FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9 December

2009
Photojournalism Award for Burma’s Political
Prisoners

BANGKOK – The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) and

OnAsia, Asia’s
top photo agency, announced the winners of this year’s FCCT/ OnAsia
Photojournalism
Contest.
James Mackay of United Kingdom was awarded: Third Prize in
Photojournalism category ‘Refugees and Migrants” for the political
documentary entry of Burma’s political prisoners entitled, "Even Though
I'm Free I Am Not". The jury selected winners from more than 5,000
images from across the region. Judges selected winners in four categories:
Spot News, Feature Photography, Migrants and Refugees (a category
sponsored by the International Organization for Migration for photos about
the plight of refugees) and Photo Essay.

Images of this year’s contest are available and can be obtained by

contacting FCCT board member Patrick Barta at patrick.barta@wsj.com or
081-309-9109. Interviews with winning photographers can also be
arranged.

Full details of the competition and winners are available here on the FCCT
website: http://www.fccthai.com/PhotoContest2009.html

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) celebrated its 50th

anniversary in 2007. As Southeast Asia's largest and oldest press club, the
main goal of the FCCT and its members is to promote and protect the
rights of the press in Thailand and across Asia. The FCCT is Southeast
Asia's No. 1 forum for open discussion and debate on local, regional and
international news and issues.

The FCCT will continue to display the winning photos at its clubhouse
during a two month long exhibition through January that is open to the
public:

FCCT Photo Contest Winners Exhibition

Dates: Dec. 4 – Jan. 29
Location: FCCT Clubhouse, Penthouse floor, Maneeya Center Building,
518/5 Ploenchit Road, Bangkok 10330 (connected to the BTS
 Skytrain Chitlom station)
Hours: Open Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. Closed Saturday,
Sunday, and holidays
Tel: 02-652-0580-1
E-mail: info@fccthai.com
Website: http://www.fccthai.com

About the Winner:

James Mackay is a freelance documentary photographer whose work

primarily revolves around documenting the ongoing political and social
problems in Burma, from daily life to conflict and humanitarian issues both
inside and outside the country. He studied photography at Central St
Martin’s College of Art & Design in London, UK.

“Even Though I’m Free I Am Not” is a global documentary photography

project about Burma's political prisoners. Traveling all across the world to
countries including Thailand, Japan, Australia, UK, USA, Norway, Canada,
India as well as into Burma itself, hundreds of Burma’s former political
prisoners, many who have fled the country and are now forced to live in
exile often as stateless people, will be photographed, coming together to
raise awareness of the tragic plight of their colleagues still detained in jail.
To date more than 100 former political prisoners from across the world
have taken part and been photographed. The project will be used as a
campaign tool to raise awareness about the issue of Burma’s political
prisoners in the run up to Burma’s General Elections due to be held in
2010 – the first elections to be held in the country for 20 years.
The work will be exhibited in 2010 (dates to be confirmed).

Contact James Mackay:

For further details on the project, interviews and all enquiries (Burmese
and English):

Tel: +44 (0) 7789 510 246

Email: enigmaimages@mac.com
Web: www.enigmaimages.net
Web: http://enigmaimages.wordpress.com