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  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Women pray before presenting cooked sticky rice to monks during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking016.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND:  A man fills his home water tanks with water he traveled more than a mile to find in Si Liam, Buri Ram. The man said his rice crop failed this year because of the drought and he didn't know how he was going to get through to the next planting season. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought025.jpg
  • 26 SEPTEMBER 2014 - PATTAYA, CHONBURI, THAILAND: People cheer for a mor lam music act in a local bar that caters to mostly Thais in Pataya. Pataya, a beach resort about two hours from Bangkok, has wrestled with a reputation of having a high crime rate and being a haven for sex tourism. After the coup in May, the military government cracked down on other Thai beach resorts, notably Phuket and Hua Hin, putting military officers in charge of law enforcement and cleaning up unlicensed businesses that encroached on beaches. Pattaya city officials have launched their own crackdown and clean up in order to prevent a military crackdown. City officials have vowed to remake Pattaya as a "family friendly" destination. City police and tourist police now patrol "Walking Street," Pattaya's notorious red light district, and officials are cracking down on unlicensed businesses on the beach.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PattayaMakeover047.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND: People dance through the grounds of Wat Ponchai during a merit making procession on the last day of the Ghost Festival in Dan Sai. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon143.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND: Women pray during a ceremony in Wat Ponchai on the last morning of the Ghost Festival. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon112.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Members of the crew unload a truck carrying the stage at a venue in Khlong Tan Market in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118003.jpg
  • 21 JANUARY 2016 - KHLONG PHAI, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: Maintenance workers repair the spillway  at Lam Takhong Dam in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The dam is only 30 percent of its capacity and farmers downstream have been told they can't draw irrigation water from the dam.  The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought049.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND:  A man rides his bicycle down the main road in Si Liam, Buri Ram. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought023.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND: People participate in a merit making ceremony on the last morning of the Ghost Festival at Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon125.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND: Women pray during a ceremony in Wat Ponchai on the last morning of the Ghost Festival. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon111.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Performers in a mor lam show backstage in Khlong Tan Market in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118042.jpg
  • 23 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Members of the crew of the Prathom Bunteung Silp troupe nap during a performance in Bangkok. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the largest Mor Lam troupes in Thailand and travels from town to town putting on four hour shows.  Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam079.jpg
  • 23 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A performer with the Prathom Bunteung Silp troupe gets her costume on one of the troupe's buses. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the largest Mor Lam troupes in Thailand and travels from town to town putting on four hour shows. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam075.jpg
  • 22 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Performers with the Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam troupe put on their makeup before a show in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam002.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Buddhist monks lead a prayer during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking009.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND:    Water flows into a cistern people use for bathing at the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it.  In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought029.jpg
  • 09 MAY 2016 - SANGKHA, SURIN, THAILAND: A woman works in her rice field with her son, preparing to plant the 2016 rice crop. Normally the fields would have been prepped in April and rice planted in May but farmers are several weeks behind schedule because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought021.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - KHAM THALE SO, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: A woman pulls a cart of rice hay for her water buffalo back to her home in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought040.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND:  Buddhist monks at a merit making ceremony at Wat Ponchai on the last morning of the ghost festival. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon122.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A performer does a costume change backstage between songs at a mor lam show in Khlong Tan Market in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118046.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A performer in a mor lam show puts on makeup before going on stage at a mor lam show in Khlong Tan Market in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118028.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A man makes a floral altar during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking006.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A man makes a floral altar during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking005.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A woman pours floral water into an altar in Lumpini Park during a "sticky rice merit making" in the park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking003.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND:    A man at the public school in Ban Khana fills the water cisterns with water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The school hasn't had running water for about one month. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it.  In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought040.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND: A man covers his water barrels with plastic getting water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it.  In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought035.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND: A man fills recycled soft drink bottles with water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it.  In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought032.jpg
  • 09 MAY 2016 - SANGKHA, SURIN, THAILAND: A woman and her son pose in their rice field in Surin while the woman was hoeing the field and preparing to plant her 2016 rice crop. Normally the fields would have been prepped in April and rice planted in May but farmers are several weeks behind schedule because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought019.jpg
