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WE'VE GOT ANOTHER EDITION OF ON ASSIGNMENT FOR YOU TODAY. I'M ALEX VILLARREAL.
AND I'M IMRAN SIDDIQUI. WE BEGIN WITH THE DEADLY ATTACK AT THE BOSTON MARATHON. WE'LL
HEAR FROM A CORRESPONDENT WHO KNOWS THE CITY WELL, AND FIND OUT WHAT THE BOMBINGS MEAN
FOR OTHER GLOBAL CITIES.
VIOLENCE ROCKS VENEZUELA AFTER THE LATE HUGO CHAVEZ'S SUCCESSOR WINS THE NATION'S PRESIDENTIAL
VOTE... WE GET PERSPECTIVE FROM OUR LATIN AMERICA DIVISION.
LATER...A LOOK AT THE TWISTS AND TURNS OF NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR THREATS...
AND SUDDENLY, BURMA HAS AN INDEPENDENT PRESS - BUT WILL IT LAST?
GIVING YOU THE DETAILS THE OTHER SHOWS LEAVE OUT - THIS IS ON ASSIGNMENT!
HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, THE DEADLY BOMBINGS AT THE BOSTON MARATHON STILL TOP THE NEWS.
WE'RE JOINED BY OUR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT JIM MALONE, AND REPORTER HENRY RIDGWELL IN
LONDON. LET'S START WITH YOU, HENRY. TAKE US BACK TO 2005, WHEN THE LONDON TRANSIT BOMBINGS
HAPPENED. CAN YOU DO A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH REGARD TO WHAT HAPPENED IN BOSTON, AND
HOW IS THE GOVERNMENT REASSESSING SECURITY MEASURES NOW?
THE BOMBING ATTACKS HERE IN LONDON IN JULY 2005 WERE CLEARLY A HUGE SHOCK TO THE CITY
AUTHORITIES, AND TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CITIES THEMSELVES, AND WE’VE SEEN A SIMILAR RESPONSE
IN BOSTON WITH THE BOMBINGS THERE. SHOCK, AND THEN A LEVEL OF RESOLVE AMONG THE PEOPLE,
THAT THEY’RE NOT GOING TO LET WHOEVER CARRIED OUT THESE ATTACKS WIN THE DAY, AND THEY’RE
GOING TO GET BACK TO NORMAL LIFE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IN TERMS OF THE RESPONSE FROM THE
AUTHORITIES AND THE SECURITY SERVICES, THERE WERE SOME SYSTEMIC FAILURES THAT WERE REASSESSED
FOLLOWING THE ATTACKS. THEY DISCOVERED, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THEIR SHORTWAVE RADIOS DID NOT
WORK IN THE TUNNELS OF THE METRO SYSTEM HERE AND THAT HELD UP THE RESCUE EFFORT. SO THERE
WERE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WERE REASSESSED IN TERMS OF THAT. BUT THERE WAS ALSO A REVALUATION
OF THE CITY’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS ATTACKS LIKE THESE, AND A RECOGNITION PERHAPS THAT YOU
CAN’T LOCK DOWN EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF A CITY, EVERY SINGLE TRANSIT SYSTEM, EVERY SINGLE
STREET. A CITY, BY ITS OWN NATURE, IS VULNERABLE, AND A KEY PART OF KEEPING THE SECURITY IS
THE ATTITUDE OF THE PUBLIC AND THE PEOPLE AROUND. SO THERE WAS A RAISING OF THE LEVEL
OF AWARENESS OF THE PEOPLE IN TERMS OF LOOKING OUT FOR SUSPICIOUS BAGS, SUSPICIOUS PACKAGES,
IN VULNERABLE AND POPULAR TOURIST AREAS, IN TRANSIT SYSTEMS, AND SO ON. AND THE LEVEL
OF RESOLVE IN LONDON CAME BACK VERY STRONGLY, AND PEOPLE WERE DETERMINED TO GET BACK TO
NORMAL. AND I THINK, FROM WHAT I’VE SEEN, WE’RE BEGINNING TO SEE THAT IN BOSTON AS
WELL. A LOT OF PEOPLE SAYING HOW TRAGIC THESE EVENTS ARE, BUT ALSO THAT THE ONLY WAY TO
RESPOND TO THIS REALLY IS TO GET BACK TO LIFE AS NORMAL.
