MAY 2005
-
Wednesday, 1st June,2005
HASSAN JANABI INTERVIEW
Daily, it seems, the deadly war being waged in Iraq by insurgents is directed not only at foreigners, but also the locals, including many trying to rebuild the country's vital services. In many cases, this new infrastructure is being sabotaged as quickly as it's restored. Interestingly, Hassan Janabi - an Iraqi Australian - is at the centre of this crisis.
Read more...
Two years ago, Hassan, a water engineer from Sydney, returned to his homeland after 25 years in exile to take on a senior role in rebuilding Iraq's water system. As Hassan began his work, juggling the perils of the job itself, the demands of his American bosses and the needs of the Iraqi people, this program documented his personal mission impossible. Hassan is back home in Australia for a brief respite from all this, and earlier this evening, George Negus chatted with him about his life and work in a country under siege. -
Wednesday, 1st June,2005
INSIDE INDONESIA'S SEX TRADE
With many Australians still reeling from the sentencing of Schapelle Corby, today the Foreign Minister Alexander Downer linked the public anger over the young Australian's conviction to the discovery of a biological agent sent to the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra.
Read more...
As shocked as we might be by these things, there are thousands of young women in Indonesia who are being forced to endure appalling treatment, but without attracting the outrage generated by the Corby case. Occasionally, we do get to hear about the scourge that is human trafficking and sexual slavery. But, seldom do we actually get to see inside that nasty world.
Recently, however, Dateline reporter Olivia Rousset did just that. She went undercover in the brothels on the Indonesian island of Batam. What Olivia came back with was a rare and confronting expose of young teenage girls - children, in fact - lured into a life of prostitution. A warning - Olivia's story does include some pretty distressing scenes, and the frank treatment of sexual matters.
Pt 1:
To help 'Lina' and 'Diana', or other children who have been rescued from brothels in Batam, contact:
[mpraibatam@hotmail.com">PRAI (Friends of the Children of Indonesia)m]
To donate money to organisations who work with trafficked women and children in Indonesia, contact:
ECPAT/Childwise
humantrafficking.org
UNIFEMsingapore -
Wednesday, 25th May,2005
CODE OF THE CAMORRA
For centuries, mafia families and clans have been deeply ingrained in the Italian social fabric accepted as part of 'a l'Italia', the Italian way That said, by the 1980s Italian authorities were eventually forced to confront the mafia and its political backers. But despite early success of the much-vaunted clean hands operation, the mafia wasn't dead, it was just underground. The old clan structure and its hold on local communities through a so-called 'code of honour' survived. Recently though, the mafia has resurfaced with a vengeance. On the streets of Naples, mafia clans now act with a new brutality and an impunity that is quite terrifying. At some personal risk, reporter Nick Lazaredes has been in Naples investigating the resurgence of that city's brand of the mafia, the Camorra.
Read more...
Part 1 -
Wednesday, 25th May,2005
DR SIMA SAMAR INTERVIEW
To say the least, it's been a volatile few weeks in Afghanistan Recent protests over a 'Newsweek' report, later retracted, about the desecration of the Koran led to 16 deaths. Now, there has been the shock revelation published in the 'New York Times' of Abu Ghraib-style torture, abuse and the deaths of Afghan detainees in US-run prisons in the country. It was this troubled scenario that took the Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Washington this week for a meeting with US President George W Bush. But, President Karzai must have come away from his White House meeting very disappointed. Not only did he cop a hefty rap over the knuckles about Afghanistan's rampant opium crop, he couldn't secure the release of Afghans held in Guantanamo Bay nor will he have any more control over US troops in his country than he does now. Dr Sima Samar was deputy prime minister in the interim post-Taliban government in Afghanistan and her country's first-ever woman minister. Currently, Dr Samar heads the Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan and George Negus spoke with her from Kabul.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 18th May,2005
VASU RASIAH INTERVIEW
The arguments are flying as thick and fast as ever in the lead-up to the verdict in the Schapelle Corby "boogie board drug case" in Bali. As a distraught Ms Corby languishes in a Denpasar cell, her lawyers, supporters, legal experts, the Australian Federal Police and in the past 24 hours, the Howard Government, are still arguing the pros and cons as she awaits her fate at the hands of three Indonesian judges next week. In the months since her arrest, Vasu Rasiah - a senior member of the Corby legal team - has consistently accused the Federal Police of a cover-up that has damaged Schapelle Corby's case and placed her at risk of life imprisonment. With the AFP chief Mick Keelty yesterday flatly denying he has jeopardised Ms Corby's defence and the Federal Government passing a letter to the legal team acknowledging alleged drug trafficking by Australian airport baggage handlers, earlier today, George Negus spoke with Vasu Rasiah from Denpasar.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 18th May,2005
ROBERT FISK - THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS
In just over a week, voting will begin in Lebanon's national elections, the culmination of a turbulent couple of months even by that troubled nation's turbulent standards. The Middle East is, of course, a magnet to the world's journalists. But standing above the rest of us has always been the irrepressible, eccentric Englishman Robert Fisk. Nearly 30 years on the ground in one of the world's real hot spots has given Robert a unique 'take' on what happens in the region.
Read more...