  • 09 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND:    People get water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it. In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought007.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2016 - BURI RAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND: People on a motorcycle duck raindrops during an unseasonal thunderstorm in Buri Ram, Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamRain004.jpg
  • 21 JANUARY 2016 - NONG YA KHAO, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: Farmers harvest cassava in a field in Nakhon Ratchasima province of Thailand. Cassava, a drought resistant root vegetable, is one of the vegetables the Thai government is encouraging farmers to grow instead of rice and other more water dependent crops. Thailand is the world's leading exporter of dried cassava flakes.  The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought070.jpg
  • 21 JANUARY 2016 - NONG YA KHAO, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: Farmers harvest cassava in a field in Nakhon Ratchasima province of Thailand. Cassava, a drought resistant root vegetable, is one of the vegetables the Thai government is encouraging farmers to grow instead of rice and other more water dependent crops. Thailand is the world's leading exporter of dried cassava flakes.  The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought068.jpg
  • 21 JANUARY 2016 - KHLONG PHAI, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: Maintenance workers repair the spillway  at Lam Takhong Dam in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The dam is only 30 percent of its capacity and farmers downstream have been told they can't draw irrigation water from the dam.  The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought047.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND: A woman doles out water to a neighbor in Si Liam. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought032.jpg
  • 26 SEPTEMBER 2014 - PATTAYA, CHONBURI, THAILAND: People dance in a local bar that caters to mostly Thais in Pataya. Pataya, a beach resort about two hours from Bangkok, has wrestled with a reputation of having a high crime rate and being a haven for sex tourism. After the coup in May, the military government cracked down on other Thai beach resorts, notably Phuket and Hua Hin, putting military officers in charge of law enforcement and cleaning up unlicensed businesses that encroached on beaches. Pattaya city officials have launched their own crackdown and clean up in order to prevent a military crackdown. City officials have vowed to remake Pattaya as a "family friendly" destination. City police and tourist police now patrol "Walking Street," Pattaya's notorious red light district, and officials are cracking down on unlicensed businesses on the beach.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PattayaMakeover058.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND: Women dance during a merit making procession on the last day of the Ghost Festival in Dan Sai.  Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon133.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND: People participate in a merit making ceremony on the last morning of the Ghost Festival at Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon127.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND: Women wait to go into Wat Ponchai on the last morning of the Ghost Festival. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon114.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND: Buddhist monks and novices put away a parade float after the Ghost Festival in Dan Sai. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon102.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A mor lam show in Khlong Tan Market in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118045.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Members of the cast eat lunch backstage while the crew sets up the stage before a mor lam show in Khlong Tan Market in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118013.jpg
  • 23 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  The Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam troupe performs in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam115.jpg
  • 23 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A member of the cast of the Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam troupe puts on her nail polish before a performance in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam092.jpg
  • 23 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A cast member of the Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam troupe picks up her feathered headdress before a performance in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam086.jpg
  • 22 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: The Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam troupe performs in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam045.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Buddhist monks collect alms from the crowd during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking027.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A woman prays before presenting cooked sticky rice to monks during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking017.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A girl pours floral water into an altar in Lumpini Park during a "sticky rice merit making" in the park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking007.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND: A man fills recycled soft drink bottles with water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it.  In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought057.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2016 - BURI RAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND: People on a motorcycle duck raindrops during an unseasonal thunderstorm in Buri Ram, Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamRain003.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - KHAM THALE SO, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: A dried irrigation canal in Nakhon Ratchasima province. At this time of year it should be full but hasn't been used in months because of the drought in Thailand. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought044.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND:  A farmer spreads irrigation water in a field on a farm in Si Liam, Buri Ram. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought021.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND: The community reservoir in Si Liam, Buri Ram, is lower than it has ever been forcing residents to find an alternative source of domestic water. The reservoir, which is rain fed, is not expected to refill until the rainy season starts in May, leaving the community without water for four months. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought004.jpg
  • 26 SEPTEMBER 2014 - PATTAYA, CHONBURI, THAILAND: People dance in a local bar that caters to mostly Thais in Pataya. Pataya, a beach resort about two hours from Bangkok, has wrestled with a reputation of having a high crime rate and being a haven for sex tourism. After the coup in May, the military government cracked down on other Thai beach resorts, notably Phuket and Hua Hin, putting military officers in charge of law enforcement and cleaning up unlicensed businesses that encroached on beaches. Pattaya city officials have launched their own crackdown and clean up in order to prevent a military crackdown. City officials have vowed to remake Pattaya as a "family friendly" destination. City police and tourist police now patrol "Walking Street," Pattaya's notorious red light district, and officials are cracking down on unlicensed businesses on the beach.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PattayaMakeover059.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND: A woman prays during a ceremony in Wat Ponchai on the last morning of the Ghost Festival. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon146.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND:  People in a merit making procession walk through Dan Sai on the their way to Wat Ponchai on the last day of the Ghost Festival. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon134.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Members of the audience dance in spectators' area during a mor lam show in Khlong Tan Market in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118064.jpg
