CLICK HERE for gallery of images of Dreamland ?

I first visited Margate 30 years ago. I didn’t enjoy it then either. But then I didn’t enjoy much of that time. Back then Dreamland amusement park was in full working order with The Looping Star, The Mary Rose and the Scenic Railway roller coaster inspired by Coney Island that now lies rotting and broken like a bad stain on this seaside town that they forgot to shut down. My thirty minutes in between trains didn’t allow me far enough to wander beyond the seafront where I ‘m sure there is life, but then again surely the seafront in a town like this is where the life is supposed to be? The only life I came across depressed me even more than the memories of all those years ago. Young mums with pushchairs. Teenage boys drinking cider on the beach (no chance of a photo as I was told to fuck off). Businesses lost. Quintessential England or a result of city suits that have wreaked havoc in the economy? Maybe I was able to leave having exorcised some ghosts from years gone by, but I left wondering what the hoards of young teenage students from France and Spain could possibly make of this little part of this country that is forever England and proud. Maybe like me they were just wandering around killing time, waiting for their train to arrive.

(Hipstamatic: James M Lens, BlacKeys Supergrain Film)

Ian Tomlinson lies collapsed on the pavement in Cornhill

Deborah Coles, from the charity Inquest, called the verdict “a damning reflection of the systemic problems inherent in the current investigation system where deaths following police use of force are not treated as potential crimes”. It’s not the first time (and won’t be the last) that no action has been taken against excessive use of police force or against the police due a death either at their hands or in their custody.

CLICK HERE to view all my images from the day

Riot police officers clash with protesters during the G20 demonstration in the City of London

Whether fortunate or not, I was there that day covering the demonstration and like many others both witnessed and was on the receiving end of the excessive use of force by the police. At times it was a volatile, tense and chaotic situation to be in. I actually arrived late in the day at about 4pm and all was relatively peaceful as several thousand protesters were ‘kettled’ in the bank area and several thousand more were kept quietly in the surrounding streets. My press pass was of no interest to the police who were clearly under strict instructions to ignore all media judging by what we have learnt since that day. I found myself at the front of the police lines at the top of Cornhill by the Bank of England and proceeded to wait for something to happen! As the day wore on the crowd started to get more and more agitated at being kept under virtual lockdown by lines of police at every street corner and at about 7pm after several minor skirmishes with protesters at the top of Cornhill there seemed to have been an order given by those in command as the police lines started to move and clearing the City of London of protesters with use of force was clearly the order of the day.

A City of London police officer (who had struck me in the face with his baton moments earlier) bears down on me during the G20 demonstration

The next 25 minutes or so were turbulent to say the least. Excessive police force, hostility in the crowd who had been kept under lockdown for hours and an innocent passer-by would lose his life. I was caught up in it all and whilst I missed the actual moment Ian Tomlinson was pushed to the ground by PC Simon Harwood, I was one of the first to be there when he collapsed further down the road in Cornhill – the spot where he would be pronounced dead some moments later (see photo at top). The special report video below from Channel 4 News gives a good indication of the situation on the ground as well as summarising the movements of the officer who allegedly caused the death of Ian Tomlinson. The officer who is guilty yet somehow not.

It was as the crowd surged in to Royal Exchange Buildings (approx 3:00 in to the above video) that the police seemed to lose control and chaos broke out temporarily. The police made little to no distinction between those of us reporting, those who were peacefully protesting and the few who were hellbent on causing a riot. Everyone was fair game as after all the police had been told by their commanding officers ‘To be up for it’. The photo sequence below (reproduced by kind permission of TwoThumbsFresh) shows the moment I was caught square in the face by a police baton for no other reason that for trying to take photos of the ensuing chaos as the police wantonly struck out at anyone in their vicinity. I actually managed to get a good shot of this officer several moments later (see above image where he bears down on me with baton raised once again!). The action against the police and this officer that followed for 2 years left me somewhat annoyed by the outcome, but that’s another story.

