The Bulletin

Stephff's world

Notice to all members of the annual general meeting

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Friday, 10 April 2026, 7pm

Please save this date for the FCCT’s annual general meeting in the clubhouse. All members in good standing are welcome to attend and have their say. If you have not renewed your membership, please do so ahead of the event to be eligible to participate.

Nomination forms are available from the FCCT office. In the coming week, the agenda, minutes of the 2025 AGM and other related documents will be circulated. These will include absentee ballot forms for correspondent and journalist members unable to attend in person.

It is essential that as many correspondents as possible respond so that a quorum can be established of those in the clubhouse and those unable to attend in person.

If they wish, correspondents and journalists may sign a proxy form that they can return to the office instead of an absentee ballot. Instructions, including limitations, appear on the form.

Under Article 9 of the FCCT’s constitution, an extraordinary general meeting can always be called should eight or more correspondent members in good standing request one.

Executive Committee

20 March 2026

Annual General Meeting Agenda

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Friday, 10 April 2026, 7pm

I.      Confirmation of minute taker.

II.     Appointment of three (3) scrutineers.

III.    Establishment of quorum.

IV.     Confirmation of minutes from the annual general meeting
       held on Friday, 25 April 2025.

V.      Treasurer’s report.

VI.     Adoption of balance sheet and statement of accounts
       for the year ending 31 December 2025.

VII.    Appointment of auditors Varasilp & Associates for the year
       1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026.

VIII.   President’s report.

IX.     Conduct of general business including questions from members.

X.      Election of new executive committee members in three categories:

       i.      Those only correspondents may nominate and vote for.
       ii.     Those only correspondents/journalists may nominate and vote for.
       iii.    Those all members in good standing may nominate and vote for.

XI.     Introduction of new executive committee.

XII.    Establishment of standing committees and any other business.

XIII.   Adjournment of meeting.

Muzzling the media: SLAPP writs in Thailand
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Panel discussion,
Wednesday, 8 April, 7pm

Two defamation lawsuits were filed by a Thai politician against editors of The Isaan Record in March – moves that drew criticism as attempts to silence investigative reporting. The Record's report was linked to coverage of alleged bribery in a labour trafficking scandal, but the legal cases have been described by the outlet as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP).

While the initial case was ultimately dropped, it was followed by a second lawsuit. This underscores a broader pattern in Thailand, in which defamation laws are often used by politicians, companies and powerful individuals to exert pressure on journalists and activists by imposing legal and financial burdens.

Join us at the FCCT for a timely discussion on the use of SLAPP lawsuits and their impact on press freedom.

Speakers include:

Hathairat Phaholtap, editor-in-chief, The Isaan Record.

Sarinee Achavanuntakul, director, Climate Finance Network Thailand.

Yosathorn Niamsaing, advocacy associate, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

Tewarit Maneechai, senator.

Moderator: Panu Wongcha-um, FCCT president and Reuters senior correspondent.

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 450 baht; students and local media with ID 150 baht.Bar and restaurant open.

Winds of Change – Geopolitics at the crossroads of South and Southeast Asia

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Book talk,
Monday, 20 April, 7pm

Drawing on firsthand experience, regional travel, exclusive interviews and research, ‘Winds of Change' examines four key themes: the Geopolitics of Belt and Road, India-China Regional Diplomacy, Geopolitical Power Rivalries and Sri Lanka’s Domestic Political Challenge. This book looks at how countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Vietnam are adjusting to shifting power dynamics, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Maldives, and Nepal struggle to maintain balance amid India-China-US tensions. It goes on to investigate how Trump 2.0 could accelerate a global order increasingly tilted toward China.

Asanga Abeyagoonasekera is an author, international security and geopolitics analyst and strategic adviser from Sri Lanka. He is a senior fellow and the executive director of the South Asia Foresight Network at the Millennium Project in Washington DC. He was the former director general of the Institute of National Security Studies under Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence and former executive director of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, a foreign policy think tank in Sri Lanka.

Moderator: Panu Wongcha-um, FCCT president and Reuters senior correspondentCopies of the book will be available on the night.

