10/05/2014 Reporters


10/05/2014

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 10/05/2014. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom.

:00:00.:00:00.

You can't argue with that, can you? Now on BBC News, it's time for

:00:07.:00:22.

Reporters. Welcome to reporters, I am Philippa Thomas. From here, in

:00:23.:00:28.

the world 's newsroom, we send out correspondence to bring you the best

:00:29.:00:31.

stories from across the globe. In this week's programme, battling the

:00:32.:00:36.

traffickers. Reporting from the Amazon on Colombia 's new weapon

:00:37.:00:39.

against the rebels and the drugs trade. These combat hovercraft have

:00:40.:00:45.

been brought from Southampton to the jungle. They will give them a

:00:46.:00:51.

crucial advantage in chasing drug smugglers and insurgents. As South

:00:52.:00:57.

Africa votes, we ask whether the Oscar Pistorius trial demonstrates a

:00:58.:01:01.

different rule for black and white South Africans. While rich white

:01:02.:01:08.

people are more fearful of crimes, the bulk of victims are poor and

:01:09.:01:15.

black. After the Typhoon, our correspondent returns to the scene

:01:16.:01:20.

of the biggest typhoon ever to deal with the disaster six months on. And

:01:21.:01:26.

the question of faith, we visit the mosque which is also a Catholic

:01:27.:01:35.

cathedral. There is a new weapon in the war against Colombia's rebels

:01:36.:01:39.

and drug traffickers. The authorities have begun deploying

:01:40.:01:43.

combat hovercraft in some of Colombia's most troubled provinces.

:01:44.:01:48.

Talks have been taking place between the Colombian government and the

:01:49.:01:54.

main rebel group about ending rebel involvement in the drugs trade, but

:01:55.:01:59.

fighting goes on, with no ceasefire yet in place. Our correspondent has

:02:00.:02:04.

been to these remote settlement with the navy, as it tries to tackle the

:02:05.:02:09.

traffickers. Deep in the jungle of southern Colombia, there is

:02:10.:02:13.

something new on the river. Our vast, heavily armed group which can

:02:14.:02:22.

reach places others can't get to. I have been given a first look as they

:02:23.:02:26.

go into action. These British built combat have a craft have been

:02:27.:02:30.

brought from Southampton to the Amazon jungle, and the navy is

:02:31.:02:35.

hoping it will give them a crucial advantage in chasing drug smugglers

:02:36.:02:39.

and insurgents here in the heart of the industry. Each hovercraft can

:02:40.:02:46.

carry 14 marines and crew. We watch them practice and assault on a mock

:02:47.:02:52.

camp. In this part of Colombia, they operate in areas where much of the

:02:53.:03:01.

jungle is infiltrated by rebels. Both sides in this conflict have

:03:02.:03:05.

committed human rights abuses. There have been allegations of corruption

:03:06.:03:09.

in the military, and even collusion with drug traffickers. Without a

:03:10.:03:13.

ceasefire, the war continues. TRANSLATION: These hovercraft are

:03:14.:03:18.

going to change the whole dynamics of the war. Because up until now, we

:03:19.:03:27.

have only been able to operate half the year. October to January, we

:03:28.:03:31.

can't move, because the river levels drop so far that our boats hit the

:03:32.:03:33.

rocks. At these hovercraft don't need high water, so we can cut off

:03:34.:03:45.

their supply lines. TRANSLATION: I spoke to a pilot and asked how many

:03:46.:03:52.

troops they can carry and what it is like to drive one on one of these

:03:53.:03:57.

rivers. The maximum speed is 35 knots. It can carry six crew members

:03:58.:04:02.

and eight combat troops. It is very exciting. The hull lift above the

:04:03.:04:13.

surface. You can go at incredible speeds. Three months ago, the pilots

:04:14.:04:19.

had never seen a hovercraft in their lives, nor had anyone else here. We

:04:20.:04:24.

are going up the river with people watching us. When we stop on a

:04:25.:04:30.

sandbank and deflate, the people are astonished because it is something

:04:31.:04:33.

new. They have never seen anything like it. The pilot has a nickname

:04:34.:04:39.

for the craft. Does he think of it as a he or she? for me, it's my

:04:40.:04:47.

girl. I care for her very well because she is my new toy. I flew

:04:48.:04:53.

west with the military to see one of their forward bases. Right on the

:04:54.:04:58.

border with Ecuador, where they are facing the deadly scourge. Mines.

:04:59.:05:05.

