The Bulletin

Stephff's world

Wake for Derek Williams

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Sunday, 2 August, 4pm

The club is holding a wake to honour and remember our much loved colleague, who passed away on July 22. All members and friends welcome.

For friends who cannot attend the club, please contact info@fccthai.com for Zoom access to this event.

Troubled waters: Tackling transboundary river pollution in Southeast Asia

Panel discussion, Monday, 3 August, 7pm

Reuters

Growing concerns over heavy metal contamination in northern Thailand's rivers have thrust transboundary pollution into the national spotlight, prompting diplomatic engagement, scientific investigations and calls for stronger regional cooperation.

The issue has also sparked demonstrations, diplomatic appeals and growing public debate, reflecting wider concerns over environmental governance, corporate accountability and the challenges of addressing pollution that crosses national borders.

As governments, regional bodies and international partners weigh their response, what more can be done to protect shared waterways and the communities that depend on them? Join the FCCT for a timely discussion on one of Southeast Asia's most pressing environmental challenges with a panel that includes:

Pichamon Yeophantong, member, UN working Group on Business and Human Rights.

Norasate Prachayakorn, Thai senator.

Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, lawyer, Community Resource Centre.

Moderator: TBC

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

Timor-Leste (East Timor): ASEAN’s newest member looks forward from a painful past

Film screening, photo exhibition and panel, Thursday, 27 August, 6:30pm

Last October, Timor-Leste (East Timor) became the newest member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, taking its place among regional peers 26 years after the end of a brutal occupation by Indonesia.

Following its invasion in 1975, Indonesia largely sealed off the territory. During the occupation, approximately 20-30 percent of the population were killed or died from hunger and illness. Only a handful of passionate and committed foreign journalists made it into East Timor under those conditions. One who did was John Martinkus, who later authored a penetrating account about the conflict titled ‘A Dirty Little War’. Martinkus died in his native Australia last year but is still seen by many in Timor-Leste as a hero.

Martinkus alerted the world to the emerging threat from Indonesian military-supported militias that in 1999 tried to brutalize the Timorese into rejecting independence. Those violent tactics failed but cost many lives and destroyed much of the new nation’s infrastructure.  Almost 30 years later, Timor-Leste enjoys good ties with Indonesia, and is looking to its ASEAN partners and southern neighbour Australia to help grow its economy.

Join us for a reflection on the country’s remarkable journey while honoring the late John Martinkus and other journalists who documented the war in Timor-Leste at a rare screening of Carmela Baranowska’s powerful documentary, ‘Scenes from an Occupation,’ which won the 2000 Rory Peck Award and is the only film to document the last six months of Indonesia’s occupation. There will also be an exhibition of photos by Ian Timberlake, an Agence France-Presse correspondent who was in Timor-Leste and knew Martinkus well.

Francisco Tilman Cepeda, Ambassador of Timor-Leste to Thailand, will make opening remarks before the film.

After the film, there will be a panel of speakers:

Dr Carmela Baranowska, director of ‘Scenes from an Occupation: East Timor 1999’.

Ian Timberlake, AFP correspondent in East Timor in 1999. His photos from the period are being exhibited in conjunction with this panel.

Moderator: Jonathan Head, who covered the 1999 events and is 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 400 baht; students and local media with ID 150 baht.Bar and restaurant open.

Co-working at the FCCT
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Tuesday, 4 August, 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, 4 August, 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

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Friday, 31 July, 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.

"As a foreign correspondent, you're an observer"
Jonathan Head

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Dateline Bangkok podcast

Watch the full video at this link.

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