At the end of last week in among the hundreds of pictures moving through the desk in Singapore a few snapshot-like images from Myanmar began to appear showing small groups of monks demonstrating against their country’s military rulers. The scarcity value alone of this evidence of open dissent guaranteed inclusion in the 24 images selected for the daily Editor’s Choice showcase.

The rarest of these gems was this muzzy picture showing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, just visible beyond the riot  shields of the guards,  as she pays her respects to the crowd of monks gathered outside the villa where she is under house arrest. The picture seems to have been widely overlooked and while this may be due in in part to its poor execution it is nevertheless a powerful and significant image. In fact it is its technical inadequacies which so eloquently convey a sense of the furtiveness involved in shooting it, the risks taken by the demonstrators and by the photographer in bringing the image to the attention of the world at large. 

Over the weekend the quality and content of the images from Myanmar has steadily improved giving unprecedented insight into this real life cliffhanger. The gaggle of protesting monks has become a flood with more visible support from the public and no direct intervention so far by Myanmar’s military overlords. 

Whether they want to or not now everbody knows what is happening in Myanmar.