Richard Lloyd Parry
Encyclopedia
Richard Lloyd Parry is an award-winning British foreign correspondent. He is the Asia Editor of The Times
(London), based in Tokyo
, and is the author of the non-fiction books In the Time of Madness and People Who Eat Darkness The Fate of Lucie Blackman.
, Merseyside
in 1969, and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby
and Oxford University. His interest in the Far East was sparked by a trip to Japan in 1986 that was awarded to him as a prize whilst appearing on the UK TV quiz show Blockbusters.
correspondent of the British newspaper The Independent
and began reporting from other countries in Asia
. In 1998 he covered the fall of President Suharto in Indonesia
, and the violence which followed the independence referendum in East Timor
. In 2002, he moved to The Times. Altogether he has worked in twenty-seven countries, including Afghanistan
, Iraq
, North Korea
, Papua New Guinea
, Vietnam
, Kosovo
and Macedonia
.
While covering the aftermath of the invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001, he recovered a pair of Osama bin-Laden's underpants from a residential compound near the city of Jalalabad
. The following month he was one of a small group of reporters to travel to the village of Kama Ado, south of Jalalabad, which had been destroyed, along with its inhabitants, by a US Air Force
attack - despite claims by the Pentagon that "nothing happened". His report was the inspiration for a song by the American singer-songwriter David Rovics
.
In April 2003, he was the first to report that the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch
, the US soldier reportedly rescued during the war against Saddam Hussein
in Iraq, was not the heroic story told by the US military, but a staged operation that alarmed patients and the doctors who had struggled to save her life.
In November 2009, he was accused by a group of Thai politicians of the crime of lèse-majesté
, or insulting the monarchy, over an interview which he conducted with the deposed prime minister of Thailand
, Thaksin Shinawatra
.
In September 2010, he and Davd McNeill of The Independent were briefly arrested in North Korea, after discovering a secret street market in the capital Pyongyang
The incident inspired a controversy on the website NKNews. Lloyd Parry defended McNeill and himself from accusations that they misrepresented the situation in North Korea and put their local guides at risk of punishment.
In 2005, he was named Foreign Correspondent of the Year in the UK's What The Papers Say
Awards for his coverage of the Indian ocean
tsunami
and his interview with Tsutomu Yamaguchi
, survivor of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki
on independence in East Timor, he was one of a small group of journalists who took sanctuary in the United Nations
compound in Dili
as it was surrounded by murderous pro-Indonesia militiamen.
The book describes how Lloyd Parry's early confidence quickly turned to fear, and his guilt and shame after escaping from East Timor on an Australian evacuation flight. "I imagined that these experiences had imparted something to my character, an invisible shell which would stand me in good stead", he wrote. "But then I went to East Timor, where I discovered that such experience is never externalised, only absorbed, and that it builds up inside one, like a toxin. In East Timor, I became afraid, and couldn’t control my fear. I ran away, and afterwards I was ashamed."
In the Time of Madness was shortlisted for a Dolman Best Travel Book Award
in 2006.
People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman was published in February 2011. It tells the story of a young British woman who was killed and dismembered in Japan in 2000; of Joji Obara
, the man accused of killing her, the controversial involvement of her family in the effort to find her, and the ten-year long trial which followed. During Lloyd Parry's lengthy reporting of the case, Obara unsuccessfully sued him for libel in a Tokyo court. Although it was impossible to make a direct link to Obara, Lloyd Parry also received a mysterious package containing covertly taken surveillance photographs of him, and a document encouraging members of Japan's ultra-nationalist right wing to "deal with" him for his reporting of the Japanese imperial family.
Before publication, People Who Eat Darkness received praise from novelists such as Chris Cleave
, Mo Hayder
, Julie Myerson
, David Peace
and Minette Walters
. It was described by Blake Morrison
in The Guardian as "a compelling book, 10 years in the making, rich in intelligence and insight." In the Daily Mail
, Bel Mooney
called it "an extraordinary book which stands as far above the ‘true crime
’ label as 'Paradise Lost
' does above the category 'verse'."
