Upcoming Events
FCCT President's Report 2009
"The primary objective of the Executive Committee, to my mind, is to
maintain and uphold the dignity and credibility of the journalistic profession and the Club
as a space for free and fair discourse on issues of the day."
Contemporary World Cinema Season 2009
This year's Contemporary World Cinema Season has been particularly successful and featured a spate of Q & A sessions
with outstanding film directors. It started with renowned Japanese director Junji Sakamoto flying down from Tokyo, for
the exclusive screening of his controversial film 'Children of the Dark', which was pulled out of the Bangkok
International Film Festival last year.
The film dealt with the world of child prostitution, paedophilia, organ-sales - a world totally moved from the sell-out audience
who attended the screening. The Q & A session which followed the screening was particularly lively.
Another film that attracted a huge crowd, was 'Cambodia Dreams', a documentary which took its New Zealand director Stanly
Harper (pictured right) 18 years to make! The director flew down especially for the event, and answered a wide range of
questions ranging from his political naivete to his cinematic strength. The New Zealand Embassy provided free wine to celebrate this special film.
We served Thai wine, from the Village Farm Winery, when the most talked about young Thai director of
today, Aditya Assarat, came to present his much-awarded film 'Wonderful Town' accompanied by his producer Soros and actress Anchalee.
Aditya Assarat and Anchalee at the FCCT
Other movies screened this year were from Brazil, France, India, Canada, Portugal and The Phillippines, courtesy of the
Embassies of these countries and thanks to the efforts of FCCT member Lekha Shankar.
To check the current film schedule, please click
here to display the Bulletin. To
subscribe to the Bulletin for future film schedules by e-mail, please
click
here
East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta addresses the FCCT
Professor José Ramos-Horta, a 1996 Nobel Laureate for Peace and one of
the most extraordinary leaders of our region and our time, addressed
the FCCT on January 11 as part of the International Peace Foundation's
"Bridges" series:
http://peace-foundation.net .
He is a former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, a
former Minister of Foreign Affairs, a former Prime Minister and
currently the President of East Timor, one of the youngest independent
countries in the world. He was appointed acting Prime Minister by
President Xanana Gusmao in June 2006. In February 2008, he was shot in
an assassination attempt. He has been active in the pursuit of peace,
freedom and democracy in his own country and across the world.
Mr. Ramos-Horta won the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for his campaign for
East Timor's independence from Indonesia. East Timor's vote for
independence in 1999 was marred by violence led by pro-Indonesia
militias. The fighting resulted in hundreds of deaths and in the
deployment of peace keepers into East Timor. A 2,500-strong
international security force, mostly Australians, remains in the
country today.
The Astronaut from Yorkshire
On January 13, FCCT members and guests had a unique opportunity to
hear all about the exhilaration of space travel first hand from NASA
Mission Specialist Nicholas Patrick, who will be aboard the space
shuttle Endeavour for mission STS-130 when it blasts off in December.
Endeavour will deliver a third connecting module to the International
Space Station and a seven-windowed cupola to be used as a control room
for robotics. The mission will also install research and science
experiment equipment, a new sleeping area, and re-supply the station
using a special logistics module stored in the payload bay.
This will be Patrick's second mission into space as he also served as
a mission specialist aboard STS-116 in 2006, logging 308 hours in the
near heavens. Patrick reported to NASA's Johnson Space Center for
astronaut training in August 1998. Patrick was born in North
Yorkshire in the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a US citizen in
1994.
The King of Thailand in World Focus
The FCCT's successful publishing project, The King of Thailand in World Focus, a 280-page collation of articles and photographs covering the life and reign of HM King Bhumibol Adjuladej, Rama IX, is back in the shops after selling out last year.
The third edition is more than a reprint, and includes 20 extra pages covering the king's 80th birthday celebrations, the death of his older sister, HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, some of the recent political turmoil, and an extended profile of the Crown Property Bureau. There is also a transcript of the remarkable comments made at last year’s launch at The Oriental by former prime minister Anand Panyarchun regarding the past, present and future of the Thai monarchy.
The King of Thailand in World Focus is the only comprehensive reference work on the current reign as reported over the years by correspondents, journalists and photographers working for the overseas media.
Although the latest edition is better and larger, the price remains the same. It is available from Asiabooks, Kinokuniya, B2S, Chulalongkorn University's Chulabooks at only 1,450 baht.
Club members can do even better and buy up to three copies each for 1,200 baht apiece from the FCCT office. There are also special discounts for bulk purchases of over 25 copies. Hurry while stocks last.
Attending FCCT Programs
How do you keep up with all the great FCCT programs?
Join FCCT and receive e-mails whenever new programs are added. Because
news changes fast, FCCT sometimes schedules timely programs on short
notice.
FCCT members receive e-mails with "late-breaking news" about
programs.
For Correspondents Only?
The
FCCT is not just for correspondents-in fact, most of our members are
not news people.
A past
FCCT president even came up with the slogan, "You don't have to be
foreign and you don't have to be a correspondent". We are a very
diverse club and welcome all.
For more information, call 02-652-0580-1 or click here to e-mail
info@fccthai.com
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand
Penthouse, Maneeya Center
518/5 Ploenchit Road
(connected to the BTS Skytrain Chitlom station)
Patumwan, Bangkok 10330
E-mail:
info@fccthai.com
Phone: 02-652-0580-1