Semporna – Part 1 : The Death of a National Hero

by Mahen Bala· March 17, 2013· in Photo Essays· 1 comments tags: death, documentary, gunfight, hero, history, invasion, lahad datu, Malaysia, nation, photojournalism, police, Sabah, Sulu, terrorist
By Mazlan Samion Greetings. Today marks the 14th day I am covering the invasion of Sulu terrorists in Semporna, Sabah. Here is an opportunity for me to share a picture story titled “Semporna: The Death of a National Hero”. ———————————————————————————————————————————————— The late Sergeant Azis bin Sarikon, 52, was part of the PGA Battalion 14 Semporna, Sabah. He was one of the 6 police officers who were gunned down in a fierce firefight with Sulu terrorists in Kampung Seri Jaya, Simunul, Semporna on the 2nd of March, 2013. He leaves behind a wife, Siti Bandorah Binti Mahalil,39 and 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls.   May the late hero’s soul rest in peace among the righteous ones. Mazlan Samion 16 March 2013 at Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia Copyright of all images are reserved – fotoBERNAMA (2013) This article was translated from Bahasa Malaysia into English. The original post was written by a friend, Mazlan Samion, who is attached as a photojournalist with the national news agency, BERNAMA. The original post can be viewed here . All efforts have been made to translate and present the post as the original author have intended.                
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The end of a very long chapter

by Mahen Bala· March 01, 2013· in Photo Essays· 1 comments tags: coffeeshop, documentary, food, heritage, history, kuala lumpur, mahen bala, Malaysia, nostalgia, photography, photojournalism, restaurants, sin seng nam, stories
On the 28th of February 2013, the one coffeeshop I’ve always loved visiting in Kuala Lumpur, Sin Seng Nam, goes into retirement after 85 years of operation. I arrived relatively late, 8.30am to be exact, to find most of the seats already filled with the regulars. I found an empty table upstairs and made camp with a cup of kopi-o (black coffee), roti bakar (toasted bread with coconut jam spread) and my girlfirend for company. Only days before I had promised to bring her to my favourite coffeeshop but we found it closed, on a weekday. Who would’ve guessed that her first meal here would be her last.       After the breakfast crowded died down, I had the pleasure of Mr. Yuen, a lecturer and expert in typography for company. We both ‘reserved’ a plate of chicken chop at 10.30am with a promise to have it delivered at 2pm. That was how limited the food supply was for the day. This was a stark contrast to how things were only a few months ago. Sitting at the bar area downstairs, with high stools meant for those who prefer the company of their newspaper than an empty chair, one […]
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Portraits of Lusong Laku – Part 2

by Mahen Bala· November 23, 2012· in Photo Essays· 1 comments tags: documentary, Malaysia, medical, mercy malaysia, mountains, Penan, photography, photojournalism, portraits, relief, Sarawak
View the first part of the series here and an overview of the mission here. Copyright to all images jointly held by Mahen Bala and Mercy Malaysia. No image may be reproduced in any form without written permission from both parties.
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Portraits of Lusong Laku Part 1

by Mahen Bala· November 21, 2012· in Photo Essays· 1 comments tags: documentary, Malaysia, medical, mercy malaysia, mountains, Penan, photography, photojournalism, portraits, Sarawak
  View part 2 of the series here and an overview of the mission here.    
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