Dateline Bangkok

Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand
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Welcome to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand Dateline Bangkok podcast. We’re launching this podcast because we believe there is growing international interest in what’s happening in Southeast Asia. We want to dive deeper into important news throughout the region and we’ll do that by speaking with key experts and voices. Remember, there is always more to the story that meets the eye. We want to focus on the context and learn something new, but more importantly, we hope you do, too.

Episodes

  1. Michael Sheridan | Xi Jinping | (Part 2)

    22/04/2025

    Michael Sheridan | Xi Jinping | (Part 2)

    “Do NOT underestimate Xi Jinping.” Michael Sheridan | Dateline Bangkok For Part 2 of this episode of the Dateline Bangkok podcast, Tommy Walker speaks with Michael Sheridan. Michael Sheridan is a veteran foreign correspondent spending decades working in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He is formerly of The Sunday Times, spending over 20 years as the newspaper’s Far East Correspondent. In Part 2, Sheridan discusses Xi Jinping in his early days, entering government and his worldview. He also discusses both optimism and vulnerabilities for China, Trump, Taiwan, Hong Kong and what China’s leadership may look like after Xi. Host: Tommy Walker Editor: Julian Hadden Music: Jonathan Head Subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch this episode: https://m.youtube.com/@fcctevents/podcasts Listen on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dateline-bangkok-podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dateline-bangkok/id1787768088 For those of you in Bangkok, feel free to visit the FCCT for future events. If you would like to become a regular at the club, you can apply for club membership. https://www.fccthai.com 00:00 - 00:25 Opening 00:25 - 00:39 Part 2 00:40 - 02:00 Authoring 'The Red Emperor' 02:00 - 02:29 Xi early years 02:30 - 03:53 Cultural Revolution 03:54 - 04:38 Threatened to be shot 04:39 - 05:38 Exiled countryside 05:39 - 06:48 Back in the fold 06:49 - 07:55 Enters government 07:56 - 08:38 Unknown leader 08:39 - 09:29 Xi story incomplete 09:29 - 09:59 Chapter: 'What he thinks' 10:00 - 14:44 Three themes 14:45 - 16:32 Meeting Joe Biden 16:33 - 18:10 Chinese negotiations 18:11 - 19:13 Communists trained to win 19:14 - 21:28 Is Xi anti-West? 21:29 - 21:46 Opium wars 21:47 - 23:14 China losing territory 23:15 - 24:06 Dislikes democracy 24:07 - 24:36 Xi’s worldview 24:37- 25:15 President Trump 25:16 - 29:41 Taiwan 29:42 - 31:24 China optimism 31:25 - 32:05 After Xi 32:06 - 34:06 Hong Kong 34:07 - 36:15 Protests 36:16 - 37:10 Aftermath 2019 37:11 - 39:00 China’s vulnerability 39:00 - 40:15 A city part of China 40:16 - 41:45 China books 41:46 - 42:15 Outro

    42 min
  2. Michael Sheridan | Reporting in China | (Part 1)

    11/03/2025

    Michael Sheridan | Reporting in China | (Part 1)

    “The world watching China, it was UNPRECEDENTED.” Michael Sheridan | Dateline Bangkok For this weeks episode of the Dateline Bangkok podcast, Tommy Walker speaks with Michael Sheridan. Michael Sheridan is a veteran foreign correspondent spending decades working in Europe, the Middle East and Asia and formerly of The Sunday Times, spending over 20 years as the newspaper’s Far East Correspondent. Sheridan reported from China in 1989 following the Tiananmen Square crackdown, as well as the 2014 and 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Sheridan is also a best-selling author, with his latest work a biography of China President Xi Jinping titled, The Red Emperor: Xi Jinping and His New China. In part 1 of this episode, Sheridan discusses his own career and venture into journalism, his experiences in Hong Kong and China, a famous photo, and the three eras of China rule since 1949. Host: Tommy Walker Editor: Julian Hadden Music: Jonathan Head Subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch this episode: https://m.youtube.com/@fcctevents/podcasts Listen on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dateline-bangkok-podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dateline-bangkok/id1787768088 For those of you in Bangkok, feel free to visit the FCCT for future events. If you would like to become a regular at the club, you can apply for club membership. https://www.fccthai.com 00:00 Dateline Bangkok Introduction 00:25 Introducing Michael Sheridan 01:02 Sheridan’s early career 02:45 1989 in China 03:52 Reporting from Shanghai 05:40 Never seen anything like it 08:57 The world watching China 10:20 Good journalism 11:02 Beijing 13:12 Tank man photo 14:49 Propaganda war today 15:48 Digital image issues 16:43 Losing the narrative 18:21 Writing and photography 20:35 Multimedia journalists today 23:03 Chinese citizen journalism 24:00 Three eras of Chinese leadership 25:40 Stand up, rich, strong 26:08 Is Xi Jinping strengthening China? 27:15 China 1949 - 2012 27:48 Under Xi 28:41 China as a superpower under Xi 30:34 The message is state control 32:17 End of part 1