This was a controlled explosion, but the marines have had to create

:05:06.:05:11.

dozens here, they are deployed to protect illegal crops. Peace talks

:05:12.:05:16.

are under way, but there is no ceasefire. And if the deal is

:05:17.:05:20.

signed, will that mean an end to Colombia's drug problem? We have to

:05:21.:05:26.

be realistic. We should expect, as we have seen in the past, that some

:05:27.:05:31.

crimes, and some criminal gangs, may pop up and appear in some areas,

:05:32.:05:36.

trying to keep up their activities. Back in town, I asked the Colombia

:05:37.:05:42.

is if they had felt the effects of the violence. The whole culture has

:05:43.:05:47.

grown up around the security problem. It is easy to get a gun and

:05:48.:05:54.

use it. in town, I feel fine, but outside, the security situation is

:05:55.:05:58.

terrible. The new hovercraft are unlikely to change that overnight.

:05:59.:06:02.

But they will add to the mounting pressure on insurgents and drug

:06:03.:06:05.

traffickers to end the violence which has plagued Colombia for so

:06:06.:06:14.

long. This week, South Africans went to the polls in the first vote since

:06:15.:06:19.

the death of Nelson Mandela. Security has been a major election

:06:20.:06:22.

issue for those who face everyday violence and sky high crime rates.

:06:23.:06:27.

The Oscar Pistorius trial has brought forward some uncomfortable

:06:28.:06:32.

truths about matters like domestic violence and people arming

:06:33.:06:34.

themselves in self`defence because they lack confidence in that police.

:06:35.:06:38.

As our correspondent reports from South Africa, few voters believe

:06:39.:06:43.

that the law applies equally to everyone. Johannesburg Metro police

:06:44.:06:50.

have arrested four Zimbabwean man... Police are bracing themselves

:06:51.:06:56.

for more violent clashes tonight. Violence, gun crime, people living

:06:57.:07:02.

in constant fear. The Oscar Pistorius trial is forcing South

:07:03.:07:06.

Africa to confront some uncomfortable truths. I fear my

:07:07.:07:23.

children being harmed. My daughter being raped, my granddaughter being

:07:24.:07:30.

raped. It is something that happens in this country. In my children's

:07:31.:07:35.

life. I am all that is there for my children, other than their uncles

:07:36.:07:42.

and aunts. But I have raised them on my own for 16 years. And I am the

:07:43.:07:48.

only person who can really take care of them. So I need self defence.

:07:49.:07:55.

Many South Africans resort to buying firearms to defend themselves

:07:56.:07:59.

against would`be us. People like Sharleen, who is here to get her

:08:00.:08:05.

down licence, have lost confidence in the police. As a woman, it is not

:08:06.:08:09.

that easy to defend myself. Especially when most of the crime is

:08:10.:08:15.

gang related. It is more than one person attack in you. So if you are

:08:16.:08:20.

proficient in weapon use and confident in it, then you will be

:08:21.:08:24.

able to take care of yourself and your family. 45 people are murdered

:08:25.:08:30.

here everyday. The numbers are down but compared to other countries,

:08:31.:08:37.

still high. The Oscar Pistorius trial and white crime in general

:08:38.:08:41.

grabs headlines, but the truth is that why people are less likely to

:08:42.:08:47.

be attacked now in the new South Africa than under apartheid. So

:08:48.:08:49.

while rich whites are more fearful of crime, the reality is that the

:08:50.:08:54.

bulk of victims are poor and black. In this township, one of the most

:08:55.:08:58.

dangerous in the country, there is a feeling that the Justice system does

:08:59.:09:02.

not work for ordinary people. The trial has raised concerns about

:09:03.:09:06.

crime and safety in our society, what do you think about that? I

:09:07.:09:11.

think in the last few months, someone was killed there. The police

:09:12.:09:16.

station is two streets away from us. But their response was that we

:09:17.:09:25.

are not safe. We don't trust our own crops. We live in fear in our own

:09:26.:09:31.

homes. That's how it is. If I had shot my girlfriend I would be in

:09:32.:09:35.

jail right now. Right now. With all my money and everything, I would

:09:36.:09:40.

still be in jail. First degree murder. The only person ever to have

:09:41.:09:45.

got bail for first degree murder. Back at home on the out skirts of

:09:46.:09:56.

Johannesburg. The family has had to make its own security arrangements,

:09:57.:10:00.

at night her daughter organises the local neighbourhood watch. The

:10:01.:10:12.

Internet is full of Oscar and writings on Oscar. It is unfair that

:10:13.:10:18.

him as a known person and a celebrity, someone who people looked

:10:19.:10:21.

up to, is getting all of this kind of attention. Whereas I had a break

:10:22.:10:26.

in in my house, although not much was taken. It was a small case, I

:10:27.:10:31.

understand. At the case was not even opened. So you obviously have the

:10:32.:10:40.

feelings of self blame, why did I stay that long? You need to go back

:10:41.:10:46.

and look at this issue. At the Oscar Pistorius case has forced South

:10:47.:10:53.

Africa to face up to its problems of domestic violence. I don't know what

:10:54.:10:59.

exactly he hit me with. I was trying to defend myself. We were fighting.

:11:00.:11:04.

Every eight hours a woman is murdered by her intimate partner.

:11:05.:11:10.

While I was lying there on the bed in the hospital, there was a big

:11:11.:11:17.

light on my face. Then the decision came to me that I am going to die in

:11:18.:11:23.

this house. I am really going to die if I don't move out. Because I had

:11:24.:11:28.

been advised to move out. And then I decided on the hospital bed that I

:11:29.:11:35.

am moving out. I didn't have a place to go. And the fear disappeared. On

:11:36.:11:44.

that bed. She sought refuge in this orphanage. She became homeless

:11:45.:11:47.

following the divorce from her abusive husband. What is it about

:11:48.:11:52.

South African women that makes them feel so trapped, that they cannot

:11:53.:11:59.

leave these abusive husbands and partners? Most of these women are

:12:00.:12:05.

controlled by culture. They get married to make their parents proud.

:12:06.:12:10.

And some of the choices that... We do have knowledge. We get married

:12:11.:12:15.

without knowing what your rights are. It's not about you, it's all

:12:16.:12:21.

about a man. Because they say, you don't ask him where he comes from,

:12:22.:12:27.

his word is final. For many in South Africa, the Oscar Pistorius case is

:12:28.:12:31.

a distraction from fundamental problems facing the country. A lot

:12:32.:12:37.

of families are going through the same thing as these families, and

:12:38.:12:40.

they don't get the same treatment, their trials don't get televised.

:12:41.:12:44.

They don't get nearly the same scrutiny as he is. And I don't

:12:45.:12:47.

really think it's there. Oscar Pistorius, and that is all that

:12:48.:12:52.

really matters about this trial. Not the justice system working. It is

:12:53.:12:56.

working now, one rich man and one beautiful girl. It's working now.

:12:57.:13:04.

Who else is it going to work for? The case has brought renewed

:13:05.:13:06.

attention to South Africa's problems. But there is a frustration

:13:07.:13:11.

that politicians lack the will and the ability to deliver real change.

:13:12.:13:19.

It was the biggest`ever to strike land at. Six months ago it hit the

:13:20.:13:23.

south`east of the Philippines, with a four metre high storm surge. More

:13:24.:13:31.

than 6000 people died. Our reporter was one of the first foreign to

:13:32.:13:35.

arrive on the scene and he has gone back to find out how people are

:13:36.:13:38.

dealing with the aftermath of the disaster.

:13:39.:13:45.

On the Beach, south of the city, they have come to remember Francisco

:13:46.:13:51.

Cruise and his two sons. His widow lost them all when the huge wave

:13:52.:14:00.

smashed into their house. Today would have been her son's 31st

:14:01.:14:05.

birthday. It is really painful. I cannot describe the pain.

:14:06.:14:12.

Sometimes, I wake up early in the morning and I pray and I thank God

:14:13.:14:20.

she left my daughter with me. I cannot stand on my own without

:14:21.:14:29.

them. Six months after the typhoon ripped this city apart, I have come

:14:30.:14:32.

back to see what has happened and try to find some of those that

:14:33.:14:42.

remain. Hello? Hello! How you? How are you? This is what it looked like

:14:43.:14:53.

the last time I was here. His wife's body was stuck. Close by, a mass

:14:54.:14:59.

grave was being filled with dozens of bodies. This region is clearly

:15:00.:15:08.

still struggling. I try not to bring back the memory because it is very

:15:09.:15:15.

painful. I just forget. Just move forward. I just try to avoid going

:15:16.:15:25.

to the grave because when I go there, I weep. It is tough to

:15:26.:15:33.

remember her again. I don't know what will happen. What is really

:15:34.:15:39.

striking, coming back year after six months, is seeing how hard it is for

:15:40.:15:44.

people in a developing country like the Philippines to recover after a

:15:45.:15:48.

major disaster like this. Unlike in Britain or America, people he had no

:15:49.:15:53.

insurance so they lost their homes, their cars, their fishing boats, and

:15:54.:15:57.

now they have nothing. They have no means with which to start over

:15:58.:16:03.

again. Getting people back to work and earning money is the key. This

:16:04.:16:09.

scheme is run by Oxfam, with money donated eye people in Britain.

