A Hard Decision — and the Cameras Arrive

The Dec 2012 / Jan 2013 letter records a painful turn: after repeated unresolved friction with the local oversight of his agency, Philip and the Kwoks concluded at a Bangkok meeting that they could not keep working under it — while insisting the Moken work itself could not simply be switched off. They agreed to bring a proposal forward by the end of February. In the same stretch, a Thai media company shot a two-day documentary about the work, and Philip again battled dengue.

The durable, lasting fact is the continuity of the Moken work: later letters show Philip continuing on the island for years. The work survived the change of agency relationship.