Kamal (not his real name) lives in the town of Maungdaw, in north-western Arakan State, western Burma.  The 40-year-old Rohingya struggles daily to support his  family while operating a small tea shop. However, he wept when he told me in an recent interview he just can’t seem to make enough money and is deeply worried his family cannot not survive their present financial crisis. 

A 45-year old patient named Abdul Hamid from Buthidaung has been suffering from pain in his stomach for over one year. He has been receiving treatment from local doctors, but has not had any positive results. He recently traveled to Bangladesh, where his wife was going to sell ornaments.

Hussain (not his real name), 50, lives in Bogri Chang village-tract, Buthidaung, in Arakan State, western Burma. He and other Rohingya have been facing difficulty growing paddy and other essential crops because of confiscation of their lands by Burmese authorities.

A group of students are walking on a hill under the fog of morning. They are on their way to school, which is located in the Ban Don Yan Refugee Camp on the Thai-Burma border.

President Thein Sein seems to be on the right track, when he ordered or instructed the military on December 10 to cease its offensive against the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/KIA). But reports coming in indicate that either the military is disobeying the presidential order or the instruction has not reached all the units, which according to Aung Thaung, Minister of Industry and head of the Union Level Peacemaking Group, sporadic skirmishes in remote areas occurred, due to the fact that troops there might not have received the instruction due to a lack of a proper telecommunication system.

Alam (not his real name), a twenty-seven year-old Bangladeshi, smuggled Yaba methamphetamine tablets across Bangladesh from the Burmese border without the knowledge of Bangladeshi authorities for over six months. The only reason he decided to stop his involvement with the drug trade was that he was cheated by a partner.

It was cool and crisp in the early morning on Saturday June 11, 2011. The smells brought in by the monsoon winds were very pleasant. As I lay on my bed, I could hear the slow patter of a light drizzle outside. My younger was already stirring about and talking on his cell phone. This was unusual. He never liked to get up early but that day he evidently had.

Twenty-five year-old Abdul (not his real name) and other refugees who have been living in small sheds in Bangladesh for over 20 years had high hopes and dreams that the situation in Burma’s northern Arakan State, their homeland, would be changed after the 2010 elections. However, what they see is ongoing human rights abuses and discrimination against Rohingya people, so the situation is actually becoming worse day-by-day in Arakan State, Abdul said in a recent interview.

Many people visit the street in Shweli where the bars are. Shweli, also known as Ruili, is a Chinese town on the Sino-Burma border. A few years back and as the sun went down, Nwe Ni (not her real name) could be seen at one bar, putting on make-up and waiting for customers to take notice. To pass the time, she would talk with her friends, perhaps sharing a joke or two. Nwe Ni was a sex worker.

(Feature) Kyu Kyu waits for customers in the parlor room of the brothel house after she finishes putting on her make-up in the afternoon. She talks with a friend on her mobile phone.