Malcolm Browne – Photographer of Burning Monk Dies

  • (via)

    Malcolm Browne’s decision not to intervene and prevent Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation haunted him for many years. He felt that in those seconds he could have saved the monk’s life but he chose to take photographs instead.
    Perhaps by doing so and helping to show the world what was happening in Vietnam Malcolm Browne, in his small way, hastened the end of the war thereby saving many other lives at the cost of Thich Quang Duc’s.
    Of course, Thich Quang Duc must be given far more credit for changing the world’s perception of the Vietnam War, after all, his was the ultimate sacrifice.
    It is said that the only part of Thich Quang Duc’s body that wasn’t burnt was his heart, even after his body was subjected to ritual cremation, and it is kept at the Reserve Bank of Vietnam as a holy relic.(via)

    Malcolm Browne (wiki)

    Burning Monk Photographer Malcolm Browne Dies + BBC in pictures

    Browne chats with David Halberstam of the New York Times (left) (Read more: here.)