From The New Club President

To all our valued FCCT members,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of our club. As its new president, I hope we can work together to make the FCCT even more welcoming as a unique space for people from all walks of life to mix and converse, and as a venue for free-wheeling discussions and debate.

As we move forward, let me take a moment to tell you a little bit about myself.  As you may know, I have been a board member of the FCCT since 2020 and have been working as a journalist based in Bangkok for 11 years.  I have always loved the club. It has long played an important role in promoting free speech and as a place that brings people together regardless of who they are.  I really hope that the club can continue to serve our community through these difficult times and beyond.

We have started this year once again under the imposition of Covid-19 restrictions, which limit how many people we can accommodate at the club, and for now, prevent us from serving alcohol. We will continue to ensure that our events are live-streamed for a wider audience. However, these restrictions are having a serious impact on our revenue, and the FCCT must seek fresh sources of income if it is to survive. This year, the executive board will be working on a number of ideas to address this. One immediate priority is to work harder to retain our members — and to attract new ones.

We understand that the Covid pandemic has kept some members away, and may have led to some not renewing their memberships. As your new president, I would like to make a personal appeal to all of you to renew promptly, and to persuade colleagues, friends and family to consider joining the FCCT. Our membership dues are still very reasonable compared to other clubs and offer discounts on food and drinks, free entry to events, and the opportunity to be part of a wonderful and diverse community. If we can raise our membership by twenty per cent, that would address many of the financial challenges now facing the club.

Together with the rest of the executive committee, I look forward to welcoming you again at the club, especially once the current Covid restrictions are finally lifted.

Sincerely,

Panu Wongcha-um

FCCT President