media – 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, […]

Dirty Pictures, Secret Wars & Human Beasts – Coming soon: The Monsoon Ghost Image

October 22, 2018October 22, 2018tomLeave a Comment

Detective Maier Is Back Soon To Investigate The Politics Of Murder The third Detective Maier mystery is a taut and crazy spy thriller for our disturbing times. When award-winning German conflict photographer Martin Ritter disappears in a boating accident in Thailand, the nation mourns the loss of a cultural icon. But a few weeks later, […]

North Korea or Putting Up Mirrors In The City Of The Blind

April 28, 2018April 28, 2018tomLeave a Comment

So now that the media is gushing over the fact that there are human beings living in North Korea, does this mean that the reclusive terror state we can hardly point to on a map will soon be another impoverished capitalist nation selling kimchi flavored coca cola toxins to its liberated citizens, producing nothing […]

Burma’s election fever grips Yangon and its foreign observers

November 10, 2015November 12, 2015tomLeave a Comment

I feel incredibly humbled to have witnessed the first semi fair and almost free election in Burma in decades. I was at the NLD’s headquarters tonight where an exuberant and chaotic party atmosphere prevailed throughout. But as one Burmese told me, ‘the military are like chess players and they are planning their next move.’ That […]