The OPCC Mourns the Passing of Gwen Akiko Robinson
The OPCC was deeply saddened to learn that veteran journalist Gwen Akiko Robinson passed away in Bangkok on Saturday, March 29, 2025. The OPCC would like to express our deepest condolences to her family and friends.
Gwen’s battle with cancer sadly concluded last week, leaving many across Southeast Asia heartbroken. She reported from the region as a freelancer through the 1980s and then for the Financial Times between 1995 and 2013 covering Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam while largely based in Bangkok. Gwen’s various roles at the Financial Times saw her posted to Washington D.C., London, Tokyo and Jakarta, but she invariably found her way back to Bangkok where she most recently reported for Nikkei Asia as editor-at-large..
A former president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT), Gwen’s passion for the region extended far beyond Bangkok and she devoted much of her time, energy and resources into supporting journalism – and journalists – across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia.
Following the 2021 coup in Myanmar, Gwen was among the first to reach out to the OPCC with a donation drive for independent journalists in Myanmar, many of whom continued to report on the situation, even as junta aggression towards the media made doing so a deadly task. Gwen’s kindness of heart will not be forgotten in Cambodia, where she also helped to rally support for journalists affected by the ongoing crackdown against the independent press.
Many OPCC members will recall Gwen’s last visit to meet journalists in Cambodia in September 2024, where she further sought to understand the harsh realities of reporting on Cambodia and the risks that journalists are taking to get stories out in an increasingly hostile environment.
Weaving together an extensive knowledge of the region with a deep level of compassion for those who call it home, Gwen had a unique ability to unite disparate pockets of independent journalists across Southeast Asia. Doubtless, across the region she will be sorely missed.
She has set a tremendously high bar for the region’s foreign correspondents and her tireless dedication to journalism has proven an inspiration to many.
A wake will be held for Gwen at the FCCT clubhouse in Bangkok from 6.30 p.m. on Friday, April 4, 2025.
