Friday April 7, 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

Thai protesters celebrate resignation of Prime Minister Taksin Shinawatra

Anti-government protesters celebrate at a rally held at Sanam Luang in front of Bangkok's Royal Grand Palace after Thai Prime Minister Taksin Shinawatra resigned from office. The nation's capitol, Bangkok, was the scene of weeks of protests calling for the Prime Minister to step down amid corruption allegations. The protesters have vowed to continue their fight until Mr Shinawatra has removed himself completely from Thailand's political scene.

A man waves a Thai flag before a crowd of protesters.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Thursday February 9, 2006, Luang Prabang, Laos

A sailor aboard a river cargo vessel docked at Luang Prabang's small port carries roof tiles to shore. In the hold is a huge piece of Asian Black teak wood. Such a piece would be worth in excess of US$25,000 on the black market. Flowing from the Tibetan plains to the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam, the Mekong is one of the worlds great rivers. It also the means by which a vast amount of goods are moved from place to place, country to country.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Friday February 10, 2006, Luang Prabang, Laos

Crew members conduct repairs to the hull of their vessel while it is docked at Luang Prabang. Flowing from the Tibetan plains to the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam, the Mekong is one of the worlds great rivers. It also the means by which a vast amount of goods are moved from place to place, country to country.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Friday February 10, 2006, Luang Prabang, Laos

A sailor loads concrete telegraph poles onto his cargo vessel while docked at Luang Prabang. Flowing from the Tibetan plains to the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam, the Mekong is one of the worlds great rivers. It also the means by which a vast amount of goods are moved from place to place, country to country.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Monday September 12, 2005, Narathiwat, Narathiwat Province, Thailand

Thailand battles violent Islamic insurgency in southern provinces

Since early 2004 the majority Muslim Southern Thailand has been wracked by bombings, beheadings, drive-by shootings and arson attacks which have claimed hundreds of lives - military and civilian, Muslim and Buddhist.

An armed policeman patrols the train station at Sungai Kolok, near the border with Malaysia.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Monday March 7, 2005, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The resurgence of the Cambodian national sport of Khmer Kick Boxing

The resurgence of traditional sports in Cambodia, such as Kick Boxing, has had many positive influences on society. For example, it has provided positive role models for people too look up and aspire to. It has also provided the chance for many of Cambodia's youth in poor rural areas to escape from poverty. Furthermore it has given Cambodian's a huge sense of national pride as local fighters are able to compete with, and beat, fighters from neighboring Thailand. A country long considered by many to be the masters of Kick Boxing.

At a small gym behind the Old Olympic stadium in Phnom Penh a Kick Boxing fighter trains using a 60kg punch bag. Kick Boxing is a sport in which opponents can make use of four powerful weapons against each other, the fist, the leg, the elbow and the knee.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Sunday March 6, 2005, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The resurgence of the Cambodian national sport of Khmer Kick Boxing

The resurgence of traditional sports in Cambodia, such as Kick Boxing, has had many positive influences on society. For example, it has provided positive role models for people too look up and aspire to. It has also provided the chance for many of Cambodia's youth in poor rural areas to escape from poverty. Furthermore it has given Cambodian's a huge sense of national pride as local fighters are able to compete with, and beat, fighters from neighboring Thailand. A country long considered by many to be the masters of Kick Boxing.

A young amateur fighter from the provinces prepares himself before a fight in a small room behind the studios of Cambodian National Television channel TV3. Fights are broadcast live every Sunday afternoon.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Friday January 7, 2005, Ambalgoda, Sri Lanka

Devastation in the Wake of the Tsunami in Sri Lanka

The wreckage of a train which took the full force of the Tsunami in the town of Ambalgoda, near the village of Hikkaduwa, north of Galle. Over 1500 people were killed here alone. The coastal areas of Sri Lanka were devastated by a Tsunami which struck on December 26, 2004.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Friday December 31, 2004, Kalutura, Sri Lanka

Devastation from Tsunami waves on south coast of Sri Lanka

A fishing boat rests on the harbor wall. It was flung there when giant Tsunami waves struck the village of Payagala, 65 km south of the Sri Lankan capitol Colombo. The coastal areas of the Island were devastated by a Tsunami which struck on December 25, 2004.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Friday December 31, 2004, Kalutura, Sri Lanka

Devastation from Tsunami waves on south coast of Sri Lanka

Homes ad property reduced to rubble in the village of Payagala, 65 km south of the Sri Lankan capitol Colombo. The coastal areas of the Island were devastated by a Tsunami which struck on December 26, 2004.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Friday May 7, 2004, Tanjung Sepat, Selangor, Malaysia

