The Bulletin

Stephff's world

Democratic jungle: The invisible struggles of the workers who power our world

Photo exhibition and panel discussion,
Friday, 23 May, 6.30pm

We live in a world where everything we need -- products, services and workspaces -- is readily available. Yet, it has become all too easy to overlook the hidden struggles of those who make it all possible. As technology connects us across vast distances, it has also distanced us from the individuals who power our daily lives.Their reality, often marked by exploitation, inequality and suffering, is overshadowed by the corporate language of "ethical sourcing," "fair trade," "social impact," and "sustainability."These words fill boardrooms and marketing campaigns, crafting a vision of progress. But what about the workers behind the scenes -- those whose well-being is rarely considered in the definitions of "wellness" or "eco-friendly" labor conditions?Too often, we hear: "At least they have a job" or “It is cultural.” But would that answer be enough if it were your daughter, your mother or your grandfather working under these conditions?This exhibition challenges us to rethink the systems we participate in, to confront the human cost of convenience and to ask: How can we create a more just and equitable world for those who remain unseen?Nathalie Jamois is a French photojournalist based in Bangkok since 2008, documenting the social, cultural and political landscapes of Southeast Asia. With a sharp documentary approach, her work captures the complexities of human stories -- focusing on resilience, identity and the forces shaping contemporary society. Whether immersed in the energy of city streets or sharing quiet moments with her subjects, her images reveal both the visible and the unseen, inviting viewers to engage with the deeper narratives behind each frame. Covering everything from social movements to corporate and cultural events, she strives to create visual stories that inform, challenge perceptions and spark dialogue. Her work has been featured in Forbes, The Guardian, Le Figaro, Rolling Stone and by groups like Amnesty International, and more, bringing attention to the intricate realities of the region through a lens of authenticity and depth.Panel will include:Nathalie Jamois, photojournalist and founder, Human Lens.Friso Poldervaart, and Greg Lange, co-founders of the Bangkok Community Help Foundation.Sasinan Thamnithinan, lawyer, member of Parliament, People's Party.

Moderator: Phil Robertson, FCCT board member and director, Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates (AHRLA).

Members who wish to book in advance should email info@fccthai.com or call the FCCT office on 02-652-0580.Exhibition duration -- May 24 to June 20, 2025 (free and open to all).

Free and open to all.
Bar and restaurant open.

Coworking at the FCCT

Tuesday, 20 May, 10am

Need a change of scenery from your home office? Join us for a coworking day at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) -- a perfect space for working professionals, digital nomads and anyone looking to break free from the home-office routine.

Enjoy a spacious, comfortable workspace with dedicated tables, a full restaurant, café and bar and exclusive lunch specials just for this event.

Whether you're tackling deadlines or networking with like-minded professionals, this is an opportunity to be productive in a collaborative, social environment. Come work, connect, and enjoy great food because working remotely doesn’t have to mean working alone.

Hosted by Nick Bernhardt, FCCT treasurer and managing director of Khayan Consultants.

Free and open to all.

Board games night

Tuesday, 20 May, 7pm

Join us for a chilled night of board games with The Boring Club. Try your luck with classics like chess and backgammon or modern games including Catan and Pandemic.The bar and restaurant will be open. Try our pizzas from the new pizza oven. The Boring Club meets at the FCCT clubhouse for games every Tuesday at 7pm.

Free and open to all.

Thailand's energy costs shifting: What's next?

