The phrase ‘Opening Borders’, which appears in this book’s title, also describes what the 21 journalists whose work appear here were doing while reporting on issues that link at least two countries in the Mekong Region. Whether it is writing about the Kunming-Hai Phong railway, delving into perceptions by young Vietnamese and Cambodians of each other’s countries, or analysing the impact of border economic zones, they sought to open their own news borders — by looking at the other side of issues, going beyond usual national perspectives, and stepping far beyond familiar territory and languages.

These writers and photojournalists were fellows in the 5th cycle (2006-07) of the annual Imaging Our Mekong media programme. This book is the fifth compilation of articles and photo essays published by IPS Asia-Pacific. ‘Opening Borders: Reportage from Our Mekong’ also has a set of feature articles on avian flu.

The annual Mekong fellowship programme, which has worked with some 185 journalists since 2002, is undertaken by IPS Asia-Pacific together with Probe Media Foundation Inc with support from the Rockefeller Foundation South-east Asia. The book is edited by Johanna Son, a journalist of more than 20 years who is director of IPS Asia-Pacific.

For more information, analysis and articles about Mekong-related issues, please visit: www.newsmekong.org. Information about the book is also at www.ipsnewsasia.net, Bookshelf section.