It was now about 7:15 and a temporary lull in the proceedings as the police re-grouped and took control of Royal Exchange passage once more. The crowd of protesters had retreated back into Cornhill and small group of us found ourselves in Threadneedle street as the police dog handlers came out and proceeded to take two protesters hostage with their firm canine grips. With the Royal Exchange passage firmly in police control the only way back to join the main protesters on Cornhill was a quick run around the block…

As I ran back up Cornhill towards the front line I passed a small commotion on the pavement with several people calling for help as Ian Tomlinson lay prone on the ground not moving and stone cold grey as the pavement itself. The police soon arrived and formed a protective ring whilst police paramedics tried in vain to resuscitate him, but to no avail. It was not a pleasant situation to find oneself in and the first time for me to be faced with such an unfolding event right before my very eyes. I stopped taking photos and retreated, in part in shock at the severity of the situation with a man dieing right in front of me. It was suddenly quiet but still tense as word somehow spread that a serious incident was unfolding. Within moments the police forced the crowds further down the road and once again hostilities resumed, although perhaps with greater vigour than before as many had just witnessed what they thought was a man dieing (allegedly) due to excessive police force. And of course they were right, but at the time were not to know how right they were.

Over the next hour or so what seemed like an army of riot police officers menacingly clad in black overalls, batons and shields forcibly manoeuvred the protesters and throngs of photographers and TV camera crews away from the City of London and over London Bridge. Running battles broke out as protesters regrouped after each time the police charged forward before stopping to hold their lines – enabling me to venture up close to take the picture above! Several blows from a riot shield later and I found myself harried over London Bridge with hundreds of others as the police formed a thin blue impenetrable line across the bridge leaving no option other than to disperse into the night.

Two hours later as I finally got home, I was able to view the images of the incident on Cornhill where I was sure something serious had occurred. By midnight the news channels were already reporting of a man dieing during the protests and I filed my images like many others did who were there to capture that moment. The rest as you now know is history. Yet hopefully history can still be made if there is to be any justice for Ian Tomlinson.

The book is a collection of 52 essays that Aung San Suu Kyi had written in the mid 1990′s and now includes those written last year in 2011 in her weekly column for the Mainichi Shinbun newspaper in Japan. She discusses a full range of topics including politics, religion, and the daily life of the Burmese people as seen through the eyes of the country’s biggest proponent of democracy. Her tales are fascinating and well written. They offer a glimpse into the world of an almost Orwellian regime and can peak the interest of readers unfamiliar with Burma.

U Gambira at Maggin Monastery, just days after his release from Myaungmya prison where he was serving a 63 year sentence

Having been brutally tortured during his time incarcerated he appeared well and fully focused and determined in continuing where he left off back in 2007 with the religious boycott of the military and working to bring about the freedom of the remaining political prisoners behind bars. You can watch an interview with him here on RFA Burmese TV and below is the article that appeared in the Independent newspaper featuring my portrait above. Last saturday, along with other recently released political prisoner monks, U Gambira officially received his robes again, during a ceremony at Magwe monastery in north Dagon (see photo above). With the 88 Generation Students and hundreds of other former political prisoners and dissidents in attendance it was no surprise to see plenty of Military Intelligence photographing and filming the event. I think it was also no surprise to MI that once again they were filming me too!

As daylight broke on Friday 13th, I met up with friends in Generation Wave and we made the short journey up to Insein prison full of hope but still tempered with the reality that this has happened too many times before for us to be too expectant. Twelve members of their organisation were still in jail – a sign of how the authorities are fearful of generations of all ages. After the disgraceful so-called general amnesty on January 2nd that merely saw sentences marginally reduced across the board, there was always the chance that the regime’s cruel tricks and tormenting political prisoners, their friends and families would come home to roost once more. Arriving early outside the prison and crowds were already starting to gather, as were military intelligence and their informers. The long wait commenced and rumours circulated of those being released as slowly more and more former political prisoners, dissidents, activists, members of the NLD and other opposition parties arrived to join the masses outside the famous gates of Burma’s most notorious prison. Suddenly the silence was broken and excitement tore through the crowd as it was confirmed that Min Ko Naing, the leader of the 88 Generation Students and Burma’s dissident supreme had been released from Thayet prison. Finally the dream was coming true as one by one, names were shouted out of political prisoners being set free across the country. U Gambira, Ko Ko Gyi, Khun Tun Oo and many more. Could this really be happening? But it was, and as the prisoners started to walk through the gates and back into the arms of their families and friends it was a sight to behold. I franticly called Jackie, now back in the UK and unable to return here just yet, for a tearful phone call as our hard work over these last years was now meaning more than ever before. Forget taking pictures for a second or two. This kind of breaking news press work is not my game anyway and my manual focusing on my Leica was long gone as I was trying hard to keep my emotions under check. This was historic and to be here now amongst so many of Burma’s bravest outside this darkest hell hole that has tried to break their wills was almost too much to believe. Whilst a thousand others would have taken the shots that would have been splashed across papers worldwide for a mere moment or two, I preferred to just take it all in, standing side by side with friends and colleagues as four years of my life was unfolding in front of my eyes.