The dying art of Chinese Opera in Malaysia

Contemporary Chinese Opera has its history dating back over 900 years. It's a heady mix of acrobatics, martial arts, dance, and poetic arias and a single opera can sometimes last as long as five or six hours. It first arrived in Malaysia in the mid 16th century, brought there by early Chinese traders. However, in Malaysia today traditional performances are few and far between, they are mainly reserved for New Year celebrations, local festivals and marriages, and sometimes at funerals and ancestral ceremonies. They are mainly performed by traveling troupes, whose numbers are dwindling these days. A good time to catch a live performance is during the Hungry Ghost festival held during the month of August to atone for the sins of the dead.

Chinese Opera performers apply face make up backstage before an evening performance. It can take as long as one and a half hours to put on all the make up and costumes.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Saturday May 15, 2004, Tanjung Sepat, Malaysia

The Dying Art of Chinese Opera in Malaysia

The art of Chinese Opera goes back hundreds of years. However today in Malaysia traditional performances are few and far between, mainly reserved for New Year celebrations, local festivals, marriages, and at ancestral ceremonies.

A male Chinese opera performer comes off stage at the end of a scene.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Friday May 7, 2004, Tanjung Sepat, Selangor, Malaysia

The dying art of Chinese Opera in Malaysia

Contemporary Chinese Opera has its history dating back over 900 years. It's a heady mix of acrobatics, martial arts, dance, and poetic arias and a single opera can sometimes last as long as five or six hours. It first arrived in Malaysia in the mid 16th century, brought there by early Chinese traders. However, in Malaysia today traditional performances are few and far between, they are mainly reserved for New Year celebrations, local festivals and marriages, and sometimes at funerals and ancestral ceremonies. They are mainly performed by traveling troupes, whose numbers are dwindling these days. A good time to catch a live performance is during the Hungry Ghost festival held during the month of August to atone for the sins of the dead.

A female actor playing the part of a male character. This tradition goes back to when mixed sex opera performances were forbidden by law.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Tuesday September 16, 2003, Anlong Veng, Cambodia

The land mine clearance work of the HALO Trust in Cambodia

Cambodia is a land littered with the remnants of war, the worst of which we cannot see. There are an estimated 4 to 6 million land mines buried throughout the country making it possibly the most mined place on earth. The HALO Trust is a non-political, non-religious NGO, non-profit organisation specialising in the removal of the debris of war.

A GMC truck dating back to World War II, on its way back to the HALO compound in Anlong Veng, negotiates a severely flooded road.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Saturday September 13, 2003, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The re-birth of Cambodia's traditional ballet Apsara

The Apsara Arts Association is a privately funded school that teaches orphans traditional khmer culture while also paying for their schooling. Banned and almost lost forever under the harsh rule of the Khmer Rouge, only a handful of teachers survived the genocide. Today Khmer dance and culture are making a real comeback and are now more popular than ever.

A young student from the Apsara Arts Association is made up for a formal performance later that evening.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Monday May 15, 2000, Kawah Ijen, Indonesia

Sulphur Mining in Remote Indonesian Volcano

Workers descend into the volcanic crater every day amidst the toxic fumes to collect, by hand, sulphur which they will then sell to local industries.

With their baskets creaking under a 70kg load, sulphur miners make the slow ascent to the rim of the Kawah Ijen crater.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Thursday February 1, 2001, Varanasi, India

Daily Life in India

India is a land of dramatic contrasts, with one foot steeped in history and mythology, and the other striding into the nuclear age.

A man cycles past two religious symbols, one painted, one living.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Saturday December 4, 1999, Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Indonesia

Free Aceh Movement or GAM celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movement

Fighters and supporters from the Free Aceh Movement or GAM, celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the movement with a flag raising ceremony. The Free Aceh Movement or GAM (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka) have been fighting the central government in Indonesia for an independent Islamic state since the 1970s. The conflict with the Indonesian military has claimed 1000s of lives and created almost 200,000 refugees.

GAM Fighters brandishing their weapons at a flag raising ceremony in a village outside the city of Lhokseumawe, North Sumatera.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Saturday December 4, 1999, Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Indonesia

Free Aceh Movement or GAM celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movement

Fighters and supporters from the Free Aceh Movement or GAM, celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the movement with a flag raising ceremony. The Free Aceh Movement or GAM (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka) have been fighting the central government in Indonesia for an independent Islamic state since the 1970s. The conflict with the Indonesian military has claimed 1000s of lives and created almost 200,000 refugees.

