Tom Vater is a writer working in South and South East Asia.

Tom Vater first visited Asia in 1993. His first destination, India, proved to be a life-changing experience. At the time, Tom was documenting the music of India’s indigenous minorities for the British Library’s International Music Collection. This project continues and has resulted in the collection of hundreds of hours of musical traditions, many of which are slowly fading away in the face of globalization. Because of the unique contact Tom had with many indigenous communities, he began to write about minorities in South Asia.
His first publication (barring a virtually forgotten past as editor of student magazines and music critic for a German daily) was a full page spread on Nepali folk music in Nepal's biggest English language paper in 1997. Since then, he has never looked back.

Tom Vater's feature articles are syndicated by Planet Syndication (planetsyndication.com), the UK's largest feature agency.

Tom Vater's work has appeared in a wide variety of publications - from well-known dailies to specialist magazines - including The South China Morning Post, The Far Eastern Economic Review, The International Herald Tribune, The Irish Independent, The Sunday World, Marie Claire, Penthouse, FHM, Maxim, Courier International, Fortean Times, Bizarre Magazine, folk roots, Emirates Inflight, Asia & Away and many others.

He is a regular contributor to Lifestyle + Travel, in Thailand and the South Eastern Globe in Cambodia.

Since 1999 Tom has been a regular contributor for travel guide publishers Rough Guides (UK) and Reise-Know-How (Germany).

Since 2006, he is the co-author of the Reise Know How (Germany) titles Thailand and South Thailand and the photobooks Panorama Bildband Thailands Bergvölker und Seenomaden and Rajasthans Palasthotels.

Besides books related to travel, Tom specialises in writing travel features and investigating cultural, social, environmental and political trends and oddities; stories that take the reader on unfamiliar and sometimes challenging journeys across South Asia - from the tea gardens of India to the jungles of Laos and the remote rivers of Cambodia. Since 2001, encounters with some of the region's true public eccentrics - people like serial killer Charles Sobhraj, India’s most powerful Sadhu holy man Sri Andeshwanand Giri, Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy and Bangkok gubernatorial candidate Chuwit Kamolvisit – have been fertile ground for his articles, which have been published in magazines and newspapers around the world.

Much of the year, Tom is on the road, gathering material, researching stories, fulfilling assignments. His travels have led him (on foot) across the Himalayas, given him the opportunity to dive with hundreds of sharks in the Philippines and left him stranded in dozens of train stations, airports and bus terminals around South Asia, Europe and the US. On his journeys, he has joined sea gypsies and nomads, pilgrims and soldiers, pirates and sex workers, hippies, police men and prophets. Everyone put up with him longer than he deserved.

When he's not on the road, chasing a story, Tom writes both non-fiction and fiction books about Asia. His title 'Beyond The Pancake Trench - Road Tales from the Wild East', was published by Orchid Press (HK) in August 2004. A German edition is due out in 2008. Tom's first novel,‘ The Devil's Road To Kathmandu ’ is out now in all good bookshops in Thailand and Hong Kong, published by Dragon's Mouth Press (HK).

A new non-fiction title on Thailand's minorities 'Kukturschock Thailands Bergvölker und Seenomaden' was published by Reise-Know-How in Germany in October 2006.

Tom often works with Thai photographer Aroon Thaewchatturat, whose images have appeared in GEO, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Far Eastern Economic Review, Marie Claire and many other publications.

For a look at Aroon's images, please visit her website www.aroonthaew.com or take a look at her photo agency site www.onasia.com and type ath0* into the search engine.

Tom has also written several screenplays for international documentary co-productions with film maker Marc Eberle.

Their screenplay The Most Secret Place on Earth, the story of the CIA's covert war in Laos, has been made into a feature length documentary, directed by Marc Eberle.

The Most Secret Place on Earth premiered at the Leipzig Documentary Festival in October 2007.

Credits: Many people have helped me along the way.

I am grateful especially to photographers Gerhard Joren and Steve Sandford for advice and company, to editors Cameron Cooper, Daniel Cooper (no relation) and Jim Algie at Untamed Travel (Thailand) as well as Roger Burton and James Hollands at the Horse Hospital (UK) for picking up my first stories.
Chris Frape and the man with no name at Orchid Press (HK) have been stern supporters and realised my first book titles. Thanks to Peter Rump and Rainer Krack at Reise-Know-How (Germany) and Lucy Ridout at Rough Guides (UK).
A big Namaste to Sanjeev Mehta of Mohans Adventure Travel in Hardwar, our travel guide, TV producer, elephant owner and impressario who makes things possible in India.Thanks also to Umesh Jadia in Bhuj and Balbir in Hamipur.
Hats off also to Dr Janet Topp Fargion, curator of The British Library International Music Collection (UK) for years of excellent collaboration.
Oh yeah, and my parents had something to do with it as well. Thanks.

Most of all, my sincere gratitude goes to Aroon Thaewchatturat.