New Zealand-born John McBeth, one of Asia's preeminent journalists with a record of scrupulous and ground-breaking reporting, has died after a short illness in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was 79.
McBeth: An 'old school' reporter
He is survived by his wife, Yuli Ismartono, a prominent Indonesian journalist.
Over a career spanning more than 62 years McBeth's reporting helped shape events in countries including South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. McBeth was a blunt-speaking "old school" reporter and author whose writings pulled no punches and influenced many of the region's policy-makers over decades.
He took pride in being an Asian "lifer", often chiding many of his colleagues who came to the region for a few years but never stayed. After spending time in Jakarta and Singapore, McBeth settled for many years in Thailand, where he worked for publications including the Bangkok Post, Agence France-Presse, United Press International, London's Daily Telegraph and the Hong Kong-based Asiaweek.
He was one of the first Western journalists to uncover the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror in Cambodia, often arriving at the border to interview survivors after a long and arduous overnight bus journey from Bangkok. His early reporting of the Khmer Rouge's purges was initially met with incredulity by many other correspondents. He revealed how Cambodian refugees, unable to cross into Thailand, were forced back into the Khmer Rouge's minefields.
McBeth's early reports from Thailand focused on the Indochinese refugee crisis and the Vietnam War, writing with passion about the plight of refugees and war victims. He wrote about Thai pirates who raped and murdered Vietnamese boat people.
He covered five coups including the aborted one that killed his close friend, Australian cameraman Neil Davis in 1985. McBeth was a larger-than-life member of Bangkok's hard-living and working international press corps, loving Thailand and its people.
"John has been both a close professional colleague and a good personal friend for a large part of my working life," recalled Paisal Sricharatchanya, former Editor of the Bangkok Post (1989-1994).
"We started out at the Bangkok Post in the early 1970s -- him as a sub-editor and I as a reporter. Later, we went our different ways in pursuit of new challenges and opportunities."