Young GAM recruits raise their flag at a ceremony in a village outside the city of Lhokseumawe in North West Sumatera.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Saturday December 4, 1999, Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Indonesia

Free Aceh Movement or GAM celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movement

Fighters and supporters from the Free Aceh Movement or GAM, celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the movement with a flag raising ceremony. The Free Aceh Movement or GAM (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka) have been fighting the central government in Indonesia for an independent Islamic state since the 1970s. The conflict with the Indonesian military has claimed 1000s of lives and created almost 200,000 refugees.

GAM Fighters and supporters waving flags in the air in celebration after a flag raising ceremony in a village outside the city of Lhokseumawe, North Sumatera.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Saturday December 4, 1999, Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Indonesia

Free Aceh Movement or GAM celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movement

Fighters and supporters from the Free Aceh Movement or GAM, celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the movement with a flag raising ceremony. The Free Aceh Movement or GAM (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka) have been fighting the central government in Indonesia for an independent Islamic state since the 1970s. The conflict with the Indonesian military has claimed 1000s of lives and created almost 200,000 refugees.

Young GAM recruits at a flag raising ceremony in a village outside the city of Lhokseumawe, North Sumatera.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Tuesday June 7, 2005, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Malaysian researcher discovers lost city

Raimy Che-Ross is an Independent Canberra-based Malaysian researcher who has discovered a Lost City, or "Kota Gelanggi". The complex, hidden deep in the jungles of the Malaysian state of Johor, dates back to the 8th or 10th Century. He had first heard of a lost Malaysian city by reading through old manuscripts while studying in Australia.

Raimy Che-Ross.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Friday May 7, 2004, Tanjung Sepat, Selangor, Malaysia

The dying art of Chinese Opera in Malaysia

Contemporary Chinese Opera has its history dating back over 900 years. It's a heady mix of acrobatics, martial arts, dance, and poetic arias and a single opera can sometimes last as long as five or six hours. It first arrived in Malaysia in the mid 16th century, brought there by early Chinese traders. However, in Malaysia today traditional performances are few and far between, they are mainly reserved for New Year celebrations, local festivals and marriages, and sometimes at funerals and ancestral ceremonies. They are mainly performed by traveling troupes, whose numbers are dwindling these days. A good time to catch a live performance is during the Hungry Ghost festival held during the month of August to atone for the sins of the dead.

A female actor shows off her completed face make up.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Monday May 15, 2000, Kawah Ijen, Indonesia

Sulphur Mining in Remote Indonesian Volcano

Workers descend into the Kawah Ijen volcanic crater every day amidst the toxic fumes to collect, by hand, sulphur which they will then sell to local industries.

Sulphur miners take a cigarette break before descending down the side of the Kahaw Ijen crater.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Wednesday January 12, 2000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The 1999 Malaysian General Elections

Members of the Kuala Lumpur Police force keep guard outside the police station where deposed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim is charged with corruption and sodomy. Many Malaysians believe the charges were politically motivated. The 1999 general election was fought against the backdrop of the trail of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and an economic recession. While Dr Mahatir won, it was the first time that support for him was beginning to fade after 19 years in office.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Thursday February 9, 2006, Luang Prabang, Laos

Crew members of a river cargo vessel take dinner at the end of their working day. Flowing from the Tibetan plains to the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam, the Mekong is one of the worlds great rivers. It also the means by which a vast amount of goods are moved from place to place, country to country.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Friday September 16, 2005, Narathiwat, Narathiwat Province, Thailand

Thailand battles violent Islamic insurgency in southern provinces

Since early 2004 the majority Muslim Southern Thailand has been wracked by bombings, beheadings, drive-by shootings and arson attacks which have claimed hundreds of lives - military and civilian, Muslim and Buddhist.

Young boys pray at the Mastayit Jangwat Mosque in Narathiwat town.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Tuesday January 4, 2005, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

Displaced persons in Sri Lanka

Displaced children use drawing as way to share and discuss their experiences at the Ceylon Pentencostal Mission outside the city of Batticaloa on the east coast of Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the Island were devastated by a Tsunami which struck on December 26, 2004.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Sunday January 2, 2005, Galle, Sri Lanka

Food and clothing distribution in Galle

Residents from in the city of Galle, fight for food and clothing in the aftermath of the Tsunami. The coastal areas of Sri Lanka were devastated by a Tsunami which struck on December 26, 2004.

Credit: Richard Humphries / Polaris

Richard Humphries