Press conference, panel discussion,
Wednesday, 21 May, 1pm

JustPow is hosting a crucial event addressing Thailand's evolving energy landscape. At this event, the groundbreaking new report, "Thailand: A Techno-economic Analysis of Power Generation," by BloombergNEF (BNEF), will be unveiled.The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current and future costs of Thailand's energy mix -- encompassing gas, solar, wind, hydrogen, CCUS and small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) -- within the critical context of achieving net-zero emissions.Are rising electricity bills an unavoidable reality? This crucial report exposes the potential financial pitfalls of Thailand's increasing reliance on gas and LNG imports. However, it also illuminates a promising path forward: the compelling economic viability of clean renewable energy with solar power and battery storage poised to become more cost-effective than new fossil fuel plants within the next few years. The report further challenges the economic and environmental effectiveness of costly retrofitting options like hydrogen and CCS in the pursuit of Net Zero.Following the report's presentation, JustPow invites you to an insightful panel discussion: "Thailand's Energy Costs Shifting: What's Next?" Experts will delve into the report's findings and explore the critical choices Thailand must make to secure a sustainable and affordable energy future.Join us at the FCCT clubhouse or via Facebook Live to hear from:Representative from BloombergNEF.Supawan Saelim, project manager, energy policy Southeast Asia, Agora Energiewende.Arthit Vechakij, vice chairman of renewable energy industry club, Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).Chaphamon Chantarapongphan, deputy managing director, business development, Super Energy Corp PCL.Moderator: Rapeepat Ingkasit, research consultant, Climate Finance Network Thailand (CFNT).All proceedings will be held in English, with Thai translation provided via headphones.Please register to attend the event here.  https://forms.gle/cAya2WmsUS9EVgy5AThis is not an FCCT-organized event.Free and open to all.

Democrats Abroad Thailand (DAT) annual general meeting

Thursday, 22 May, 6.30pm

Democrats Abroad Thailand Annual General Meeting will begin with a discussion of President Trump's first 100 days. This will be followed by DAT officer elections and other business matters.This event is a private meeting open to all members and prospective members of DAT; membership requires American citizenship. Free pizza will be provided to all attendees.

This is not an FCCT-organized event.

A stitch in time: Bangkok Refugees embroider their life stories

Exhibition launch, art exhibit and panel discussion,
Friday, 20 June 20, 7pm

There are at least 6000 refugees who live in Bangkok who are registered with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and thousands more are in the process of seeking asylum.Where do they all come from? How are they surviving day to day? What challenges do they face in finding food, shelter, safety and income? What do they fear? And what is their plan for the future and path to a better life?On World Refugee Day, advocates and experts will answer those and other questions and celebrate the creativity and ingenuity of several groups of highland refugees from Vietnam who are using a unique way to tell their stories and earn income through embroidery about their lived experiences.On display will be an exhibition of amazing, embroidered triptychs, telling the stories of highland refugees from Vietnam. The exhibition has been collected by refugee advocate Gerda Liebmann, who uses art as a catalyst to encourage healing from trauma.Liebmann work focuses on fostering the emotional relief for refugees that arises when participants tell their stories using paper and paint and, in this case, needle and thread. The triptychs help explain why these refugees fled Vietnam, what they are facing in Thailand and the futures that they dream about.A panel of experts will speak about the triptychs, the refugee community making them and the wider issues facing urban refugees in Bangkok.Gerda Liebmann, art therapist, Visual Arts Mission Asia.Rachel Djamaludin, community relations and education support, Life Raft International. Other panelists to be announced.Moderator: Phil Robertson, director, Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates, and FCCT board member.Free and open to all.Bar and restaurant open.

The FCCT is grateful for the support of corporate sponsor Bitkub. For more information about the club's corporate sponsorship program contact: info@fccthai.com.

The FCCT expresses appreciation for the support provided by corporate sponsor Bumrungrad International Hospital. For more information about the club's corporate sponsorship program contact: info@fccthai.com.

Heart valve disease: A possible hidden danger!

The heart consists of 4 chambers with the valves opening and closing to let blood pass through between the upper and the lower chambers in one direction, and not backward.

Heart valve disease occurs when one or more of the heart valves do not open or close properly. This causes the heart muscles to work harder to pump blood for the body’s requirements. This can result in heart failure and death.

What are the symptoms of heart valve diseases?

• Fatigue, tired when doing daily activities.
• Difficulty breathing while doing activities or lying down.
• Rapid weight gain.
• Swelling in various organs such as the abdomen, legs, ankles and feet.
• Cardiac arrhythmia such as fast or irregular heartbeat.
• Fever and body aches, if due to infection.
• In severe cases, too much fluid in the lungs, difficulty breathing and loss of consciousness.

