Dozens of shrouded bodies of Rohingya refugees are lined up after the boat in which they tried to flee Myanmar in September last year capsized, about 8km off Bangladesh. Of the 100 people on board, 17 survived.
The photo of the refugees, taken by agency photographer Patrick Brown for Unicef, is one of the past year's most gripping images from around the world. It is now on display at an exhibition in Singapore that starts this weekend.
Presented by The Straits Times, the World Press Photo (WPP) Exhibition 2018 features 161 photos by 42 photographers who were lauded for their powerful images in the non-profit organisation's annual competition, one of the most prestigious in photojournalism.
The top World Press Photo of the Year award includes a cash prize of €10,000 (S$15,900), return airfare and accommodation in Amsterdam during the World Press Photo Festival, and Canon camera equipment.
The exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore, the official venue supporter, was officially launched yesterday by Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez, who is also editor-in-chief of the English/Malay/Tamil Media Group at Singapore Press Holdings, and guest of honour, Ms Chang Hwee Nee, chief executive of the National Heritage Board (NHB).
Ms Chang said the works on display were powerful. "The exhibition draws focus on our common humanity and forces us to confront the issues that resonate through the world today."
On why ST was presenting the exhibition, Mr Fernandez said: "Photos, visuals, videos are a key part of our products, day in and day out, in our paper and on our digital platforms, which is why we are happy to present the World Press Photo Exhibition - dubbed the 'Oscars' of photojournalism - as we have been doing for the past four years."
Speaking about The Straits Times' executive photojournalist Desmond Foo and Indonesia correspondent Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, who have been reporting on the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi, he said: "When disaster struck, they made plans immediately. They have been living out of tents on a grass field, amid rubble and in the heat, and with dwindling supplies, in order to bring you the images.
"This is what our photojournalists do - they go all out with a mission to bring us gripping, moving, inspiring stories, through their visuals for news and features."
The Singapore leg of the roving exhibition is being presented by The Straits Times for the fourth year.
On average, 50,000 people have visited the exhibition here each year. They join more than four million people who visit the exhibition annually as it travels to 100 locations in 45 countries.
Canon is a worldwide partner of WPP. Mr Edwin Teoh, head of marketing of Singapore operations at Canon Singapore, said WPP has set the benchmark for photojournalistic excellence.
Other partners of the exhibition are Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Nanyang Technological University's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Singapore Press Club, Sun Paradise, Weber Shandwick and Orchard Hotel.
The exhibition runs from today to Oct 28 at the museum. It is open daily from 10am to 7pm and admission is free.
