Joe Cochrane, 28 September 1968 – 13 November 2021, RIP

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of journalist Joe Cochrane, a veteran Southeast Asia hand, former Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand board member and long-serving president of the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club (JFCC).

Cochrane’s enormous popularity and widespread dismay at his death aged only 53 have prompted many tributes.

Peter Janssen writes:

It is with heavy hearts that we have learned of the passing of the Jakarta-based journalist Joe Cochrane over the weekend. Joe was admitted to Siloam Hospital in Jakarta for treatment of a lingering case of jaundice but died of liver failure early Saturday, according to his colleagues there. He was buried in the Casablanca cemetery on Sunday. He is survived by his wife, Yuliana, and their young son Sean, aged 11.

Joe was a well-known, well-liked journalist who had covered Southeast Asia for more than 25 years. He began his career in Asia working for the Cambodia Daily, founded by American journalist Bernard Krisher in 1993, which served as a launch pad for many journalistic careers. Joe became the Phnom Penh bureau chief for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) in 1996 and later moved on to become the dpa Jakarta bureau chief during the tempestuous period of 1998-2001.

Besides dpa, he was also a correspondent for Newsweek, which he represented in Bangkok between 2001-2008 before returning to Jakarta to become a co-founder of the Jakarta Globe newspaper (2008 - 2015) as its deputy editor. After the demise of the print edition of the Globe, Joe remained in Jakarta with his family as a regular correspondent for the New York Times, Washington Post, The Economist, Wall Street Journal/Asia and other publications.

Joe was a familiar face at the FCCT bar during his Bangkok period. He was a hard-working, hard-drinking, fun-loving journalist with many friends throughout Southeast Asia. He will be dearly missed by us all.

Selamat Jalan Joe, JFCC executive committee statement:

We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Joe Cochrane, a former president of the club and a long-time correspondent in Indonesia.

Originally from the U.S. state of Virginia, Joe had a deep love of Asia, where he spent the last 25 years after starting his overseas journey reporting for the Pacific Daily News in Guam.He went on to work across the region for some of the world’s leading publications.

He was also a founding editor of the Jakarta Globe newspaper as well as Strategic Review: The Indonesian Journal of Leadership, Policy and World Affairs.In 2016, he was a co-winner of the Society of Publishers in Asia Awards for editorial excellence for breaking news reporting, and most recently, had been writing for the South China Morning Post and Forbes Asia.

Joe was always a big supporter of the JFCC and generous with his time, serving as president between 2012 and 2015.

With his beaming smile and shock of white hair, he became a friend to many of us and was a regular at gatherings at the old Face Bar in its original location in Menteng and a welcoming host at the parties he regularly held in his house.Our thoughts are with his wife Ana and his son Sean, as well as other members of his family, at this time.”

Keith Loveard writes:

Joe’s death came as a shock to the members of the Indonesian foreign journalist community and many Indonesian journalists who had worked with him over the years.

The longest-serving president of the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club, from 2012 to 2015, Joe helped cement the importance of the club within the Jakarta community of journalists, diplomats and business leaders with a host of events featuring important figures both from Indonesia and beyond who shared their perceptions of domestic and global events with the members.

“The club gathers the most timely, influential and interesting people to discuss topics which matter,” said Pirjo-Liisa Heikkila, a diplomat from Finland.

Joe’s professional career during his time in Indonesia peaked with his work for the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times. He also filed for the South China Morning Post and other notable publications.

He took on a number of other roles, including sharing with me the task of starting the Strategic Review quarterly on foreign affairs. Its board included prominent Indonesian figures, such as former foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda and former defense minister Juwono Sudarsono.

Joe was painstaking in his insistence on the highest professional standards at the quarterly, as elsewhere in his work. He was a founding editor of the Jakarta Globe daily, where young reporters recall him lambasting them for mistakes.

“Despite his temper, he was a very supportive editor and he taught me a lot about writing and journalism,” recalls Hera Diani, who went on to become the co-founder and editor of the Magdalene feminist-focused magazine.

Joe was also a prominent figure in Jakarta’s social life. Parties he hosted at his central Jakarta residence were “must be there” events, with most participants ending up in the pool at some stage. His marriage to Ana and the birth of their son Sean quietened down some aspects of his social life, but he continued to be a presence at many informal clutches of journalists and others at popular Jakarta media venues such as the Face Bar. He will be sorely missed.

Mark Dodd writes:

He was a thorough professional with a wicked sense of humour. In 2001, Joe signed me to dpa to file for him from East Timor. Since I was a staff journalist for the [Sydney Morning Herald/Age] I agreed, but on condition of anonymity, which led to some hilarious requests from SMH foreign desk to match stories from dpa's mystery corro in Dili. Joe, you will be missed. My sincere condolences to Ana and your family. RIP.

Adrian Brown writes:

I first met Joe in Dili in September 1999. The Indonesian military’s scorched earth policy was in full swing, and essential supplies, like beer, were scarce. We and other media were encamped in that makeshift dormitory beside the Tourismo Hotel. A kind colleague had somehow managed to procure a can of Bintang to mark my birthday. It emerged that it was Joe’s birthday, so we shared that precious ale. And, yes, a great guy.