    33 min
  3. Phil Robertson | Human Rights

    23/02/2025

    Phil Robertson | Human Rights

    “Human rights are universal.” Phil Robertson | Dateline Bangkok For this weeks episode of the Dateline Bangkok podcast, Tommy Walker speaks with Phil Robertson. Phil Robertson is an experienced human rights campaigner who has spent over 30 years living in Thailand. He is the director of the Asia Human Rights Labor Advocates and for 15 years was the Asia deputy director for the Human Rights Watch. He is also a board member and serves on the programs committee for the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand This interview discusses Phil’s work in human rights, his time in Thailand, what is classed as human rights, and what issues continue in the Southeast region today. Host: Tommy Walker Editor: Julian Hadden Music: Jonathan Head Subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch this episode: https://m.youtube.com/@fcctevents/podcasts Listen on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dateline-bangkok-podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dateline-bangkok/id1787768088 For those of you in Bangkok, feel free to visit the FCCT for future events. If you would like to become a regular at the club, you can apply for club membership. https://www.fccthai.com 00:00 Dateline Bangkok Introduction 00:25 Tommy Introduces Phil 00:50 Phil early days in Thailand 02:05 From Massachusetts to Asia 03:40 Falling in love with Thailand 04:15 Arriving in the 90’s 05:50 North in Phayao 06:39 The refugee camps 08:18 What is human rights? 10:00 Rights in Asia 12:12 Non discrimination 13:00 Human rights from WW2 13:30 Challenges in the region 14:37 Malaysia 1MB scandal 16:51 LGBTQ in the region 18:41 Up and down Thailand 19:35 Thai PM Paetongtarn 19:55 Migrant workers 20:54 Enforced disappearances 21:35 Media freedom 22:28 Human Rights Watch (HRW) 25:33 Myanmar 28:13 International media coverage 29:22 Transnational repression 32:09 Sports washing worldwide 35:13 Misunderstanding human rights 36:37 Outro

    37 min
  4. Thinzar Shunlei Yi | Advocating for Myanmar

    17/02/2025

    Thinzar Shunlei Yi | Advocating for Myanmar

    “We are halfway to VICTORY” - Thinzar Shunlei Yi For this weeks episode of the Dateline Bangkok podcast, Tommy Walker speaks with Thinzar Shunlei Yi. Thinzar Shunlei Yi is a prominent pro-democracy activist from Myanmar, leading rallies, protests and advocating for freedoms and rights in Myanmar, and more notably against the military coup of 2021. This interview discusses Shunlei’s work as an activist, Myanmar’s military coup and subsequent mass protests, hopes for the future of the country and her reaction to proposed elections by the military administration. Shunlei talks about how she got into activism, her fight for freedoms in Myanmar, and what life is like on the run after being wanted by the military. Host: Tommy Walker Editor: Julian Hadden Music: Jonathan Head Subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch this episode: https://m.youtube.com/@fcctevents/podcasts Listen on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dateline-bangkok-podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dateline-bangkok/id1787768088 For those of you in Bangkok, feel free to visit the FCCT for future events. If you would like to become a regular at the club, you can apply for club membership. https://www.fccthai.com 00:00 Podcast Introduction 00:25 Tommy Introduces Thinzar Shunlei Yi 00:50 About Thinzar Shunlei Yi 02:30 Activism begins in 2012 03:25 Representation today 05:30 Before the military coup 2021 06:55 Protesting against the coup 09:45 Demands during rallies 11:38 Resistance expanding 12:15 Wanted by the military 13:20 Legal troubles, believing in human rights 15:13 Half way through to victory 17:44 Fighting against military mindset 18:35 Realism for future 22:03 Reform the military, ethnic states 23:10 China influence 24:46 Resistance anti-military 26:51 National Unity Government (NUG) 29:00 Compromise to end the war? 32:46 Elections are old game 35:00 A fools election 36:30 Demands and fighting for 37:21 More resistance in 2025 38:20 Outro