What is the treatment for heart valve disease?

There are many ways to treat heart valve disease. Currently, Bumrungrad Hospital has the technology for heart valve replacement without surgery, offering good results and highly safe.

Learn more about heart valve disease and treatment option here.

Send us an enquiry today by clicking here.

Executive Leadership Program Asia (ELP)

Before and in parallel with N3Con 2025, AAJA-Asia will be holding the 5th edition of its Executive Leadership Program Asia (ELP), a transformative training program carefully cultivated to grow mid-career journalists as news leaders, managers and executives who can thrive in uncertain times and build a sustainable future for journalism.

FCCT members also get a 30% discount on this training. Registration is open until 9 May.

For more information visit: https://aaja-asia.org/training/executive-leadership-program-elp/

N3Con 2025

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) is pleased to be a media partner of AAJA-Asia's New.Now.Next Media conference 2025 (N3Con), to be held at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Communication Arts, Bangkok, on 29-31 May.

Over the years, the annual gathering of the Asian American Journalists Association's Asia Chapter (AAJA-Asia) has established itself as one of the more vibrant gatherings of journalists in the Asia Pacific region.

For N3Con's 15th edition, keynote speaker Julie Pace, executive editor of the Associated Press, along with prominent reporters and editors from leading international and Asian news outlets, will explore the transformative effect of Generative AI on news content production and distribution, assess the new Trump administration’s impact on the global news ecosystem and US-Asia relations and discuss hot topics for the news industry such as solutions journalism, news influencers, climate reporting, cross-border investigative journalism and more.

FCCT members enjoy a 30% discount on all conference tickets. Register here with the promo code: N3CON2025-FCCT-PROMO.

For more information visit: https://www.n3con.com/2025/

Frontier Myanmar is seeking a managing editor to help lead our newsroom

The successful candidate will work with a team of award-winning journalists and together with other senior editors oversee the production of accurate, in-depth reports on a fast-developing situation in Myanmar.

Duties will include commissioning and editing stories, managing reporters and liaising with freelancers while contributing to Frontier’s membership programme, which includes panel discussions and newsletters. There will also be opportunities to do original reporting, write editorials and commentaries, and speak on Frontier’s weekly discussion podcast.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced journalist or editor with excellent written English who knows how to craft magazine-type features. If they are not from Myanmar, they will have worked in the country or elsewhere in Southeast Asia and possess a deep knowledge of Myanmar’s politics, culture and business environment.

The position is based in Chiang Mai, Thailand and is full time. More information is available via this link: https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/work-with-us/

To apply, please email a cover letter, CV/resume, work samples and at least two reference contacts to bendunant@frontiermyanmar.net and nang@frontiermyanmar.net by May 11.

FCCT’s new podcast: Dateline Bangkok

For this week's episode of the Dateline Bangkok podcast, Tommy Walker speaks with Chokwan 'Kitty' Chopaka. Kitty is a cannabis rights activist and entrepreneur.Nicknamed the “Queen of Cannabis,” Kitty’s advocacy has seen her protest for the regulation and legislation of cannabis in Thailand. She has also been an advisor to the Thai government and the European Union on issues surrounding cannabis.A former law professional, Kitty spent her youth in Australia before returning to Thailand. Kitty opened up the Chopaka shop in 2022, the same year Thailand de-listed the cannabis flower as a narcotic, effectively decriminalising it.Chopaka was closed as of 2025.Kitty speaks to Tommy about her early years in cannabis advocacy, her own hopes for the use of cannabis in Thailand and the challenges the industry faces today.Watch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

New to Bangkok? Under 35?

Are you under 35? Check out our special offer below! For further details, please contact info@fccthai.com.

New FCCT merchandise

Advertise in the FCCT's Bulletin at special discount rates

Individuals and organisations are welcome to take out advertising in the weekly FCCT Bulletin which reaches nearly 4,000 people in the club’s network. Guidelines

• Write a catchy headline, followed by a maximum of three sentences + contact email/phone number/ link to a website for further details if applicable.

To book an ad please email: info@fccthai.com