Stephff's world
Geoeconomics in an age of fragmentation: Lunch talk with the EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis
Tuesday, 13 Oct, 12 noon – 1.30pm
Geopolitical tensions and structural economic shifts are reshaping the global economy. Persistent global imbalances, high public debt, financial vulnerabilities, demographic pressures, and slower growth are creating new challenges for policymakers. European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis joins the FCCT to discuss how the European Union is navigating this challenging global economic landscape, including the implications of protectionism, economic security, and growing tensions between the world’s major powers. He will explore the outlook for the global economy, EU’s relations with Asia and the European Union’s competitiveness agenda, including efforts to simplify regulation and deepen the single market and capital markets in Europe. The discussion will also address the future of the international economic and financial system, as well as EU’s continued support for Ukraine.
One of Europe’s most experienced economic policymakers, Valdis Dombrovskis has been the European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, as well as Implementation and Simplification since December 2024. His portfolio includes the coordination and implementation of the EU’s economic policies, as well as overseeing the reduction of administrative burden and ensuring better implementation of EU rules. From 2019 to 2024, he served as the executive vice-president of the European Commission responsible for An Economy that Works for People and was also in charge of Trade. He previously served as vice-president of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019, overseeing the Euro and Social Dialogue, as well as financial stability, financial services, and the Capital Markets Union.
He is Latvia’s longest-serving head of government with three terms as Prime Minister (2009–2014). He has also been finance minister, a member of the Latvian Parliament and European Parliament. Before politics, he was the chief economist at the Bank of Latvia, as well as a research assistant at Mainz University, the Institute of Solid-State Physics in Latvia and University of Maryland. Valdis Dombrovskis was born on August 5, 1971.
Interviewer: Dr Fuadi Pitsuwan, from Thammasat University.
Moderator: Panu Wongcha-um, president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand.
Registration here.
Free and open to all. Registration required.
Bar and restaurant open.
Freedom from debt campaign
Panel discussion, Wed, 14 Oct, 10am
More than half of the world's population - over 3.4 billion people - reside in countries where borrowing interest rates are 2-4 times higher than those of the United States, and up to 12 times higher than those of Germany.
Would it not be preferable for these nations to pay lower, fairer interest rates? This would translate into having adequate budgets to improve the quality of life for their populations in areas such as public health, education, and other vital sectors.
The Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is actively promoting initiatives to foster fairness for developing countries, while collaborating with all sectors to propose constructive and sustainable solutions.
FCCT members can join the panel discussion “Expanding Fiscal Space for Health through Debt Justice, AI Solidarity and Global South Leadership” on October 14, at the FCCT from 10am to 12noon.
Please scan the QR code on the graphic to RSVP by 12 October 2026.
Free and open to all.
Bar and restaurant open.
Rebuilding after a Himalayan catastrophe: A talk with Nepal's finance minister
A conversation with Dr Swarnim Wagle, Thursday, 15 Oct, 7pm
A sudden glacial collapse in northern Nepal on August 26 sent a catastrophic wall of ice, rock and water tearing through mountain valleys, killing nearly 1,400 people, leaving thousands missing, while destroying hydropower stations, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure.
Now comes the daunting task of rebuilding. Nepal’s Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle joins the FCCT as his government grapples with a reconstruction bill expected to run into the billions of dollars. Speaking during a visit to Bangkok for the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings, he will discuss Nepal’s response to the disaster and reconstruction efforts, the challenge of rebuilding in one of the world's most climate-vulnerable regions, and Nepal’s economic outlook.
An alumnus of Harvard University and the London School of Economics, Dr Wagle spent more than 25 years as an international development professional before becoming Nepal’s finance minister in March 2026.
Moderator: Devjyot Ghoshal, Reuters’ chief correspondent for Thailand and Myanmar, and 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.
Britain, Thailand and a changing Southeast Asia – a conversation with the new British ambassador to Thailand
Evening talk, Monday, 19 Oct, 7pm
Thailand and the United Kingdom share a long-standing relationship spanning trade, investment, education, tourism, security and close people-to-people ties.As both countries navigate a more fragmented and uncertain international landscape, the relationship is expanding into areas such as clean energy, technology, climate action and regional security.
