Author: Brennan O'Connor

As people traverse the Friendship Bridge—the official border crossing between Myanmar and Thailand—they see below them colourful tarps lining the roofs of dozens of ramshackle huts.

Hundreds have sought refuge on the long narrow stretch of land along the banks of Moei River between Mae Sot in Thailand and Myawaddy in Myanmar. In English, it’s called “No-Man’s Land” because neither country officially controls it.

No Man's Land - New Naratif
No-Man’s Land is in between Thailand and Myanmar on a narrow strip of land on the Moei river that neither country officially controls.

Many of its residents survive selling food, cheap cigarettes, alcohol, expired Viagra and even sex videos to the meandering Thai and foreign tourists along the border.

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Brennan O’Connor worked for Canada’s leading media publications before dedicating himself full time to cover self-generated under-reported stories in the mainstream press. In 2010, he left his native country to move to Southeast Asia to follow a long-term photo project on Myanmar’s ethnic groups. O’Connor’s project was projected at the prestigious Visa Pour l'image in Perpignan, France, and honoured with the Lucas Dolega Award. His work has been published in the Guardian, Foreign Policy, Paris Match, L’Obs, Al Jazeera, Burn Magazine and The Walrus.