  • 23 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   Spectators dance during a Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam show in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.               PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam099.jpg
  • 22 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Spectators dance during a Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam show in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam067.jpg
  • 22 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A spectator at a Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam show uses her smart phone to photograph a performer.  Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam065.jpg
  • 22 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Spectators dance during a Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam show in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam058.jpg
  • 22 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: The Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam troupe performs in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam054.jpg
  • 22 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A percussionist with the Prathom Bunteung Silp plays during a show in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam052.jpg
  • 22 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Performers with the Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam troupe put on their makeup before a show in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam016.jpg
  • 22 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Performers with the Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam troupe put on their makeup before a show in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam001.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND: People carry water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand back to their pickup truck. They filled hundreds of recycled soft drink bottles with water from the well. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it. In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought045.jpg
  • 09 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND:    People get water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it. In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought003.jpg
  • 26 SEPTEMBER 2014 - PATTAYA, CHONBURI, THAILAND: Bar patrons dance with the singer in a local bar that caters to mostly Thais in Pataya. Pataya, a beach resort about two hours from Bangkok, has wrestled with a reputation of having a high crime rate and being a haven for sex tourism. After the coup in May, the military government cracked down on other Thai beach resorts, notably Phuket and Hua Hin, putting military officers in charge of law enforcement and cleaning up unlicensed businesses that encroached on beaches. Pattaya city officials have launched their own crackdown and clean up in order to prevent a military crackdown. City officials have vowed to remake Pattaya as a "family friendly" destination. City police and tourist police now patrol "Walking Street," Pattaya's notorious red light district, and officials are cracking down on unlicensed businesses on the beach.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PattayaMakeover050.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND:  People in a merit making procession walk through Dan Sai on the their way to Wat Ponchai on the last day of the Ghost Festival. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon135.jpg
  • 29 JUNE 2014 - DAN SAI, LOEI, THAILAND:  A woman lights a candle during a ceremony in Wat Ponchai on the last morning of the Ghost Festival. Phi Ta Khon (also spelled Pee Ta Khon) is the Ghost Festival. Over three days, the town's residents invite protection from Phra U-pakut, the spirit that lives in the Mun River, which runs through Dan Sai. People in the town and surrounding villages wear costumes made of patchwork and ornate masks and are thought be ghosts who were awoken from the dead when Vessantra Jataka (one of the Buddhas) came out of the forest. On the last day of the festival people participate in merit making ceremonies at the Wat Ponchai in Dan Sai and lead processions through town soliciting donations for the temple.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    PhiTaKhon116.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Performers in a mor lam show backstage in Khlong Tan Market in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118052.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A performer in a mor lam show puts on makeup before going on stage at a mor lam show in Khlong Tan Market in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118036.jpg
  • 19 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A member of the crew sets up the stage for a mor lam  Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam0118014.jpg
  • 23 NOVEMBER 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A fan takes a picture of a perfomer of the Prathom Bunteung Silp mor lam troupe backstage during a performance in Bangkok. Mor Lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan (northeast Thailand). It is sometimes compared to American country music, song usually revolve around unrequited love, mor lam and the complexities of rural life. Mor Lam shows are an important part of festivals and fairs in rural Thailand. Mor lam has become very popular in Isan migrant communities in Bangkok. Once performed by bands and singers, live performances are now spectacles, involving several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (or hang khreuang) in particular often wear fancy costumes, and singers go through several costume changes in the course of a performance. Prathom Bunteung Silp is one of the best known Mor Lam troupes in Thailand with more than 250 performers and a total crew of almost 300 people. The troupe has been performing for more 55 years. It forms every August and performs through June then breaks for the rainy season.              PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    MorLam093.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A boy sits on the ground behind a row of monks and listens to them during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking040.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A man makes a floral altar during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking039.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A woman prays during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking033.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A woman prays during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking032.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Buddhist monks lead a prayer during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking030.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Buddhist monks collect alms from the crowd during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking026.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A woman prays before presenting cooked sticky rice to monks during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking022.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Buddhist monks collect alms from the crowd during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking020.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  A woman prays before presenting cooked sticky rice to monks during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking018.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Buddhist monks collect alms from the crowd during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking014.jpg