JIM, TURNING TO BOSTON NOW, WHICH IS YOUR HOME TOWN, THE ATTACKS COINCIDED WITH A STATE
HOLIDAY, PATRIOT’S DAY. HOW DO YOU THINK BOSTONIANS ARE TAKING THIS?
OBVIOUSLY IT WAS BODY BLOW TO THE CITY, TO ITS IMAGE. BOSTONIANS ARE A RESILIENT GROUP,
THEY’RE GOING TO BOUNCE BACK. SOMETIMES THEY’RE A LITTLE HARD TO GET TO KNOW, BUT
ONCE YOU GET IN THEIR MIDST, THEY BECOME VERY LOYAL FRIENDS. AND I THINK WE SAW IN THE IMMEDIATE
AFTERMATH, HOW PEOPLE RUSHED TO HELP THOSE WHO WERE INJURED. YOU KNOW, AS A KID, WE WOULD
GO TO THE MARATHON EVERY YEAR. IT WAS A BIG, LOCAL HOLIDAY IN MASSACHUSETTS. IT DREW RUNNERS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND HAS FOR DECADES. THE MOST ELITE MARATHON RUNNERS IN THE WORLD
LIKE TO PARTICIPATE, AND SO IT WAS A REAL “DAY OF THE WORLD,” COMING INTO THE BOSTON
COMMUNITY. AND THOUGH THAT’S BEEN ROCKED A BIT BY THE EVENTS WE’VE SEEN, I THINK
BOSTON WILL BOUNCE BACK. IT’S ALSO AN INDICATION THAT SINCE SEPT. 11TH, AMERICANS MAY HAVE
BECOME LULLED INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY. THE THREATS ARE STILL THERE, AND THINK THIS
IS A REMINDER OF THAT.
HENRY, TELL ME, NOW IN THE DIGITAL AGE, WHEN WE HAVE TONS OF VIDEO FROM CELL PHONES AND
SECURITY CAMERAS, WHAT KIND OF ROLE DO THEY PLAY IN TERMS OF GETTING TO THE CORE OF THESE
INVESTIGATIONS?
IN BRITAIN, THEY PLAY A HUGELY IMPORTANT ROLE. IT’S ONE OF THE MOST INSTENSE SURVEILLANCE
SOCIETIES IN THE WORLD. THERE’S SOMETHING LIKE 2 TO 4 MILLION SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY IN A POPULATION OF 60 MILLION PEOPLE. THERE WAS A STUDY DONE RECENTLY THAT
SUGGESTED THAT ON AN AVERAGE DAY, SOMEBODY IN BRITAIN WOULD BE FILMED BY A SURVEILLANCE
CAMERA SOME 300 TIMES, AND THAT WAS BEFORE THE ADVENT OF CAMERA PHONES AND THAT SORT
OF THING. IN TERMS OF THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE JULY 2005 BOMBINGS, THEY PLAYED A KEY
PART, BECAUSE THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS IN THE RAILWAY STATIONS THAT THE BOMBERS USED
TO TRAVEL DOWN TO LONDON, PICKED UP THEIR FACES VERY CLEARLY. SO VERY QUICKLY FOLLOWING
THE BOMBINGS, THE POLICE WERE ABLE TO ISSUE PHOTOS OF THESE PEOPLE WHO HAD TRAVELED DOWN,
THE SUSPECTS, AND WERE VERY QUICKLY ABLE TO INVESTIGATE AND CHECK THAT THERE WERE NO FURTHER
THREATS, AND DETERMINE WHERE THIS ATTACK HAD COME FROM. SO IT DOES PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT
ROLE HERE IN BRITAIN, AND PEOPLE ARE REALLY USED TO THE SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY HERE NOW.
THERE ARE PORTIONS OF SOCIETY WHO OBJECT TO IT, BUT I THINK THE MAJORITY APPROVE OF IT,
AND SEE IT AS A WAY OF KEEPING THEM SAFE.
THANKS TO THE BOTH OF YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
COMING UP, THE DANGEROUS TENSIONS BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA. YOU’RE WATCHING ON
ASSIGNMENT.
