Culture Scope

A weekend study trip in Burma

August 10 to 13, the Siam Society

Visit the Burmese capital and spend time tracing history in the ancient town of Hanthawaty, from where King Bayinnaung attacked Ayutthaya in the 16th century. The trip will also include a There remain temples and monuments attesting to his reign there, as well as that of King Alaungpaya, the destroyer of Ayutthaya in the 18th century. visit to Twante, a potter's village west of Rangoon.

A contribution of Bt32,500 (Bt29,500 for members) will cover transportation, accommodation (two people per room), entrance fees to museums and monuments, nine meals, visa fees to Burma and all other necessary arrangements. Add an extra Bt2,500 for a single room.

A deposit of Bt5,000 is required at the time of booking and the rest is due by July 24.

Call (02) 661 64707, fax (02) 258 3491,

email info@siamsociety.org or visit www.siamsociety.org.

1,200 Miles: Life and Death

on the ThaiBurmese Border

July 11, 8pm, Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, Maneeya Centre Building

Bangkokbased Australian photojournalist Jack Picone, who has spent much of the last four and a half years along the ThaiBurmese border, has documented the fragile existence of Burmese refugees fleeing persecu¬tion. In the audiovisual presentation, Picone gives an indepth look at the conditions endured by these oftforgotten victims of conflict and about working in the border zone.

Picone's images have appeared in German publications like Geo, Stern, Der Spiegel as well as The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, L'Express, Granta and Colours. He has received some of the most prestigious awards, including the World Press Award and the Mother Jones/Fifty Crows Grant for social documentary photography. His most recent was the Unesco Documentary Award last year.

Admission for nonmembers is Bt300.

Call (02) 652 05801 or visit www.fccthai.com.

Memoirs of a Killing Fields survivor

July 14, 10.30am, the Siam Society, 131 Soi Asoke

Along with thousands of others, Sam Sotha and his wife Sony were forced by the Khmer Rouge to leave Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975.

Sotha, a Killing Fields survivor and now an adviser to the Cambodian prime minister, will talk about him and his wife's struggle during their four years of captivity under the Pol Pot regime, his dedication to help fel¬low refugees and his current mission to make Cambodia free of land¬mines.

Admission is Bt200 for nonmembers. Call (02) 661 64707, fax (02) 258 3491 or email info@siamsociety.org.