Britain is also seeking a deeper role in Southeast Asia, a region increasingly central to global economic growth and geopolitical competition. How does the UK view its evolving partnership with Thailand? And where does the country fit within Britain’s wider engagement with ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific?
In her first appearance at the FCCT, British Ambassador Nicola Pollitt will discuss the opportunities, challenges and priorities shaping this next chapter.
Moderator: Jonathan Head, BBC Southeast Asia 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 400 baht; students and local media with ID 150 baht.
Bar and restaurant open.
Heritage Hotels of Asia
PREMIUM book launch with Ken Barrett, Eric Hallin and Jaffee Yee Yeow-Fei, Wednesday, 21 Oct, 7pm
‘Heritage Hotels of Asia: Southeast & East Asia’ is a passion project for its editor, Jaffee Yee Yeow-Fei. His book is in many ways a grand tour of a region that opened up to international travelers after the Suez Canal was commissioned in 1869 and steamships helped usher in modern travel.
“Grand hotels and history are inseparable,” writes Andrew J Woods. “These remarkable properties are far more than elegant places to stay. Each reflects the rich tapestry of the country, region or city in which it stands. Through architecture, art, tradition and carefully preserved historical references, they connect travellers with their surroundings while immersing them in the atmosphere of another era.”
The first volume in this series covered the inroads made by Europeans into India in the 19th century. The grand colonial hotel tradition was forged by Spence’s Hotel in Calcutta in 1830. This second volume takes in 56 storied properties that followed in 13 other countries, documenting the architecture, people and stories behind many of Asia’s most iconic heritage hotels.
These include The Strand in Yangon, Malaysia’s Eastern & Oriental, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion and Hotel Majestic, plus Singapore’s Raffles, Goodwood Park and Fullerton.
“Unlike many books of this genre, which are picture-heavy, this one is nicely balanced with lovely pictures and also detailed yet concise history and context for every property featured,” said Nirmal Ghosh, a former FCCT president.
Speakers:
Author Ken Barrett is a London-born journalist and writer who has lived in Asia for the best part of 40 years, much of that in Bangkok, with stints in Hong Kong and Singapore. He has visited 60 countries on assignment, and launched, edited or contributed to numerous publications in the business, travel, industrial and consumer sectors. He has written extensively on architecture and building technology, and has a strong interest in architectural heritage conservation. Barrett is the author of ’22 Walks In Bangkok: Exploring the City’s Historic Back Lanes and Byways’, which was launched to great acclaim at the FCCT in 2019.
Eric Hallin is a Swedish hotelier with more than five decades in the hospitality industry, much of it spent in Asia. He has a particular passion for hotels with a strong sense of place, character and history. He has held senior positions in Thailand, the Maldives and Vietnam, managing and developing a wide range of hotels and resorts, including business, luxury and experiential properties. Highlights include his years with Dusit Hotels & Resorts and Six Senses. Hallin has been general manager of The Legend Chiang Rai Boutique River Resort & Spa since 2022.
Editor Jaffee Yee Yeow-Fei is an award-winning publisher, editor, art consultant and travel marketing consultant with more than 40 years of international experience. Based primarily in Thailand, he is deeply involved in documenting, preserving and promoting the culture, arts and tourism in the Greater Mekong Subregion. He has collaborated with global media institutions like McGraw-Hill Book Company and CBS International Publishing. His independent ventures include Myer Publishing in Hong Kong and Thailand’s Knowledge Media Group. He is a veteran FCCT member of 42 years.
Moderator: Dominic Faulder, FCCT board member and Nikkei Asia associate editor.
Copies 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 600 baht; students and local media with ID 200 baht.
Bar and restaurant open.
Thailand’s Momentum 2026: Trust and
security, a reliable bridge in ASEAN
Panel discussion, Thursday, 22 Oct, 7pm
Thailand’s position at the heart of Southeast Asia offers opportunities to serve as a trusted bridge between regional partners and global powers. This panel will examine how the country can balance major-power relations, strengthen ASEAN cooperation and diversify trade to safeguard its national interests and economic resilience. It will also explore how regional digital integration, including ASEAN’s Digital Economy Framework Agreement, can support small businesses and reinforce Thailand’s role as a reliable regional connector.