COMMERCIAL BREAK 2:00
TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA HAVE BEEN AT VERY HIGH LEVELS LATELY, WITH THE NORTH
HINTING THAT IT HAS DEVELOPED A NUCLEAR WARHEAD SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT ATOP A MISSILE. MOST EXPERTS
DOUBT THAT CLAIM, BUT THAT HASN'T STOPPED THE COUNTRY FROM THREATENING ATTACKS ON SOUTH
KOREA, JAPAN AND EVEN THE U.S.
NORTH KOREA'S YOUNG LEADER, KIM JONG-UN, HAS BAFFLED OBSERVERS WITH HIS AGGRESSIVE NUCLEAR
POSTURING. I ASKED VOA REPORTER STEVE HERMAN IN SEOUL IF HE HAS EVER SEEN SUCH SEVERE TENSIONS
IN THE REGION. HERE'S WHAT HE TOLD ME.
THIS IS AS HIGH A TENSION LEVEL AS WE’VE SEEN ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA PERHAPS SINCE
THE ARMISTICE WAS SIGNED SINCE 1953, BUT WHAT WE SHOULD EMPHASIZE IS IT’S BEEN A WAR OF
WORDS SO FAR, A LOT OF POSTURING…
“OUR NUCLEAR STRENGTH IS A RELIABLE WAR DETERRENT AND A GUARANTEE TO PROTECT OUR SOVEREIGNTY”
“THE UNITED STATES WILL DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO DEFEND OURSELVES AND DEFEND OUR ALLIES
KOREA AND JAPAN”.
…BUT THERE IS NOTHING AS SEVERE THAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR AS HAS OCCURRED IN 2010 WHEN
THERE WAS THE SINKING OF A SOUTH KOREAN NAVAL VESSEL AND AN ARTILLERY SHELLING ON A SOUTH
KOREAN FRONTIER ISLAND THAT KILLED FOUR PEOPLE INCLUDING FOUR CIVILIANS.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE RHETORIC WE ARE HEARING, ESPECIALLY COMING FROM NORTH KOREA, WHAT IS
THE PURPOSE OF ALL OF THIS?
ONE THEORY IS THE PURPOSE IS TO CAUSE PANIC IN SOUTH KOREA. TO CAUSE ENOUGH ECONOMIC DAMAGE
THAT THIS NEW UNTESTED GOVERNMENT, PRESIDENT PARK GEUN-HYE, WOULD SAY “OKAY, WE HAVE
GOT TO STOP THIS BECAUSE TOURISTS ARE FLEEING, HOTELS ARE LOSING MONEY, THE KAESONG INDUSTRIAL
COMPLEX IS SHUTDOWN, WE HAVE MORE THAN A HUNDRED SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE ENTERPRISES NOW THAT
ARE FEARING BANKRUPTCY.” NONE OF THOSE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED, EXCEPT FOR THE POSSIBLE CLOSURE
OF THE KAESONG INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. BUT THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS THAT IF IT CONTINUES
AT SEVERE OF A LEVEL FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME THEN THERE COULD BE ACTUALLY SOME ECONOMIC
DAMAGE TO THE SOUTH KOREAN PEOPLE AND A LOT OF BUSINESSES.
AND YOU ARE ACTUALLY IN SEOUL NOW, WHERE YOU ARE BASED AS A CORRESPONDENT FOR US. WHAT
HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE OF THE PEOPLE THERE IN SOUTH KOREA?
PRETTY CALM. THERE IS NOT SIGN OF PANIC BUYING AS NORTH KOREA IS ALLEGING IN ONE OF ITS BROADCASTS
FROM PYONGYANG. FOREIGNERS ARE NOT FLEEING, AGAIN THIS IS ANOTHER ALLEGATION THAT NORTH
KOREA IS MAKING. ONE CONCERN IS WE ARE APPROACHING THE GOLDEN WEEK HOLIDAYS AT THE END OF THE
MONTH FOR THE JAPANESE, AND IT COULD HAVE SOME EFFECT ON THAT GOLDEN WEEK HOLIDAY PERIOD.
