Former KT reporter passes away in UAE
ajman — Senior Indian awardwinning journalist and former Khaleej Times reporter VM Sathish (54) passed away at Al Khalifa Hospital in Ajman late last night. Sathish, who was visiting the UAE, suffered a heart attack and was admitted to a hospital in Sharjah on Wednesday.
Close aides of the journalist stated that he had undergone a surgery and was reportedly normal when he suffered a second stroke that claimed his life. His body was moved to a morgue and was repatriated to his hometown in Kottayam, Kerala.
After leaving Khaleej Times, he launched a digital portal called Expat News and Digital Malayalee, where he reported on issues that concerned the Indian community in the UAE and the Gulf. A graduate in International Studies at Pondicherry University, Sathish has worked for several leading news publications in the region including, Emirates 24/7, Oman Observer, Emirates Today, Asianet Middle East, and many more. His last story in Khaleej Times was about a visually impaired Indian tourist who made her first overseas flight trip to visit the city.
Sathish authored the book Distressing Encounters, where he wrote about various issues expatriates and the workers’ community faced. Sathish was also a media fellow of Ethical Journalism Network and International Labour Organisation’s project on labour migration. The journalism fellowship programme’s objective is to contribute to fair and balanced reporting of labour migration in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and the UAE. He is survived by his wife Maya, and children Shruthi and Ashok.