The discussion is part of the Thailand’s Vision series, following last month’s panel on AI and ahead of another on the economy in November.
Thailand stands at a strategic crossroads as the global order becomes increasingly fragmented. Building sustainable momentum will require structural reform, technological adaptation and strategic balance to strengthen economic resilience, restore investor confidence and position Thailand as a trusted regional connector—one capable of shaping, rather than merely following, global trends.
Speakers:
Abhisit Vejjajiva, former Thai prime minister;
Fuadi Pitsuwan, lecturer at Thammasat University;
Jirayut Srupsrisopa, founder of Bitkub Group.
Moderator: Panu Wongcha-um, president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand.
Register here.
Free and open to all.
Bar and restaurant open.
The Strongman and the Last Days of the Khmer Rouge
Film, Wednesday, 28 October, 7pm
Longtime Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (Photo: James Gerrand).
From the frontlines of the conflict against the Khmer Rouge to the backrooms of political power in Phnom Penh, legendary documentary maker James Gerrand provides rare behind-the-scenes views of Cambodian strongman Hun Sen’s battle to gain the upper hand against his former allies, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. In his late teens, Hun Sen was originally recruited into the Khmer Rouge as a guerrilla fighter. Later, he defected to the side of the Vietnamese invaders who expelled the Khmer Rouge in 1979. As Prime Minister from 1985 to 2023, Hun Sen led the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and cemented his power while guiding Cambodia’s political and economic development, amid accusations of serious corruption and human rights violations.
“The Strongman and the Last Days of the Khmer Rouge” presents a fascinating insight into how Hun Sen has wielded political power. This story is told via in-depth interviews with Hun Sen and his colleagues and political adversaries. The film draws upon filmmaker James Gerrand’s own archive of footage shot in Cambodia over the past 40 years. It is a revealing portrait – showing Hun Sen’s principal character traits, his political savvy and capacity for both charm and ruthlessness.
James Gerrand has written for publications including the Far Eastern Economic Review, Bangkok Post, The Australian, Nation Review, National Times, and the Asian Wall Street Journal. During the 1970s and 1980s, he filmed and produced news and current affairs reports for Visnews (UK for worldwide syndication), CBS (America), ABC (America), ABC (Australia) and SBS-TV (Australia).
After arriving in Phnom Penh in 1967 in a canoe, a voyage that became the basis of his film ‘Mekong Downstream’, Gerrand based himself in Phnom Penh and covered the outbreak of the civil war that eventually brought Pol Pot to power. He began his first news filming of the war as a stringer for Visnews and CBS (America). From this intense involvement in the Cambodian tragedy, came his seminal documentary study ‘Khmer! Khmer! Cambodia in Conflict’ (1972). His commitment to filming and documenting every major twist and turn in Cambodia’s tortured history has never waned. Returning to the region every year since the fall of Pol Pot in 1979, he has worked independently to produce his landmark documentaries ‘Cambodia, the Prince & the Prophecy’ (1986), ‘Cambodia Kampuchea’ (1987) and ‘The Last God-King’ (1996), which still stand as among the clearest, most penetrating film studies available that delve down to the roots of modern Cambodian conflicts.
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 200 baht; students and local media with ID 150 baht.
Bar and restaurant open.
Outsider. Freud
Film, Thursday, 5 November, 7pm
Outsider. Freud is an award-winning film journey into the life and work of Sigmund Freud in four acts, combining animation, dreams, and insights from leading psychoanalysts. It explores Freud’s experiences of marginalization as a Jew in Vienna during Hitler’s rise and how these shaped his theories and personal life. Through an intimate lens, the film reveals new dimensions of Freud’s legacy, focusing on his impact on psychoanalysis, Judaism, and the power dynamics of being an outsider.