CLICK HERE to view the entire gallery of images of the Political Prisoner Amnesty

Below is an audio slideshow of my work for Human Rights Watch of the 88 Generation Students being released

With the release from Insein completed I jumped in the car with Ko Sunny and Ko Kyaw San and we headed to the airport as the 88 Generation Students were on their way home. A brief chat on the phone with Sandar Min as she walked away from 65 years in Myaungmya prison and we arrived at Rangoon International where hundreds had amassed at the domestic terminal ready to greet their heroes. Banners were unfolded and once again a waiting game would have to be played out as the notorious effect of ‘Burmese time’ would mean no flight would actually arrive when it was due. The funniest example of this would be the arrival of Ko Htay Kywe who was due in early on Sunday morning yet would not arrive until after 5pm! But it wasn’t long before the first plane touched down and leader of the 88 Generation Students, Ko Ko Gyi, was mobbed as he came into view through immigration. Total chaos ensued as cameras flashed and the place just erupted as everyone pushed and shoved their way to try to get a glimpse of their hero and to welcome him home. I lost a flip flop in the crush and much to everyone’s amusement just carried on walking around with one. An hour later and the other was gone too as the pandemonium just grew and grew each time someone arrived. It was simply an outpouring of emotion and joy that would be hard to match anywhere else in the world. These people are Burma’s true heroes and a hero’s welcome was exactly what they got and deserved.

88 Generation Student leader Ko Ko Gyi is mobbed by hundreds of well wishers and dissidents as he arrives in Rangoon airport

If the sight of Ko Ko Gyi was enough to send the huge crowd in to a state of ecstasy, it would be what was to follow that would not only bring out true joy in everyone but also provide a reminder of the darker side to suffering that a family goes through when the regime tries to take away their life. Nilar Thein, a key figure in the 88 Generation Students, had been released from Tharawaddy prison earlier in the day and arrived at the airport to await the arrival of her husband Ko Jimmy. When Jimmy and the other 88 Generation Students were all arrested in 2007, Nilar Thein went into hiding for almost a year. The regime tormented her with rumours that Jimmy had died under interrogation in an attempt to force her out into the open. She not only resisted and kept up the struggle for democracy from her secret hiding place in an attic, but she was also forced to give up her young daughter, Phyu Nay Chi, barely 4 months old. She was finally caught and jailed, but now here in Rangoon airport with her young daughter at her side, she stood waiting for the reunion that would quite literally bring the house down. As her family and friends mobbed her, for a brief moment it was all too much and she broke down in tears. One cannot begin to imagine the suffering and pain that she and many other women like her have gone through, as both mother and wife, torn from their young children and jailed for years. It seemed that everyone here was sharing her pain and joy – I know I certainly was and there were many others in tears as well as Ma Nilar.

Nilar Thein, who was released from Tharawaddy prison, breaks down with emotion as she is greeted by her colleague Soe Tun

As attention turned back to the latest plane touching down, Ko Mya Aye walked into what was now a deafening arena of well-wishers. When Jimmy arrived a short time later it was as though the roof had caved in. The crowds surged and Jimmy, Nilar and little Phyu Nay Chi were almost hoisted aloft and carried off to downtown Rangoon. It was simply the most overwhelming, emotional experience I have ever witnessed. I can’t really begin to properly describe what it was like throughout this whole day both at Insein prison and at the airport as one by one they were freed and arrived back home, but hopefully the photo story on my website can show what it was like to share in one of Burma’s most historic days for years. It is a day that I will never forget and a privilege to have been there to witness it.

Crowds overwhelmed with joy mob Nilar Thein, Ko Jimmy and Phyu Nay Kyi as they try to leave the airport