VOX POPULI: War photographers put lives on line for truth

Battlefield photographers hold a mirror up to the world and, in the process, expose themselves to great danger. I once heard the experienced photographer Bunyo Ishikawa say of Taizo Ichinose (1947-1973), who died in Cambodia, that his shooting positions were a manifestation of his professional spirit.

Ichinose sent films from Cambodia to Ishikawa, who was working for The Asahi Shimbun at the time. They worried Ishikawa. The photographs showed, for example, shots of gunfights in which soldiers were lying on their bellies. It was clear that Ichinose himself must have been shooting standing up to take them. While Ishikawa lauded Ichinose's professional spirit, he was concerned that the photographer was getting carried away, as is often the case with young people. That was during the early 1970s.

Hiroyuki Muramoto, 43, who was shot dead on Saturday in Bangkok while covering clashes between antigovernment protesters and security forces, was a veteran cameraman. Tuesday's editions of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun carried stories about his warm personality. No doubt it was his professional spirit that drove him to continue covering bloodshed from the frontline.

The news agency to which he belonged released images that showed what he was seeing through his lens just before he died.

While they show scenes of violent unrest, they give the impression that they were shot calmly. In reaction to a bombing nearby, soldiers are shown fleeing but the image that captures their escape is stable. Another image shows injured soldiers being dragged off. It is the work of a pro. The thought that the images were taken at the cost of the cameraman's life makes my heart ache.

Thailand is now in the middle of its traditional New Year, which is supposed to be the happiest period of the year. It is the time of Songkran, the water-splashing festival. People, including complete strangers, throw water at each other. The writer Wahei Tatematsu, who died in February, once said no other festival was as peaceful in spirit as Songkran.

The tensions and gun battles now raging in Thailand are far removed from that peacefulness.

It is said that the gap between the rich and the poor in Thailand is fueling the conflict. The protesters who clashed with security forces were from the poor northeastern region, where the water-splashing festival is popular. We must not allow hatred to spread any further in the "land of smiles."

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 14

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.