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 media with ID 150 baht.Bar and restaurant open.

The Day Iceland Stood Still

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Film, Wednesday, 6 May, 7pm

When 90% of Iceland’s women walked off their jobs and out of their homes one morning in 1975, they brought the nation to a standstill and ignited a revolution that has catapulted Iceland to the forefront of today's global struggle for gender equality. This multiple award-winning film, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Day Off, tells the story for the first time through voices of the women who lived it. Unexpectedly funny and laced with evocative animation, The Day Iceland Stood Still revisits an unprecedented act of civil disobedience that still inspires people all over the world, especially at this dark time in global affairs. A fantastic documentary of a momentous struggle – not to be missed!

Directed by Emmy award-winning US filmmaker Pamela Hogan, in collaboration with acclaimed Icelandic producer Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir, this is the true story of 24 hours that sparked a revolution. With a score by one of Iceland’s best-known rock singers, Margrét Rán (GusGus, Vök), and evocative animated sequences by artist Joel Orloff, The Day Iceland Stood Still unfolds through the vivid memories of the women who created and lived this moment. “We loved our male chauvinist pigs,” recalls one of the activists. “We just wanted to change them a little!” Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Guðrún Erlendsdóttir recalls being told she couldn’t go to law school because “you’ll be married before you’re 18” and farmer Ágústa Þorkelsdottir, incensed that women couldn’t join the Farmer’s Association unless they were widows, wondered “Do I have to kill my husband to be recognized as a farmer?”

The film features a rare interview with Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the world’s first democratically-elected female head of state, who took office just five years after the strike. And former President Guðni Th Jóhannesson’s story about his father’s tragic attempt to cook the family dinner that day sheds light on why some men came to call October 24, 1975 “the long Friday.”

Opening address by Svanhildur Steinarsdóttir, Consul of Iceland (in Tokyo).

Co-sponsored by the FCCT and the Republic of Iceland.

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 150 baht; students and local media with ID 150 baht.Bar and restaurant open.

Asia American Journalists Association (AAKA - Asia)

Annual conference: Upholding journalism’s values & viability in the age of AI

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May 21-23, 2026

The Asian chapter of the Asia America Journalists’ Association (AAJA-Asia) will hold the 16th New-Now-Next Media Conference (N3Con 2026) at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, from May 21-23. The event’s exciting program and a list of confirmed speakers (to date) are available online at https://www.n3con.com/2026/. Over the years, N3Con has become one of the most dynamic and influential gatherings of journalists across the Asia-Pacific region.

FCCT members wishing to attend can enjoy a 30% discount on all tickets. To get the special code for FCCT members for use in the online registration below, please call Khun New at the FCCT office or contact her at info@fccthai.com

This year’s conference will feature panel discussions, roundtables, keynote presentations, coaching sessions, workshops, and one-on-one clinics. It will gather more than 200 journalists from both international media organizations and local newsrooms. The program will explore topics such as the responsible use of AI in news production and distribution, lessons from content creators, cross-border climate reporting, investigative journalism, reporting in exile, and journalists’ safety and mental health.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the very foundations of journalism - from how stories are produced to how audiences discover and engage with news. In this rapidly evolving landscape, the media industry faces a defining challenge: to reimagine what news and information products can and should look like, while remaining true to its core values and securing its financial future.

Journalists need to harness AI responsibly and cost-effectively to enhance their reporting, streamline workflows, and develop innovative storytelling formats. At the same time, they must sharpen their capacity to scrutinize the broader societal implications of AI systems, from automated decision-making and data governance to algorithmic bias.

Keynote speakers include:

Anjali Kapoor, director of AI, innovation and growth at the BBC;

Amy Mitchell, executive director of the Center for News, Technology and Innovation;

Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive officer of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The agenda for the event can be found here.

Register before April 17 to enjoy early-bird discounts.

This is not an FCCT event.

Co-working at the FCCT

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Tuesday, 7 April, 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.

Free and open to all.Bar and restaurant open.

Board games night

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Tuesday, 7 April, 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.