Fisk was on the spot back in late March when Lebanon's political hero and millionaire businessman, Rafik Hariri, was brutally assassinated on Beirut's up-market Corniche. Immediately, the Lebanese were out on the streets in unprecedented numbers, not only to lament Hariri's passing, but also to demand the withdrawal of their country's Syrian military and intelligence overlords. Such was the intensity of the reaction that, after a 30-year occupation, the Syrians pulled out and Fisk was there again, but this time he had some company, Dateline reporter Thom Cookes. And a warning, later in this report there are some images from the Sabra and Shatilla massacre that some may find disturbing. -
Wednesday, 18th May,2005
MAJIDA ABBOUD-SAAB AND KEYSAR TRAD INTERVIEW
Today's big story is the report this morning that the Australian Mufti, Sheikh Hilaly, has spoken with one of Douglas Wood's kidnappers who told him that Wood is alive and could be released soon. Understandably, Prime Minister John Howard's reaction was one of cautious optimism saying that in these tricky hostage situations, it is possible people in Iraq may deliberately misrepresent the Sheikh. The SBS story - that's been picked up right around this country and overseas - was broken this morning by journalist Majida Abboud-Saab from Arabic radio at SBS. Also, joining Dateline in the studio is Islamic Friendship Association spokesperson Keysar Trad. Both Majida and Keysar have been in regular telephone contact with Sheikh Hilaly since he arrived in Baghdad.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 11th May,2005
SHOOT THE MESSENGER UPDATE
Two weeks ago, Sophie brought Dateline an exclusive interview with Kevin Sites, the NBC cameraman who last November filmed that American marine shooting dead an unarmed, wounded, Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque. Here's a reminder of that report - and Dateline reminds you that the footage is pretty graphic.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 11th May,2005
THE RIGHT STUFF
In the US last November, the votes of conservative Christians were credited with getting fellow conservative Christian George W. Bush, into the White House for his second term as President of the world's most powerful nation. Energised by their resounding victory and with a new-found sense of political legitimacy, the American Christian right has been confidently pushing ahead with plans to stamp its moral agenda on the country. As part of this religious revolution, a unique educational institution has emerged - specifically designed to produce the next generation of conservative Christian leaders. Dateline's Sophie McNeill visited the state of Virginia to find out precisely what the youngsters at Patrick Henry College are learning.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 11th May,2005
NATAN SHARANSKY INTERVIEW
Last week, a prominent right-wing cabinet minister and former Russian dissident, Natan Sharansky, resigned in protest at the plan to relocate the settlers, which yesterday was put on hold for another three weeks. Sharansky was Israel's Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs. He's also, by the way, George Bush's personal guru on the core issues of democracy and freedom. Earlier, George Negus talked with Mr Sharansky from Jerusalem about both Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan and also about Elizabeth Tadic’s report on the settlers.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 11th May,2005
UNSETTLING SETTLERS
Things are certainly hotting up in Israel at the moment. Only this time, the Israelis are at loggerheads with each other as much as with the Palestinians. PM Ariel Sharon has ordered the pull-out of the settlements that Israel has provocatively established in the Gaza Strip over the last 38 years, leaving them, in fact, to the Palestinians. The problem is that most of the settlers in the Strip don't want to go and say they're prepared to fight to stay. There've already been heavy protests and last week, a member of the Israeli Defence Force was sentenced to jail for refusing to take part in the evictions. Dateline's Elizabeth Tadic recently travelled to the contentious Gaza settlements, where the mood is virulently anti-Sharon and settlers have begun to turn on those who want to leave.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 4th May,2005
BLACK JEWS
Black Jews - the very idea, let alone their actual existence, is hugely problematic to many in the Jewish faith. Matthew Carney journeyed to the south of Israel to meet a group of African Americans who say they are direct descendants of the original black Jews, the Tribe of Judah. Needless to say, their claim has stirred plenty of debate.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 4th May,2005
BRIAN SEDGEMORE INTERVIEW
On the other side of the globe, a very different kind of political stoush. This time tomorrow - in the UK, the Brits will have been casting their votes in their national elections for about three hours or so. The pundits have been forecasting that, despite being widely unpopular, Tony Blair will get New Labour up for an historic third term. Last week, Brian Sedgemore - a veteran Labour MP of 27 years - disillusioned with so-called 'Blairism', defected to the centre-left Liberal Democrats, in the process accusing his former leader of being quote-unquote "an out-and-out-liar". Earlier this evening, George Negus spoke with Brian Sedgemore in London.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 4th May,2005
MINDANAO - CRUCIBLE OF TERROR?
By total coincidence, our first video report tonight is from John Martinkus, this time in the southern Philippines in strife-torn Mindanao, rated, as it turns out, the second most dangerous place for journalists after Iraq. Lately, the long-running Muslim insurgency there has become caught up in the American pursuit of terrorists in the region and, as John reports, this is causing major friction with the Filipino Government.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 4th May,2005
JOHN MARTINKUS AND TONY LOUGHRAN INTERVIEW
As worrying as Douglas Wood's capture is, he's not the first Australian to be taken hostage. Last October, Dateline reporter John Martinkus was taken at gunpoint in Baghdad, held and interrogated for 20 hours, video-taped and thought it was literally all over. But John lived to tell the tale. Somehow, he managed to convince his captors to release him. As you might expect, John's been following the Douglas Wood story as it's unfolded and he's with us in the studio, along with former BBC, presently SBS, media war-zone security consultant, Tony Loughran.
Read more... -
Wednesday, 4th May,2005
DOUGLAS WOOD FAMILY PLEA
Shocking news that came via a chilling DVD, of the fate of Douglas Wood, kidnapped earlier this week in Iraq and a dramatic plea from his family, broadcast on the Arab Al-Jazeera network in the hope that his captors will be watching.
Read more...