    39 min
  5. Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn | Thailand Marriage Equality Law

    04/01/2025

    Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn | Thailand Marriage Equality Law

    “Thailand’s marriage equality law is MONUMENTAL” For this weeks episode of the Dateline Bangkok podcast, Tommy Walker speaks with Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn. This interview will discuss Mookdapa’s work as an activist, Thailand’s marriage equality bill and the LGBTQ+ community. Mookdapa talks about how she got into activism for gender rights, including her studies in London, her work at Fortify Rights and her participation in Thailand’s 2020 protests. Moondapa also explains the importance of Thailand’s soon-to-be passed marriage equality law, why it matters, and what other gender related issues she continues to advocate for. Host: Tommy Walker Editor: Julian Hadden Music: Jonathan Head Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9QjicVTxL3c?si=VgLsYms3-ak5S_wO Listen on Spotify: Dateline Bangkok Podcast https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dateline-bangkok-podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts: Dateline Bangkok https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dateline-bangkok/id1787768088 Please subscribe to our channels for notifications on future episodes. https://m.youtube.com/@fcctevents/podcasts For those of you in Bangkok, feel free to visit the FCCT for future events. If you would like to become a regular at the club, you can apply for club membership. https://www.fccthai.com Episode timestamps: 00:00 Podcast introduction 00:25 Introduces Mookdapa 01:00 About Mookdapa 02:40 Thailand 2020 05:21 LGBTQ protests 07:20 Joining Fortify Rights 08:39 Gender studies UCL 10:14 U.K. or Thailand for LGBTQ 11:27 A decade of advocacy 14:28 What is marriage equality? 16:03 When will it happen? 17:31 Continuing advocacy 18:30 First in Southeast Asia 19:54 Other benefits 20:56 Thailand promoting LGBTQ 21:42 Political win 23:55 PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra 25:30 Gender recognition bill 27:27 Thai youth goals 31:35 Life or death 32:58 Weddings, implementation 33:57 Outro

    34 min
  6. Dateline Bangkok | Podcast Introduction

    28/12/2024

    Dateline Bangkok | Podcast Introduction

    Welcome to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand Dateline Bangkok podcast. We’re launching this podcast because we believe there is growing international interest in what’s happening in Southeast Asia. We want to dive deeper into important news throughout the region and we’ll do that by speaking with key experts and voices. Remember, there is always more to the story that meets the eye. We want to focus on the context and learn something new, but more importantly, we hope you do, too. Host: Tommy Walker Editor: Julian Hadden Music: Jonathan Head Watch this podcast & subscribe on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@fcctevents/podcasts Listen on Spotify: Dateline Bangkok Podcast https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dateline-bangkok-podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts: Dateline Bangkok https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dateline-bangkok/id1787768088 For those of you in Bangkok, feel free to visit the FCCT for future events. If you would like to become a regular at the club, you can apply for club membership. https://www.fccthai.com