In April 2011, People Who Eat Darkness was placed on the longlist for the Samuel Johnson Prize
for non-fiction.
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(London), based in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and is the author of the non-fiction books In the Time of Madness and People Who Eat Darkness The Fate of Lucie Blackman.
Early life
He was born in SouthportSouthport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
in 1969, and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby
Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby
Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby is a British independent school for day pupils, located in Great Crosby on Merseyside....
and Oxford University. His interest in the Far East was sparked by a trip to Japan in 1986 that was awarded to him as a prize whilst appearing on the UK TV quiz show Blockbusters.
Career in journalism
In 1995, he became TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
correspondent of the British newspaper The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
and began reporting from other countries in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. In 1998 he covered the fall of President Suharto in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and the violence which followed the independence referendum in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. In 2002, he moved to The Times. Altogether he has worked in twenty-seven countries, including Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
While covering the aftermath of the invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001, he recovered a pair of Osama bin-Laden's underpants from a residential compound near the city of Jalalabad
Jalalabad
Jalalabad , formerly called Adinapour, as documented by the 7th century Hsüan-tsang, is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul River and Kunar River near the Laghman valley, Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. It is linked by approximately of highway with...
. The following month he was one of a small group of reporters to travel to the village of Kama Ado, south of Jalalabad, which had been destroyed, along with its inhabitants, by a US Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
attack - despite claims by the Pentagon that "nothing happened". His report was the inspiration for a song by the American singer-songwriter David Rovics
David Rovics
David Rovics is an American indie singer/songwriter. His music concerns topical subjects such as the 2003 Iraq war, anti-globalization and social justice issues. Rovics has been an outspoken critic of former President George W...
.
In April 2003, he was the first to report that the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch
Jessica Lynch
Jessica Dawn Lynch is a former Private First Class in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. Lynch served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion by U.S. and allied forces. On March 23, 2003 she was injured and captured by Iraqi forces but was recovered on April 1 by U.S...
, the US soldier reportedly rescued during the war against Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
in Iraq, was not the heroic story told by the US military, but a staged operation that alarmed patients and the doctors who had struggled to save her life.
In November 2009, he was accused by a group of Thai politicians of the crime of lèse-majesté
Lèse majesté
Lese-majesty is the crime of violating majesty, an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state.This behavior was first classified as a criminal offence against the dignity of the Roman republic in Ancient Rome...
, or insulting the monarchy, over an interview which he conducted with the deposed prime minister of Thailand
Prime Minister of Thailand
The Prime Minister of Thailand is the head of government of Thailand. The Prime Minister is also the chairman of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Revolution of 1932, when the country became a constitutional monarchy....
, Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
.
In September 2010, he and Davd McNeill of The Independent were briefly arrested in North Korea, after discovering a secret street market in the capital Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
The incident inspired a controversy on the website NKNews. Lloyd Parry defended McNeill and himself from accusations that they misrepresented the situation in North Korea and put their local guides at risk of punishment.
In 2005, he was named Foreign Correspondent of the Year in the UK's What The Papers Say
What the Papers Say
What The Papers Say is a BBC radio programme that originally ran for many years on British television.Its first incarnation was the second longest-running programme on British television after Panorama...
Awards for his coverage of the Indian ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
and his interview with Tsutomu Yamaguchi
Tsutomu Yamaguchi
, was a Japanese national who survived both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings during World War II. Although at least 160 people are known to have been affected by both bombings, he is the only person to have been officially recognized by the government of Japan as surviving both...
, survivor of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
Books
In the Time of Madness was published in 2005. As well as presenting an eye witness account of the events leading up to and following the end of the Suharto regime, it also dramatised the personal crisis of a young reporter facing the perils and excitements of death and violence. Lloyd Parry began visiting Indonesia in the late 1990s, and witnessed much of the violence that preceded and followed the fall of Suharto, including headhunting and cannibalism on the island of Borneo. In September 1999 when he was covering the referendumEast Timor Special Autonomy Referendum
The East Timorese independence referendum was a referendum which was held throughout East Timor on 30 August 1999. The referendum's origins lay with the request made by the President of Indonesia, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, to the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 27 January 1999, for...
on independence in East Timor, he was one of a small group of journalists who took sanctuary in the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
compound in Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
as it was surrounded by murderous pro-Indonesia militiamen.
