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Borei Keila, Cambodia

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The Borei Keila Agreement

The largest of the four land-sharing projects in Phnom Penh in the early 2000s was the Borei Keila neighbourhood. It became a model for the privately financed land-sharing approach in Cambodia. In September 2003, the Council of Ministers announced that Phan Imex Construction Company Ltd had been selected as the private partner in the project.

The government accepted a proposal from the company to divide the 4.6-hectare land concession into two parts: “community buildings” to re-house the existing residents of Borei Keila would be constructed on 2 hectares of the concession, while the remaining 2.6 hectares of the concession would be granted to the company for commercial development. The rest of the Borei Keila land area, amounting to 9.52 hectares, would revert to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. No public bidding process to select the developer for the Borei Keila project was ever held.

In 2003, the government granted Phanimex – owned by well-connected Cambodian businesswoman Suy Sophan — development rights to Borei Keila under a “land-sharing arrangement” to develop part of the area for commercial purposes.

Phanimex was obligated to build 10 apartment buildings on two hectares of land for the residents already living there in return for obtaining ownership of an additional 2.6 hectares for commercial development.  

In April 2010, Phanimex unilaterally reneged on the agreement, however — with the approval of the government — and only constructed eight buildings. That left 300 Borei Keila families excluded from the original agreement.

Borei Keila was catapulted into wider public consciousness when the remaining families were violently evicted from their homes in January 2012. In exchange for the extremely valuable city property they occupied, residents were given small payouts, or scanty plots of land in distantly located, poorly serviced relocation sites.  

Innocence

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Free from moral wrong; without sin; pure: innocent children. Free from legal or specific wrong; guiltless: innocent of the crime. Not involving evil intent or motive: an innocent misrepresentation. Not causing physical or moral injury; harmless: innocent fun. The innocence of Children is all of these.

Contaminated Water In The Salt Lake Slum Causing Diseases and Deaths | Kolkata — Edge of Humanity Magazine

opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, public, Uncategorized

Photojournalist Jit Chattopadhyay is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography.  From the ongoing project ‘Water contamination at slum areas’.  To see Jit’s body of work, click on any image.   A picture of Akash Chowdhury, who died of Dengue last year, being held by his sister on the lap of […]

Contaminated Water In The Salt Lake Slum Causing Diseases & Deaths | Kolkata — Edge of Humanity Magazine

The amazing TOOL I use on EVERY PHOTO in LIGHTROOM

opinons, thoughts, photography, printing, public, Travel

The is one tool I use every time in Lightroom – the graduated filter. It is really powerful and allows you to do more than just create graduations. In this video I explain the multiple ways I use this filter in Lightroom.

After the Rain. Fuji X100

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Not everyday do you get any good keepers, this one is nearly there, taken quickly, on the move and is a smidgen less that sharp.

Law and Ethics in Street Photography

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“I believe that an essential part of man’s duty upon this earth is to bear witness to the truth as it has been revealed to him.”  John Godolphin Bennett (8 June 1897 – 13 December 1974) was a British mathematician, scientist, technologist, industrial research director, and author. ​

This is an interesting statement for the photojournalist. Who defines the truth.

Accepted Definition​

1. The quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factual the truth of his statement was attested

2. Something that is true as opposed to false you did not tell me the truth

3. A proven or verified principle or statement; the fact the truths of astronomy

4. A system of concepts purporting to represent some aspect of the world the truths of ancient religions

5. Fidelity to a required standard or law

6. Faithful reproduction or portrayal the truth of a portrait

7. An obvious fact; truism; platitude

8. Honesty, reliability, or veracity the truth of her nature

9. Accuracy, as in the setting, adjustment, or position of something, such as a mechanical instrument

10. The state or quality of being faithful; allegiance Related adjectives veritable, veracious​

So how does a photojournalist remain truthful in a world of complex truths? Difficult to say the least when one mans truth may seem a lie to another. How do we maintain integrity? the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity.​

As an ethical concept, integrity depends upon consistency. To have integrity, a person must base his/her actions upon a well-thought-out framework of moral principles. What he/she does should be the same as what he/she says.

I live in South East Asia and am surrounded by truths that may have different realities for different people. Political truths, poverty truths, inequality of power and sex, confusion and lack of will.​

How do I as a photojournalist not allow myself to be misled, my work used to define half-truths or lies? Is it OK to allow my pictures to be used in positive ”propaganda”  that generates interest from people able to help the needy? 

The ability to see pictures that will tell the true story without biases is difficult because no matter how we try to keep our own views and thoughts from shaping an image subconsciously it will still happen.

An Evening walk with some Lomo CN 400 and; Fuji GW690III — Tim Dobbs Photography

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Short and sweet blog post today featuring a recent evening walk with my “Texas Leica” .. my actual Leica M2 has had to go to camera hospital due to a shutter curtain problem but that’s another story. The other week after work I spotted some pretty nice light here in the Garw valley so popped […]

An Evening walk with some Lomo CN 400 & Fuji GW690III — Tim Dobbs Photography