IN ADDITION TO NORTH KOREA’S THREATS AGAINST SOUTH KOREA, IT HAS ALSO SAID THAT IT’S
READY TO LAUNCH A NUCLEAR ATTACK ON THE UNITED STATES. HOW REAL IS THAT THREAT?
NORTH KOREA PERHAPS HAS A SMALL NUMBER OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS. IT CERTAINLY HAS NOT MINIATURIZED
THEM TO PUT THEM ATOP AN INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE, AND THERE IS NO EVIDENCE
THAT NORTH KOREA HAS AN I-C-B-M CAPABLE OF REACHING THE MAIN LAND OF THE UNITED STATES.
THE BIGGEST THREAT HERE IN SEOUL IS THERE ARE MORE THAN A THOUSAND PIECES OF LONG-RANGE
ARTILLERY POINTED AT THIS CITY. THE METROPOLITAN AREA HAS ABOUT 20 MILLION PEOPLE, BUT THAT
THREAT HAS EXISTED FOR MANY YEARS, MANY DECADES ACTUALLY.
WHAT KIND OF ROLE IS CHINA PLAYING IN ALL OF THIS?
WITHOUT CHINA, NORTH KOREA PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CEASED TO EXIST A LONG TIME AGO. CHINA
HAS BEEN NORTH KOREA’S ONLY REMAINING SIGNIFICANT ALLY AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION.
NOW, WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP RIGHT NOW? WE ARE NOT EXACTLY SURE. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME
STATEMENTS COMING OUT OF BEIJING THAT SEEM TO EXPRESS AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF FRUSTRATION,
AT LEAST PUBLICLY FROM THE CHINESE, IN REGARD TO THE ATTITUDE OF THE NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT.
AND WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT IS GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES, BECAUSE CHINA PREFERS TO CONDUCT
ITS TOUGH DIPLOMACY IN THAT REGARD, ESPECIALLY WITH OTHER COUNTRIES THAT IT HAS BEEN FRIENDLY
TO BEHIND THE SCENES, RATHER THAN COMING OUT AND OPENLY CRITICIZING THEM. BUT CHINA, OF
COURSE, HAS BEEN HELPFUL RECENTLY, AND THESE U-N SECURITY COUNCIL VOTES SANCTIONS, WHICH
OF COURSE HAS OBVIOUSLY ANGERED NORTH KOREA. AND THAT RELATIONSHIP MAY HOLD THE KEY TO
A RESOLUTION TO ALL OF THIS.
IN ADDITION TO CHINA, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY SAYS WASHINGTON IS WILLING TO HELP
NEGOTIATE A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF TENSIONS, BUT IN ORDER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, THE NORTH
MUST TAKE STEPS TOWARD ABANDONING NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
WE'RE TAKING A BREAK NOW. BUT WHEN WE COME BACK, A LOOK AT VENEZUELA'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
YOU'RE WATCHING ON ASSIGNMENT.
COMMERCIAL BREAK 1:00
NOW TO VENEZUELA, WHERE NICOLAS MADURO NARROWLY WON THE APRIL 14 ELECTION TO SUCCEED PRESIDENT
HUGO CHAVEZ, WHO DIED OF CANCER LAST MONTH. CHAVEZ HANDPICKED MADURO TO SUCCEED HIM, AND
THE NEW PRESIDENT HAS VOWED TO CONTINUE THE SOCIALIST POLICIES CHAVEZ PUT IN PLACE. OPPOSITION
CANDIDATE, HENRIQUE CAPRILES, ON THE OTHER HAND, FAVORS MORE PRIVATE-MARKET FRIENDLY
POLICIES. JOINING US NOW IS ALEJANDRO ESCALONA OF VOA'S SPANISH BRANCH. PLEASE TO SEE YOU.
THIS ENDED UP BEING A VERY CLOSE ELECTION; THE FINAL TALLY WAS A VERY CLOSE PERCENTAGE.
BUT STARTING OUT, MADURO WAS VERY MUCH IN THE LEAD. SO WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT ENABLED CAPRILES
TO CLOSE THAT GAP?
WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT MANY VOTERS MIGRATED FROM NICOLAS MAGURO TO ENRIQUE CAPRILES. MAYBE
THEY THOUGHT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH SUBSTANCE IN MADURO’S SPEECHES, AND THAT WAS REASON
FOR THEM TO MIGRATE TO CAPRILES.
WHAT DOES THAT SAY NOW ABOUT THE OPPOSITION, POST-CHAVEZ?
THE COUNTRY IS POLARIZED – 50 PERCENT “CHAVISTAS,” 50 PERCENT OPPOSITION. THIS IS SUPPORT FOR
CHAVEZ, EVEN WITHOUT CHAVEZ. WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT THE CAMPAIGN STARTED JUST THREE WEEKS
AGO, OFFICIALLY, BUT IN TRUTH, IT STARTED DECEMBER 8, WHEN HUGO CHAVEZ ANNOINTED MADURO
AS HIS SUCCESSOR, JUST BEFORE CHAVEZ WENT TO CUBA FOR HIS LAST CANCER SURGERY. IT’S
BEEN CRAZY, IN A WAY, BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE RECORDED VOICE
OF PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ AND HIS IMAGE, TO TRY TO, ACCORDING TO MANY ANALYSTS, MANIPULATE
THIS SENTIMENT ABOUT CHAVEZ, WHO AS YOU KNOW, WAS A VERY CHARISMATIC LEADER.
YOU MENTIONED THAT MANIPULATION OF SENTIMENT. A THREE WEEK CAMPAIGN IS VERY SHORT; THERE
WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO CRITICIZED THAT, AND WHO THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE JUST TRYING
TO RUSH THIS ELECTION.
ACTUALLY IT WAS DONE BY THE BOOK, THE CONSTITUTION THAT IS. THE CONSTITUTION ESTABLISHES THAT
ELECTIONS HAVE TO BE CALLED IN 30 DAYS AFTER A SITUATION LIKE THIS. IT WAS UNUSUAL, BUT
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF VENEZUELA. IT WAS DONE ACCORDING TO THE
CONSTITUTION BUT IT’S SOMETHING VERY NEW.
BEING VENEZUELAN YOURSELF, YOU LIVED THERE, YOU’VE SEEN THE POLITICAL PROCESS FIRSTHAND.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW THE ELECTION PROCESS WORKS, AND THE LEVEL OF VOLATILITY IN THE COUNTRY POLITICALLY?
THE SITUATION IS VERY POLARIZED, AND PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH A VERY COMPLICATED PHASE
OR STAGE OF DEMONSTRATIONS, RIOTS, AND THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO EXERT PRESSURE ON
THESE STUDENT MOVEMENTS. THE GENERAL POPULATION IS VERY OPEN, AND THEY ARE NOT AFRAID TO RAISE
THEIR VOICE AGAINST WHAT THEY BELIEVE, AGAINST REPRESSION OF DEMOCRACY MOVEMENTS. I CERTAINLY
HOPE THINGS WILL CHANGE EVENTUALLY FOR THE BETTER. MADURO HAS TO UNDERSTAND THAT HALF
OF THE COUNTRY DOESN’T LIKE IT, SO HE’S GOING TO HAVE TO COME TO TERMS WITH THAT.
WE KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE FOLLOWING THIS CLOSELY AND WE WILL HAVE YOU ON AGAIN. ALEJANDRO ESCALON,
FROM VOA’S SPANISH BRANCH.
WE MOVE NEXT TO BURMA, WHICH HAS SEEN TREMENDOUS CHANGES THE PAST TWO YEARS... INCLUDING IN
MEDIA. WHEN 16 BURMESE NEWSPAPERS WERE GRANTED OPERATING LICENSES ON APRIL 1ST, THEY BECAME
THE FIRST PRIVATE DAILY NEWSPAPERS ALLOWED TO PUBLISH IN BURMA IN NEARLY 50 YEARS.
BUT THE MILESTONE COMES AMID AN OUTCRY OVER BURMA'S NEWLY-RELEASED DRAFT MEDIA LAW, WHICH
CRITICS SAY COULD ROLL BACK GOVERNMENT PROMISES TO LOOSEN ITS GRIP ON THE LONG TIGHTLY-CONTROLLED
INDUSTRY. VOA'S MARK SNOWISS HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS AND WE ASKED HIM TO TELL US MORE. CHECK
IT OUT.
