This year provided more sorrow than cheer for Isaan people, especially for those in Nong Bua Lamphu, who suffered a horrific loss after a mass shooting at a nursery killed 37 people, 24 of which were small children.
People in Isaan across several provinces also had to endure hardships that came from floods and from many of the government’s construction projects. The Isaan Record documented and published these struggles that remain unresolved.
For The Isaan Record, the year 2022 was one of greatest sorrow, as we suddenly lost our aspiring reporter and photographer, Adithep Chantet. In his short time, though, he created an impressive photographic world. We showcase a number of Atitep’s final photos as part of our “Photos of the Year 2022.”
1. “Blanket and baby bottle” : A mother of a child killed in a mass shooting at Nong Bua Lamphu province clutches onto a blanket and a baby bottle in front of the Uthai Sawan Child Development Center, Na Klang district, where the shooting took place. She is waiting for the reception ceremony of a royal wreath from Princess Sirivannavari on October 7, 2022.
Photo by Hathairat Phaholtap
Read : Questions left unanswered on motive behind Nong Bua Lamphu mass shooting
2. “Before miniature coffins” : At a communal hall across from the Uthai Sawan Child Development Center, families wait to receive the bodies of their deceased relatives on October 6, 2022. Nearby lie miniature coffins donated to the victims, who were mostly small children.
Photo by Archawit In-ha
Read: Who was the Nong Bua Lamphu mass shooter?
3. “Remembering the Holy Men” : Artists perform a commemorative performance on April 3, 2022, on the 121st anniversary of the massacre of the “Holy Man Rebellion” at Non Pho, Ban Saphue, Ubon Ratchathani province, the site believed to be the site of a mass grave holding the remains of the rebels who revolted against Siamese soldiers.
Photo by Janista Arphasaengphet
4. “Captured and oppressed” : A performance by the Free Art group on April 3, 2022 at Ban Saphue, Ubon Ratchathani province, highlights the detention and oppression of the Holy Man rebels, who were restrained by a bamboo pillory before being executed.
Photo by Adithep Chantet
5. “Drowning in water and debt” : Protesters hold a rally as Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha visits Khon Kaen City to hear a briefing about the flood situation in the province on October 4, 2022, his first upcountry trip after the Constitutional Court ruled that his tenure as PM had not yet reached the 8-year limit.
Photo by Siwakorn Mangkalakiri
6. “Railroad friendships” (three photos) : Residents of the Mittraphap community in Khon Kaen province, and the railroad community in Nakhon Ratchasima province, are facing eviction from the high-speed rail construction project linking Korat to Nong Khai. The photos were taken in February 2022.
Photo by Adithep Chantet
7. “Inundated” : A flood victim in Ubon Ratchathani province waits for help, as the water level rises above 1.5 meters in October 2022.
Photo by Songwut Jullanan
8. “The aftermath” : After flooding has subsided, residents of the Mittraphap community, Khon Kaen province, place belongings, damaged beyond repair, outside their homes.
Photo by Wannisa Saen-In
9. “Denouncing the coup” : Former Justice Minister Chaikasem Nitisiri criticizes the coup staged by Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha, and calls for all prisoners of conscience to be released during the Phue Thai Party’s general assembly in Khon Kaen on October 28, 2021.
Photo by Adithep Chantet
10. “Barbed wire and equality” : Rainbow flags are put on barbed wire during a rally held by the network of LGBTQ+ community in Khon Kaen province in June 2022, calling for gender equality and revocation of Article 112 on royal defamation increasingly used against political activists.
Photo by Adithep Chantet
11. “Torch and fish net” : Kaeng Lawa is a major wetland nourished by the Chi River flowing from Chaiyaphum province. The area is vital to the livelihood of residents across several districts in Khon Kaen province, and is now at risk from a new bioeconomy zone planned to be set up in Isaan. The photo was taken in January 2022.
Photo by Adithep Chantet
12. “Isaan Pride” : The network of the LGBTQ+ community organizes a Pride parade on June 20, 2022, calling for marriage equality and gender equality, in Udon Thani province, the first Pride event ever organized in Isaan.
Photo by Onnipha Sunarong
Read : Isaan’s first Pride marches in Udon Thani
The trade of waste makes a lot of money for people in Na Kaew Village, Ubon Ratchathani Province. Recycling trash turns many local farmers into business owners. Na Kaew has now become the largest waste-trade hub in the region. But there is growing concern in the waste-trade industry. As people continue to generate money from recycling waste, Thailand might become a dump site of the world.
Once upon a time, on a small alley next to Wat Machimawat on Mak Khaeng Road, a dozen houses could be seen. The houses were the homes of molam artists and dancers. Once scattered throughout Isaan, they had all moved from their hometowns to this alley in the city of Udon Thani. There they all had dreamt that they would become stars. But today, only a few of the original houses remain, sheltering aging molam artists.
Undocumented Thai workers in South Korea can earn five times more than the minimum wage in Thailand. Hundreds of thousands of Thais have migrated to work illegally as laborers in factories or in agriculture. Most come from the Northeast, seeking to escape the poverty in their homeland. They are called phi noi (“little ghosts”). They are the flame-of-the-forest flowers that could never bloom in the arid lands of Isaan.
What would you do if you returned to your house three months after a flood only to find it in ruins, damaged beyond repair, a slush of garbage and mud obscuring any hint of a floor? This is what many flood victims in Ubon Ratchathani province encountered. They need to stay in their homes but first they need to eat. Meanwhile relief from the government is slow and insufficient. What are they to do? Songwut Jullanan from Ubon Ratchathani reports.
