censorship – Tom Vater

‘The red line is shifting’: Environmental journalists in Asia feel the squeeze on freedom to speak truth to power, in Eco-Business

July 26, 2023August 29, 2023tom

For some, environmental issues had felt like safe reporting territory a few years ago, but that is no longer the case. Journalists from India to Thailand share the constraints they face when reporting on powerful governments and corporations. Thailand Tom Vater is a freelance journalist and author based in Bangkok. He has written for Nikkei Asia, […]

A Thai pop star uses her music to critique her homeland, in The Economist Podcast

August 31, 2022August 31, 2022tom

Known for her “dystopian pop”, Pyra has been driven out by Thailand’s conservatism The video is captioned “UGLY TRUTH ABOUT THAILAND”. Peeralada Sukawat—better known by her stage name, Pyra—looks into the camera and rolls her eyes. “Bangkok babies in Mercedes,” she raps over looping drums and a synth beat. “Rich gets richer, poor gets poorer,/Inequality’s […]

A Thai pop star uses her music to critique her homeland, in The Economist

August 1, 2022August 1, 2022tom

With writer Marco Ferrese in Penang, Malaysia

January 4, 2016September 6, 2016tomLeave a Comment

One of the great boons of being a writer is hanging out with other writers. Here I am celebrating the dying hours of 2015 with my friend, writer Marco Ferrarese who is currently in the very enviable position of having had his bestselling debut novel NAZI GORENG banned in the country he dissects so effectively, […]

Writing About India

May 15, 2012May 16, 2012tomLeave a Comment

Many Asian governments don’t like their citizen to discuss their country’s history, culture, politics or current affairs. Severe restrictions, both in the form of laws as well as unwritten rules, suppress civil society entering into a dialogue with itself. Powerful elites introduce taboos of expression that one may cross only at one’s peril. In China, […]