The Bulletin

Stephff's world

‍Escape from Manus prison: One man’s daring quest for freedom

Book talk with Jaivet Ealom,
Wednesday, 22 October, 7pm

Jaivet Ealom is the first and only person to have escaped from Manus Island, the offshore prison set up in Papua New Guinea by the Australian government to indefinitely detain so-called “boat people” -- asylum seekers who dared to try to reach Australia by boat.Ealom’s story is a suspenseful saga of fleeing political oppression and destitution as an ethnic Rohingya born in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, reaching Indonesia, almost dying at sea and being caught and finally incarcerated in Manus Island Regional Processing Center.

Locked into a compound and living in a repurposed shipping container under blistering heat for years, Jaivet planned his escape. Fleeing from Manus without a nationality, passport or any sort of ID, he embarked went on a six-month odyssey by foot, boat, car and plane to eventually find sanctuary in Canada. He lived off his wits with utmost tenacity, good luck and assistance from Samaritans along the way.His story of struggle, resilience and ultimate freedom covering seven countries and three continents is told in his best-selling book, Escape from Manus prison: One man’s daring quest for freedom, published by Penguin Random House.

Jaivet Ealom is an author and political strategist committed to advancing inclusion, justice and democracy in Myanmar. He currently serves as secretary general of the Rohingya Consultative Council and adviser to the human rights ministry in Myanmar’s parallel National Unity Government. Jaivet is also a co-founder and interim chief executive of the Rohingya Centre of Canada.

Discussant Phil Robertson is director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates and an FCCT board member.

Members who wish to book in advance should email info@fccthai.com or call the FCCT office on 02-652-0580.

Non-members can use this link.

Members free, non-members 300 baht, students and local journalists with ID150 baht.Bar and restaurant open.

Invisible Nation: What does it take to defend democracy under constant threat?

‍Film screening, panel discussion,
Friday, 31 October, 2pm

Invisible Nation offers an unprecedented look into the leadership of Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, as she navigated the island’s fight to preserve its autonomy and freedom amid rising authoritarian aggression.

This exclusive screening is part of the General Assembly of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) — the highest policy-making body of the only regional alliance of liberal and democratic parties in Asia. Through this gathering, CALD brings together liberal leaders, policymakers and journalists to shape conversations on democracy and resilience across the region.Organized in collaboration with the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Southeast and East Asia (FNF SEEA).

Join us for a thought-provoking afternoon that explores how democratic leadership, international cooperation and civic resilience intersect in defending freedom across Asia. The screening of the film will start at approximately 2:30 pm, and the panel will follow immediately afterwards.

Panelists:

‍Ngalim Tiunn, member of Legislative Yuan, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan.

‍Chee Soon Juan, secretary general, Singapore Democratic Party.

‍Henrik Bach Mortensen, vice president, Liberal International, Denmark.

‍Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada, acting president, Liberal Party of the Philippines; former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Philippines.

Moderator Phil Robertson is director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates and an FCCT board member.

Free and open to the public.

Slots are limited and will be given on a first come, first served basis. Please register through this link.

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Co-working at the FCCT

Tuesday, 7 October, 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 board member and managing director of Khayan Consultants and Tommy Walker, FCCT board member and digital nomad.

Free and open to all.

Board games night

Tuesday, 7 October, 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. Bar and restaurant open.

FCCT pub trivia

Friday, 31 October, 7pm

Gather your friends and colleagues for a night of pub trivia at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand.Come for a bite and a beverage and test your knowledge. 1,000 baht bar tab up for grabs for the winning team, to be redeemed on the night.Advanced table bookings encouraged here.Free and open to all.Bar and restaurant open.

Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre

Monday, 24 November, 7pm

A fascinating evening about Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre tracing the great bard's progress as a dramatist and the importance of the London riverside theatre in his development as a writer.

Shakespeare wrote 30 to 32 plays after 1598, the year the Globe was built. Unlike many present day dramatists, he knew the performance space intimately as he was directly involved in the theatre's management and maintenance.

The Globe was a unique venue that helped Shakespeare develop as a playwright. The evening will also focus on play production, acting and challenges faced by producers and performers. A Q&A with audience follows the presentation.

Daniel Foley trained for the stage at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he won the Percival Steeds Prize and Royal Lyceum Awards. In 1992, he studied Wayang Kulit (Javanese puppetry) East Java with the great Pak Suleman. He trained with Yoh Izumo in Japan.

Members and non-members can use this link to book their tickets.

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Members 350 baht, non-members 450 baht, students 150 baht.Bar and restaurant open.

FCCT’s new podcast: Dateline Bangkok

For part one of this weeks episode of the Dateline Bangkok podcast, Tommy Walker speaks with Tony Cheng.

Tony is a foreign correspondent who works for Al Jazeera. He has worked within the Southeast Asia region for two decades and for BBC News and CGTN covering news and conflicts in Asia and the Middle East. Tony is a former board member of the FCCT.

Tony recently spent a week covering the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict from the Thai side including in red zone hotspots such as Surin and Sisaket.In this episode he speaks with Tommy about covering the conflict, who also reported from the border, with both sharing their experiences on the ground.

Watch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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

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