Thai envoy votes in Anadolu Agency photo contest

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – The Thai ambassador to Turkey said Friday "international solidarity" was needed to resolve the refugee crisis.

"No one would like to leave one's own country," said Phantipha Iamsudha Ekarohit after casting her vote in the Anadolu Agency Photos of the Year contest.

The Thai ambassador voted for a photo which shows refugees on an inflatable boat near a shore off Lesbos Island in Greece.

In the ongoing Photos of the Year contest, pictures will be selected in three categories -- news, life, and sport.

The photographs include those selected by Anadolu Agency photo editors and which are frequently used in leading media outlets globally.

The images were put to a vote in the news category with 31 entries, life with 30 entries, and sports with 15 entries.

Acknowledging Turkey’s support to nearly four million refugees, the Thai ambassador said: “It is not a particular country but it is something we have to solve together.”

“It requires international solidarity to solve the refugee crisis but at the same the issue must be addressed at the root cause,” Ekarohit said.

Explaining her second choice of photo, she said: "When I saw it my eyes got stuck to it."

She was talking about a picture showing schoolchildren mourning the death of their school's mascot dog Hazelnut.

“I chose it because education is very important to me… if you want to develop a country, want to bring prosperity to people," she said.

In the sports category, Ekarohit voted for a photo showing the football match played by Turkey’s Galatasaray at the Europa title race.

“Football is a universal game,” the Thai ambassador said, adding that the game is popular in her country.

Healthcare workers who are fighting COVID-19 in the frontline were the first group of people who took part in this year's voting.

Also, many people from different professions, students, athletes, and politicians have already chosen their favorite photos so far in Turkey.

Last year, nearly 280,000 people took part in the voting.

This year's voting will continue through Dec. 31 at Anadolu Agency's website, photovideorate.aa.com.tr​​​​​​​.