  • 17 MARCH 2018 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Buddhist monks collect alms from the crowd during a "sticky rice merit making" in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Sticky rice merit making is a merit making in the Isan / Lao style, when people present small amounts of cooked sticky rice (also known as glutinous rice) to Buddhist monks. Isan is the northeast region of Thailand.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    StickyRiceMeritMaking012.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND: A man fills recycled soft drink bottles with water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it.  In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought058.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - BAN KHANA, TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND: Water buffalo walk down the main road in the village of Ban Khana, near the Cambodian border in Surin province, Thailand. Water buffalo used to be the main "beast of burden" for Thai farmers but now most Thai farmers use tractors and buffalo are kept as a source of meat.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinWaterBuffalo003.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - LAM NANG RONG, BURI RAM, THAILAND: Women plant cassava in a field in Buri Ram, Thailand. Many farmers in Thailand are several weeks behind schedule because of the drought in Thailand. Cassava is one of the crops the Thai government is suggesting farmers plant instead of rice. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought056.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - LAM NANG RONG, BURI RAM, THAILAND: Women plant cassava in a field in Buri Ram, Thailand. Many farmers in Thailand are several weeks behind schedule because of the drought in Thailand. Cassava is one of the crops the Thai government is suggesting farmers plant instead of rice. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought054.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND: People get water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it. In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought043.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND: People get water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it. In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought042.jpg
  • 10 MAY 2016 - TA TUM, SURIN, THAILAND: A woman at the public school in Ban Khana fills the water cisterns with water from the artesian well in Ta Tum, Surin, Thailand. The school hasn't had running water for about one month. The well is the most important source of drinking water for thousands of people in the communities surrounding it.  In the past many of the people had domestic water piped to their homes or from wells in their villages but those water sources have dried up because of the drought in Thailand. Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in more than 50 years. The government has asked farmers to delay planting their rice until the rains start, which is expected to be in June. The drought is expected to cut Thai rice production and limit exports of Thai rice. The drought, caused by a very strong El Nino weather pattern is cutting production in the world's top three rice exporting countries:  India, Thailand and Vietnam. Rice prices in markets in Thailand and neighboring Cambodia are starting to creep up.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SurinDrought036.jpg
  • 21 JANUARY 2016 - NONG YA KHAO, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND:  A farmer tills his cassava field in Nakhon Ratchasima province Thailand. Cassava, a drought resistant root vegetable, is one of the vegetables the Thai government is encouraging farmers to grow instead of rice and other more water dependent crops. Thailand is the world's leading exporter of dried cassava flakes.  The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought054.jpg
  • 21 JANUARY 2016 - KHLONG PHAI, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: Maintenance workers repair the spillway  at Lam Takhong Dam in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The dam is only 30 percent of its capacity and farmers downstream have been told they can't draw irrigation water from the dam.  The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought050.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - KHAM THALE SO, NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND: A woman pulls a cart of rice hay for her water buffalo back to her home in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought043.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND:  A woman fills water jugs from a pond more than one mile from her home in Si Liam. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought039.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND:  A woman fills water jugs from a pond more than one mile from her home in Si Liam. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought037.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND: A woman helps her neighbor fill his water jugs when they went looking for water. In return, she got to keep some of the water when they got back to their homes. The water was more than one mile from their homes in Si Liam. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought036.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND:  Neighbors talk about the drought in Thailand. The woman in the tractor (left) goes out looking for water and then sells what she doesn't use. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought031.jpg
  • 20 JANUARY 2016 - SI LIAM, BURI RAM, THAILAND: A woman checks the water she traveled more than a mile to find. Her rice crop failed and she can't afford to buy water so everyday she goes out looking for water. She sometimes sells what water she has left over. The drought gripping Thailand was not broken during the rainy season. Because of the Pacific El Nino weather pattern, the rainy season was lighter than usual and many communities in Thailand, especially in northeastern and central Thailand, are still in drought like conditions. Some communities, like Si Liam, in Buri Ram, are running out of water for domestic consumption and residents are traveling miles every day to get water or they buy to from water trucks that occasionally come to the community. The Thai government has told farmers that can't plant a second rice crop (Thai farmers usually get two rice crops a year from their paddies). The government is also considering diverting water from the Mekong and Salaween Rivers, on Thailand's borders to meet domestic needs but Thailand's downstream neighbors object to that because it could leave them short of water.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BuriRamDrought027.jpg
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Jack Kurtz, Photojournalist & Travel Photographer

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