    1 min
  7. Mr Naruchai Ninnad | Destination Thailand Visa DTV

    28/12/2024

    Mr Naruchai Ninnad | Destination Thailand Visa DTV

    “This visa is not just for digital nomads.” For this weeks episode of the Dateline Bangkok podcast, Tommy Walker speaks with Mr. Naruchai Ninnad, deputy director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This interview will discuss Thailand’s current visa system, with a specific focus on the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV). Mr Naruchai talks about how Thailand’s three visa phases, why the DTV has been introduced, the number of successful applicants and some of the reasons some applicants have been rejected. Mr Naruchai also answers some of the FAQ’s about the DTV visa, freelancers, digital nomads, soft power, eligibility and costs. Host: Tommy Walker Editor: Julian Hadden Music: Jonathan Head Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/goyZSHfJlc0?si=dmpPGU5OBHTmW2qt Listen on Spotify: Dateline Bangkok Podcast https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dateline-bangkok-podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts: Dateline Bangkok https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dateline-bangkok/id1787768088 Please subscribe to our channels for notifications on future episodes. https://m.youtube.com/@fcctevents/podcasts For those of you in Bangkok, feel free to visit the FCCT for future events. If you would like to become a regular at the club, you can apply for club membership. https://www.fccthai.com Episode timestamps: 00:00 Podcast Introduction 00:25 Tommy Introduces Naruchai 00:39 About Naruchai MOFA role 03:11 Thailand visa system 03:46 Cabinet approves, 3 visas phases 05:30 Visa on arrival, education visa, 07:27 Destination Thailand Visa purpose 08:20 To promote Thai soft power 09:04 Spouses, dependents DTV holders 09:21 Five years visa for soft power? 10:36 Validity of visa, validity of stay 12:59 Extending stay on DTV 13:37 Additional documents to extend 14:45 Financial proof for extension 16:35 Re-entering on DTV 17:45 DTV extension limit 18:30 Freelance journalists 20:55 YouTubers, social media influencers 21:53 Number of DTV applicants 23:26 Top 5 countries DTV applicants 24:00 DTV target for 2025 25:12 Is the DTV easier? 27:39 Why DTV visas are being rejected 28:50 Can the DTV be for applied in Thailand? 30:21 Banks, rights, tax 33:24 DTV versus LTR, retirement visa 36:04 Fees for DTV 36:49 Is the DTV a long-term visa? 37:38 DTV updates 39:16 Naruchai Ninnad final points 39:34 Credits

    40 min
  8. Chawadee Nualkhair | Thai Food & Cuisine

    28/12/2024

    Chawadee Nualkhair | Thai Food & Cuisine

    “Thai food has always diversified.” For the first episode of the Dateline Bangkok podcast, Tommy Walker speaks with Bangkok-based food writer and author, Chawadee Nualkhair. In a wide ranging interview about food in Thailand, Chawadee talks about how she got into being a food writer, misconceptions of the job, her new book and her time on a popular Netflix documentary series. She also discusses how Thailand food is defined and represented both in the country and worldwide, her tips on cooking pad thai, her favourite dishes and how food adds to Thailand’s soft power. Host: Tommy Walker Editor: Julian Hadden Music: Jonathan Head Watch this episode on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9QjicVTxL3c Listen on Spotify: Dateline Bangkok Podcast https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dateline-bangkok-podcast Listen on Apple Podcasts: Dateline Bangkok https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dateline-bangkok/id1787768088 Please subscribe to our channels for notifications on future episodes. https://m.youtube.com/@fcctevents/podcasts For those of you in Bangkok, feel free to visit the FCCT for future events. If you would like to become a regular at the club, you can apply for club membership. https://www.fccthai.com Episode timestamps: 00:00 Podcast Introduction 00:25 Tommy Introduces Chawadee 00:40 Last meet up, Hainanese Chicken 02:50 How did Chawadee become a food writer? 05:40 Food writing in early 2000’s 06:54 Thailand food, Chawadee’s book 10:42 Eating Thai food in Africa, overseas 12:11 Value of Thai food 14:15 Thailand cuisine soft power 16:56 Pad Thai 18:05 Cleaning up street vendors 22:58 Is Thailand in the middle of a shift to Singapore styled eating? 24:09 Netflix, Jay Fai’s 27:24 Favourite Thai dishes 28:20 Quick-fire questions 30:29 Mango sticky rice 31:57 Spicy dishes 33:20 Tommy’s first meal in Thailand 35:04 Spicy food makes you high? 36:14 Southeast Asia cuisines 37:50 Outro

    38 min
  • 8 Episodes

About

Welcome to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand Dateline Bangkok podcast. We’re launching this podcast because we believe there is growing international interest in what’s happening in Southeast Asia. We want to dive deeper into important news throughout the region and we’ll do that by speaking with key experts and voices. Remember, there is always more to the story that meets the eye. We want to focus on the context and learn something new, but more importantly, we hope you do, too.

Information

  • Creator
    Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    8
  • Copyright
    © Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand