| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (52 min. 40 sec.) ; 319035222 bytes |
| Summary |
THE SMUGGLER'S TRAILDavid O'Shea travels to the hills outside Jakarta, where asylum seekers wait for people smugglers to transport them to the coast - en route to Australian waters. We meet Mohibullah, an Afghan refugee who unlike many, has waited for ten long years for the right to legally settle in Australia. He's deeply frustrated and depressed by his experience ."I think I am maybe head sick", he tells O'Shea .This despair perhaps explains why so many recent arrivals have preferred not to be processed by the refugee system, instead quickly taking the journey to the leaky boats bound for Australia. O'Shea follows the smuggler's trail to the coast where the Indonesian police describe how they made a recent arrest of people who arrived at a small villa. The hotel staff became suspicious when the would be boat people, refused to leave their rooms or even have the shutters open, despite the coastal scenery.In Jakarta O'Shea meets another Afghan who arrived only one month ago. Habib says he has just lost $6000 to a people smuggler. He has no money, doesn't speak Indonesian and has no idea whatsoever how he will survive in the teeming metropolis. "...right now I have too much problem here" he says.CULTURE CLASHThis week Dateline invites you inside Jaffna's public library, a building with a tortured history that echoes Sri Lanka's long civil conflict.The library was once one of the largest in Asia and a source of enormous pride for the Tamil community.But the building was torched in 1981, during riots following the shooting of three Sinhalese police at a Tamil political rally. As result, almost 100,000 books were destroyed, including irreplaceable manuscripts written on palm leaves. A treasure trove of Tamil culture and history was lost forever.Almost 20 years later, the library was fully rebuilt by the government. However the restoration itself is generating controversy. Many local Tamils feel it is an attempt to whitewash the past, and believe the ruins should have remained as a permanent memorial.INTERVIEW WITH ANNIE LENNOXLennox, the most successful British female recording artist in history, made headlines of a different kind earlier this year, copping criticism for her stance and calls to stop the violence and bloodshed of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.Following the protest, Lennox was savaged by Israeli critics for her stance - which they labelled both anti-Semitic and misinformed.Was it a harsh lesson for the idolised diva who has brushed shoulders with the movers and shakers at Davos and sung for Nelson Mandela? Lennox is well known for her campaign work on the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Her SING Campaign, a nonprofit initiative which provides much needed help in the continent's struggle against the deadly virus, has attracted the support and voices of the likes of Madonna, Celine Dionne and Pink.On her activism, Lennox says: "I feel that when I see injustice or something that needs to be highlighted, I can speak out. I cannot be complacent and sit back and ignore it." |
| Event |
Broadcast 2009-05-10 at 20:30:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: NC |
| Subject |
Celebrities -- Interviews.
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Emigration and immigration law.
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Human smuggling -- Law and legislation.
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Jaffna Public Library.
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Lennox, Annie.
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Refugees -- Legal status, laws, etc.
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Australia.
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Indonesia.
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Sri Lanka.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Ahmadi, Hadi, contributor
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Lennox, Annie, contributor
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Negus, George, host
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O'Shea, David, reporter
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Roberts, Amos, reporter
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Samaraweera, Mangala, contributor
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Sivagnanam, C. V. K., contributor
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Tannos, Joel, contributor
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Towle, Richard, contributor
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