CPAmedia News - May 2003

Photography and Research

Dr Ronald D. Renard has recently returned from a month's visit to the Wa-controlled region of Burma's Shan State, as well as to the neighbouring Kokang Region. These are amongst the most remote, dangerous and least-visited areas of Southeast Asia - indeed of the world - and we are very pleased indeed to have access to a photo shoot from this wild region along the Burma-China frontier. Dr Renard is currently writing reports on his findings for the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) and for the Joint Wa-Kokang Humanitarian Needs Assessment Mission.

Ron Emmons has just completed a third and final trip to update Rough Guide Vietnam. During the trip he researched and photographed throughout central Vietnam especially in the Da Nang-Nha Trang-Dalat region.

Jim Goodman is currently shooting in China's south-western Yunnan Province.

Stuart Munro-Hay is currently en route to Tunisia where he will be updating AA Essential Tunisia and researching an entirely new AA Spiral Guide Tunisia. He will be accompanied by the photographer Pamela Taor.

Joe Cummings has recently visited the Lao capital Vientiane.

Updating and New Books

CPAmedia completed updates of Insight Guide Laos and Cambodia and Insight Compact Guide Maui in March 2003 and January 2003, as well as a major update of AA / Fodor Exploring China. During the same period we also completed the 2004 update of Thomas Cook's Independent Traveller's Guide to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

New projects underway include updates of Berlitz Thailand Guide, AA / Fodor Exploring Thailand, AA Essential Tunisia, AA Essential Cuba and Thomas Cook's Travellers Singapore & Malaysia.

Peter Holmshaw is currently completing a volume on the Ramakien in Thailand for Pacific Rim Press together with CPA's Doug Gordon Morton. Joe Cummings and Jerry Alexander are similarly working on a study of Muay Thai or Thai kick-boxing for the same "Golden Souvenir" series, while Jerry is finishing a volume on Thai Elephants, also for Pacific Rim Press.

Other News

Bertil Lintner of the Far Eastern Economic Review and Wall Street Journal (as well as CPAmedia) will be visiting Korea and the Russian Far Eastern Provinces (Khabarovsk and Vladivostok) during May 2004.