<p>Hkun Lat is doumentary photographer from Kachin State currently based in Mandalay. He won 2nd place at the Yangon Photo Festival and was an invited guest of the visa pour l'image festival in France. His images have been published widely.</p>
Opium poppies bloom into spectacular deep shades of cream and maroon in the Kachin hills of Northern Myanmar. Rolling through the small dirt roads are ancient Chinese-made pick up trucks brimming with young men and women, machetes in hand. These are the Pat Ja San, Myanmar’s Christian Opium crusaders.
Hpakant found the attention of the international media in the past few months due to several devastating deadly landslides, claiming hundreds of lives. Hpakant is also a hot bed for opium cultivation, most workers are young men from all of Myanmar who go to Kachin to find their fortunes. However, working conditions are poor and the life difficult, many fall victim to hard drugs and extreme poverty.
Sakse photographer Hkun Lat's critically claimed photo-series Fog of War won 2nd place at the 2015 Yangon Photo Festival. Fog of War tells the story of Kachin State on both sides of the fighting, all through Kachin native Hkun Lat's eyes.
