ST exhibition retells stories past and present via 250 photos

It offers a visual chronicle of the nation’s evolution, plus historical events and more

- Koh Ming Lun

As news of the deadly 2004 tsunami in Indonesia’s Aceh province started trickling in, Straits Times photographer Aziz Hussin was told to fly over to Indonesia immediately to cover the story. A flight had already been booked for him.

His journey to Aceh, however, was anything but straightforward.

After four cancelled flights, he finally landed in Medan. A 14-hour car ride then took him to Aceh — but even this had road blocks from the start.

Mr Aziz, who worked for the national paper from the 1980s to 2016, recalled that no locals wanted to take him to Aceh, as many did not dare to drive to the disaster zone. Undeterred, Mr Aziz contacted a travel agency, which the next day linked him up with eight French journalists who wanted to travel to Aceh as well.

During the long drive, he had run-ins with members of the Free Aceh Movement, a separatist group that sought independence for Aceh. Carrying MI6 assault rifles, they stopped them at the Aceh border and demanded money.

Speaking in their native tongue, he managed to get the asking price down by half.

After two days on the road, he managed to snap what ended up being the most memorable photo of his career. It depicts locals walking around debris surrounded by a large pool of water.

This is just one of more than 250 images taken by about 60 different past and present ST photojournalists featured at a new photo exhibition co-organised by The Straits Times, as part of its 180th anniversary initiative, and The Photographic Society of Singapore (PSS).

The exhibition at Selegie Arts Centre, titled Singapore Stories: The Heart Of A Nation, spans the Prinsep Gallery on the first floor and the Loke Wan Tho Gallery on the third floor.