Critics have raved about this film. “The best film ever made about Freud,” said George Makari, a renown psychiatrist and historian. Monika Pressler, director of the Freud Museum in Vienna, simply called it “a masterpiece.” Harvey Schwartz, editor of the podcast “On and Off the Couch” of the International Psychoanalytical Association, said it is “a rare film that captures both Freud’s personal history and the essence of his spirit.” Famous German author Ilse Bindseil said “The film does not only deal with a personality, it has one of its own. “Hannah Brown of the Jerusalem Post called it “a brilliant, entertaining documentary.”
The film has been screened in 22 different countries, participated in 20 film festivals to date, and won 15 awards, including the prestigious 2025 Gradiva award given annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis. The film was also the winner at both the Mannheim Film Festival and the Berlin Kiez Film Festival, held in Germany last year. It also won the Best Feature Documentary/Animation award at the Jaipur International Film Festival and the Best Feature Documentary/Animation at New Delhi’s International Film Festival in 2025.
Following the film, director Yair Qedar will speak about Freud and the film, and take questions from the audience. Yair Qedar has made numerous award-winning documentaries that bring intellectual and marginalized voices to the forefront. Prior to filmmaking, Qedar was a prominent journalist for Haaretz, Davar, and Masa Acher. He is also a pioneer of the LGBTQ+ movement in Israel, founding HaZman HaVarod (Pink Times), the country’s first LGBTQ+ newspaper, and the Rainbow Families Organization.
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 200 baht; students and local media with ID 150 baht.
Bar and restaurant open.
Burma Soldier
Film screening, panel discussion, Wednesday, 11 November, 7pm
Frontier Myanmar, in association with the Embassy of Ireland in Bangkok, brings the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary Burma Soldier to the FCCT. The film is a powerful expose of Myanmar’s military from an insider. It tells the story of Myo Myint who joined the Myanmar army at 17, seeking the security, respect and employment it promised. After losing a limb to a landmine, he turned against the military regime and joined the pro-democracy movement. Combining interviews, archival footage and photographs, much of it smuggled out of the country, Burma Soldier traces Myanmar’s history from independence in 1948 and examines how decades of military rule shaped the country. More than ever, the film’s story remains relevant to understanding Myanmar today.
Narrated by Colin Farrell with music by U2, Burma Soldier won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the United Nations Association Film Festival. It was also nominated for an Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) Award for Best Feature Documentary and nominated for an Emmy.
Variety Magazine said that: “HBO’s documentaries have a way of compelling us to take a look at parts of the world the rest of the media tends to forget... The strongest elements come from Myo Myint first-person accounts of the horrors he witnessed.”
Following the film, a panel of experts will discuss the movie, and how civil war and military rule have affected Myanmar and undermined the ability of different factions in the country to reconcile, compromise and resolve problems.
Join us for a thought-provoking discussion with:
Thu Thu Aung, editor-in-chief at Frontier Myanmar;
Kyaw Kyaw, researcher, Myanmar Defence and Security Institute, medical doctor, former Myanmar military officer;
Agnes Mary, counselling psychologist from Myanmar specialising in trauma;
Nic Dunlop, co-director of Burma Soldier and features editor at Frontier Myanmar.
Free and open to all.
Bar and restaurant open.
Co-working at the FCCT
Tuesday, 13 Oct, 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 foreign correspondent Tommy Walker.
Free and open to all.
Bar and restaurant open.
Board games night
Tuesday, 13 Oct, 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, 23 Oct, 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.
Job Opening: News Researcher at NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
NHK, (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), is looking for a professional and highly motivated person to join our team.
Position: NEWS RESEARCHER
Job description
Research and assistance in producing news features related to political, economic, and social issue stories based mainly in Thailand for Japanese news programs as well as for English Channel, WORLD.
Responsibilities
- News research
- News monitoring
- News transcription
- Covering news in the field.
- Source and connection building
- News reporting
Requirements:
- Thai citizen
- Excellent communication skills in Thai and English (Ability to speak Japanese is also an advantage)
- At least 3 years of experience in the news industry
- Ability to work and study independently, and travel on short notice
- Bachelor's degree
Interested candidates are invited to submit their comprehensive resume, portfolio of work, and cover letter directly to personnel@nhk.or.th. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further interviews.
Application period : October 12 – November 3, 2026.