BANGKOK – Thailand – The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand expresses its deepest condolences to the family, colleagues and many friends of Gwen Robinson, the FCCT’s current past president and Nikkei Asia editor at large, who has died peacefully at Chulalongkorn Hospital after a long and courageous battle with cancer that she rarely mentioned.
Her premature passing has prompted an outpouring of grief and disbelief from around the world. “Gwen was an insightful reporter, commentator and editor, and a journalist steeped in Asia from her family background through her academic training to her long and varied career,” said Andrew Gower, her editor at the Financial Times over 20 years ago. “She was also enormous fun to be with, as anyone who worked with her in the field can attest. Her voice and her zest for life and the region will be widely missed.”
“Gwen’s energy and commitment to journalism set an impossibly high bar for many of us,” said Michael Vatikiotis, a former editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review and former FCCT president. “She was a tireless and effective networker; she was generous to a fault and she stayed the course when others grew bored. Beneath her steely and sometimes truculent exterior lurked a kind and gentle soul with a huge heart and a soft spot for the underdog. At Nikkei, Gwen helped many of us get published in an increasingly sparse and frugal news environment. She was a strict editor with strong views of her own — but that’s what good writers need. Gwen’s devotion to the FCCT, carrying us all through the pandemic with flair and skill, will long be remembered.”
“Gwen touched many people with her generosity and her deep passion to cultivate friendships,” said Marwaan Macan-Markar, another former FCCT president and a Nikkei Asia colleague. “Myanmar had a special place in her heart. I have lost a colleague whose quality of journalism was stellar and who easily earned a place as a Bangkok legend.”
The FCCT will publish a fuller obituary early next week.
Funeral arrangements:
Wat Hua Lampong, Bangkok (MRT Samyan station)
Pavilion No.17 (open 5 to 8pm)
Tuesday, April 1, Buddhist chanting 6.30 to 7pm
Wednesday, April 2, Buddhist chanting 6.30 to 7pm
Thursday, April 3, Cremation 5pm – Recommended arrival at least 30 minutes ahead
Friday, April 4, Wake, FCCT Clubhouse, 6.30pm