:16:10.:16:15.

20,000 fishing boats were destroyed by the typhoon `` by people in

:16:16.:16:25.

Britain. Wives and widows are being paid to weave new fishing nets. With

:16:26.:16:28.

help, people are slowly getting back on their feet. On our last day, we

:16:29.:16:35.

come across a story almost too painful to tell. It is the story of

:16:36.:16:45.

these people. The wave took away her whole family. She is only six years

:16:46.:16:51.

old. She was grabbed from the raging waters, that in the same moment, he

:16:52.:16:57.

lost his own wife and three children. TRANSLATION: Sometimes,

:16:58.:17:03.

even when I'm drunk I still can't sleep. I see my children's faces

:17:04.:17:08.

calling out to me for help. In my nightmares, they are asking, why

:17:09.:17:12.

wasn't I able to save them? I was able to save others, why not them?

:17:13.:17:25.

Without her parents, she faces a precarious future. Without his wife

:17:26.:17:29.

and children, this man says he has no future.

:17:30.:17:39.

A beacon of religious harmony in Spain has now become the centre of a

:17:40.:17:43.

row over religious freedom. The unique and stunningly beautiful

:17:44.:17:47.

religious building at Cordova is both a mosque and a cathedral. A

:17:48.:17:51.

place where Islamic and Christian symbols sit side`by`side. Now, tens

:17:52.:17:57.

of thousands of people in Spain has signed a petition to stop it

:17:58.:18:00.

becoming the property of the Catholic Church. Our reporter has

:18:01.:18:03.

more from Cordova. Welcome inside an architectural

:18:04.:18:36.

jewel, a forest of pillars where Islamic and Christian building work

:18:37.:18:55.

and symbols sit side`by`side. This is the oldest part of the building.

:18:56.:18:59.

Built as a mosque in the eighth century by the Muslim Moorish rulers

:19:00.:19:06.

who controlled as part of Spain. What makes this building unique is

:19:07.:19:12.

that, bang in the centre is a cathedral, built in the 15th and

:19:13.:19:18.

16th centuries by Spain's catholic kings. Today, Catholics attended

:19:19.:19:28.

Mass here almost every day. No one currently owns the building, but the

:19:29.:19:35.

church manages it and, under law, in two years it is set to become the

:19:36.:19:42.

owner. Now, 330,000 people in an online petition have called on that

:19:43.:19:45.

decision to be blocked and this is why. They are trying to change the

:19:46.:19:54.

name and name it a cathedral, only cathedral. They are erasing the name

:19:55.:19:58.

of mosque everywhere. Physically, inside the mosque is full of virgins

:19:59.:20:05.

and Christian elements, more and more. For us, it is a manipulation

:20:06.:20:11.

of history and memory of the building. The Spanish Catholic

:20:12.:20:17.

Church recognises that this was a mosque, but says, for centuries it

:20:18.:20:23.

has been a cathedral. The church, however, says the accusation that

:20:24.:20:31.

they are trying to destroy the history of this building is unjust.

:20:32.:20:35.

TRANSLATION: It would be impossible to wipe out the history of this

:20:36.:20:43.

building. We don't want to, it symbolises the story of Cordova and

:20:44.:20:46.

Spain. So what do the locals call it? Cathedral or mosque? Mosque.

:20:47.:21:03.

Both. The biggest congregation are the tourists, and away from the

:21:04.:21:06.

controversy, the fact that most people regard this as a mosque and

:21:07.:21:10.

cathedral is a unique selling point. It draws millions of visitors

:21:11.:21:19.

every year. That's all from reporters this week

:21:20.:21:24.

`` Reporters. Goodbye for now. Hello there. Saturday was a wild

:21:25.:21:51.

day, we thought strong gale force winds. Plenty of blustery showers as

:21:52.:21:58.

well and on Sunday it is a mixture of sunshine and showers. Perhaps not

:21:59.:22:04.

as many as what we saw on Saturday. Plenty of

:22:05.:22:05.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS