Dan White, well-known Bangkok-based British journalist. has died in Thailand at the age of only 47. He collapsed at a friend’s home last earlier in the week and was rushed to a local medical facility, Samitivej Hospital, but he died yesterday morning. White apparently suffered a brain haemorrhage and did not regain consciousness. White had lived in Thailand for more than 10 years.
Dan White was known throughout the local expat community as a writer who often produced articles about subjects you would never see anywhere else. He was an avid motorcyclist, so much of what he saw on his travels around Asia was from the back of a bike. When you travel that way, you end up more involved in the communities you are writing about as well as more connected to the people you meet along the way.
One of the first times I came across Dan White’s work was when I picked up his beautiful book “Buddhist Temples of Thailand” (and please, do check out the link, his photographs are gorgeous). It’s an absolutely stunning book put together by White after traveling more than 12,000 kilometers around Thailand on his bike visiting 40 of the country’s most important Buddhist temples.
His articles include work on militias in Indonesia, what it’s like to travel on Route 13 from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang in Laos and a fascinating article about Buddhist child-monks.
Dan White’s untimely death is extremely sad. He will be missed by many.