The book describes how Lloyd Parry's early confidence quickly turned to fear, and his guilt and shame after escaping from East Timor on an Australian evacuation flight. "I imagined that these experiences had imparted something to my character, an invisible shell which would stand me in good stead", he wrote. "But then I went to East Timor, where I discovered that such experience is never externalised, only absorbed, and that it builds up inside one, like a toxin. In East Timor, I became afraid, and couldn’t control my fear. I ran away, and afterwards I was ashamed."
In the Time of Madness was shortlisted for a Dolman Best Travel Book Award
Dolman Best Travel Book Award
The Dolman Best Travel Book Award is one of the two principal annual travel book awards in Britain, and the only one that is open to all writers...
in 2006.
People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman was published in February 2011. It tells the story of a young British woman who was killed and dismembered in Japan in 2000; of Joji Obara
Joji Obara
is a convicted rapist who was accused of the rape and subsequent deaths of two women, British hostess Lucie Blackman in the summer of 2000 and Australian Carita Ridgway in 1992, and the rapes of six other women.-Background:...
, the man accused of killing her, the controversial involvement of her family in the effort to find her, and the ten-year long trial which followed. During Lloyd Parry's lengthy reporting of the case, Obara unsuccessfully sued him for libel in a Tokyo court. Although it was impossible to make a direct link to Obara, Lloyd Parry also received a mysterious package containing covertly taken surveillance photographs of him, and a document encouraging members of Japan's ultra-nationalist right wing to "deal with" him for his reporting of the Japanese imperial family.
Before publication, People Who Eat Darkness received praise from novelists such as Chris Cleave
Chris Cleave
-Biography:Cleave was born in London in 1973, brought up in Cameroon and Buckinghamshire, and educated at Balliol College, Oxford where he studied Psychology. He lives in the United Kingdom with his wife and three children.-Writing:...
, Mo Hayder
Mo Hayder
Mo Hayder is a British author of crime and thriller fiction.She is the author of eight novels. Her debut, Birdman, was published in January 2000 and was an international bestseller. Her second novel, The Treatment, was a Sunday Times bestseller and won the 2002 WH Smith Thumping Good Read award....
, Julie Myerson
Julie Myerson
Julie Myerson is an English author and critic. As well as writing both fiction and non-fiction books, she is also known for having written a long-running column in The Guardian entitled "Living with Teenagers" based on her own family experiences...
, David Peace
David Peace
David Peace is an English author. Known for his novels GB84, The Damned Utd, and Red Riding Quartet, Peace was named one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta in their 2003 list...
and Minette Walters
Minette Walters
Minette Walters is an English crime writer.- Life and work :After her birth in Bishop’s Stortford to a serving army officer, Capt Samuel Jebb and his wife Colleen, the first 10 years of Minette’s life were spent moving between army bases in the north and south of England...
. It was described by Blake Morrison
Blake Morrison
Philip Blake Morrison is a British poet and author who has published in a wide range of fiction and non-fiction genres. His greatest success came with the publication of his memoirs And When Did You Last See Your Father? which won the J. R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography. He has also written a...
in The Guardian as "a compelling book, 10 years in the making, rich in intelligence and insight." In the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Bel Mooney
Bel Mooney
Bel Mooney is an English journalist and broadcaster born in Liverpool.-Early life:She was born in Broadgreen Hospital to Gladys Norbury and Edward Mooney. She initially grew up in Liverpool on a council estate called The Green on Queen's Drive...
called it "an extraordinary book which stands as far above the ‘true crime
True crime
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
’ label as 'Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
' does above the category 'verse'."
In April 2011, People Who Eat Darkness was placed on the longlist for the Samuel Johnson Prize
Samuel Johnson Prize
The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is one of the most prestigious prizes for non-fiction writing. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award and based on an anonymous donation. The prize is named after Samuel Johnson...
for non-fiction.