time everything seemed to be imported except for one thing: water pipes. There was a street in the city full of yemeni and saudi artisans making water-pipes. These pipes are known as 'shisha' in the arabic language.

SAUDI WORK CAMP

Labourers of all nationalities built the infrastructure of the modern Saudi state. There were many work camps which were often like self contained villages, with accommodation ranging from palatial mansions for the big chiefs, family houses and flats, bachelor apartments, studios, communal rooms, and dormitories.

This picture shows a room in the thai section of the camp. The workers there preferred to cook food in their rooms, rather than eating the camp provided food, although they got the rice ration from the kitchens. In many of the camps there was a strong informal economy built on money lending, gambling, the distribution of alcohol, drugs and pornographic videos and the re-export of cheap electrical goods to the home country.

THERMAE COFFEE SHOP

The picture was taken in the Thermae coffee shop, Sukhumvit Road. The bar was near to the Miami Hotel, and close to several bank branches. The cafe is full of the most beautiful women, some of whom appear in the photo.

NOI

Noi is standing below the house we rented in a slum area of Bangkok. This area at the top of Ekkamai Road is rapidly being encroached by skyscrapers, and as a consequence the poor people are having to live in increasingly worse conditions.

EKKAMAI ROAD FLOODED

Bangkok floods, 1983
Flooding is no problem for this couple as they travel. Motorbikes are a popular form of travel in the Far East, and the mobility these machines give the people make it harder to oppress them. There are stories of motorbike races for as little as 100 baht where people weave their way through the traffic at speeds of up to 160 kph.

Vibadi Rangsit, the main road to Don Muang airport is a popular location for this pastime.

TOM GOODEY 1982

Tom Goodey is seen here in Sukhumvit Road. He translates patent specifications from Japanese to English, and he is also the owner of the scanner which digitised these photos.

KILLING FIELDS 1941-45, SERBIA

Nazi troops shot hostages here during the 1941-45 war

The culture of massacre and defeat seems close to the heart of many people in our modern age. As the bank note denominations got larger and larger, so the pictures needed to change, and memorials and national symbols replaced coalminers and ship yards on the face of the rather worthless currency.

MAUSOLEUM

Brompton Cemetary, Near Chelsea FC, LONDON.
In any big city a quiet cemetery is always a nice place to relax. It is a world away from traffic congestion and football crowds, although the physical proximity maybe very close.

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