STATE-RUN MEDIA CONTROLLED THE DISSEMINATION OF HARD NEWS AND INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS WERE
HEAVILY CENSORED. MANY WERE SPIED UPON, IMPRISONED AND TORTURED. THE ONLY OBJECTIVE NEWS COVERAGE
AVAILABLE WAS PRODUCED BY THE COUNTRY'S EXILE MEDIA AND FOREIGN BROADCASTERS SUCH AS THE
VOICE OF AMERICA, BBC AND RADIO FREE ASIA.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE LIFE OF JOURNALISTS IN BURMA. WHAT ARE THEIR CHALLENGES?
THE LIFE OF THE BURMESE JOURNALISTS IS CHANGING AS WE SPEAK, BASICALLY. TWO YEARS AGO THE
MILITARY DICTATORSHIP DISSOLVED ITSELF. LAST YEAR, IN AUGUST, THEY ABOLISHED CENSORSHIP.
PRINT PRIVATE DAILY NEWSPAPERS, THAT HAVE BEEN BANNED FOR 15 YEARS, AS OF APRIL 1 OF
THIS YEAR, WERE ALLOWED TO PUBLISH. THEY DIDN'T HAVE DAILIES, BECAUSE DAILY NEWSPAPERS TOOK
TO MUCH TIME TO CENSOR - THEY HAD ONLY WEEKLY PAPERS.
SOME OF THE CRITICS, AND PEOPLE IN YOUR PIECE ALSO MENTIONED, FIRST THEY SAID WE WILL ALLOW
THESE DAILIES TO WORK, AND THEN THEY COME UP WITH THIS DRAFT LAW, WHICH IS GOING AGAINST
WHAT THEY PROMISED. WHAT IS EXACTLY GOING ON?
IT'S HARD TO THROW OFF OLD HABITS, I THINK. THERE WAS SUCH STRONG CENSORSHIP FOR SO LONG
IN BURMA, THAT THE GOVERNMENT NOW CAME UP WITH THIS DRAFT MEDIA LAW, WHICH IS SUPPOSE
TO ENSHRINE A LOT OF NEW FREEDOMS THAT THEY SAY THEY WANT...THEY WANT TO BUILD DEMOCRACY.
BUT THE LAW... ACTUALLY, A LOT OF OUTSIDE CRITICS SAY THAT IT IS JUST AS REPRESSIVE
AS THE PREVIOUS 1962 LAW THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO SUPERCEDE.
SO THEY MADE THIS LAW, AND THEY SAID, ''NO, THIS LAW MAY NOT WORK, SO LET'S TAKE IT BACK”?
AND THEN THERE WAS A PUSH, SO THEY ARE SAYING THAT 'WE MIGHT JUST GO AHEAD'.
PART OF WHAT IS COMPLICATED, FOR EXAMPLE, IS THAT THE LAW BANS ANY REPORTING ON GOVERNMENT'S
BATTLES WITH ETHNIC REBELS. IT ALSO BANS ANY CRITICAL COVERAGE OF THE MILITARY DRAFTED
CONSTITUTION. IF YOU LOOK AT THE FIRST OF THESE TWO ISSUES, THERE IS FIGHTING GOING
ON IN THE NORTH WITH KACHIN REBELS; THERE IS FIGHTING GOING ON IN THE SOUTHWEST WITH
ROHINGA. THESE ARE MINORITY GROUPS THAT HAVE DEEP CONFLICTS WITH THE BUDDHIST MAJORITY.
THE YOU HAVE THIS NEW MEDIA, SOME OF WHICH IS SENSATIONALIST, WHICH IS FANNING THE FLAMES
OF SOME OF THESE HATREDS. SOME PEOPLE'S EVERY DAY OPINIONS ABOUT THESE ETHNIC CONFLICTS
ARE GETTING SPLASHED ACROSS THE MEDIA, AND THE GOVERNMENT IS SAYING “WAIT, STOP, DON'T
PUBLISH THAT.” AND THEY ARE KIND OF GOING BACK INTO A REACTION, THAT “WE CAN JUST
SOLVE THIS PROBLEM BY CENSORING EVERYTHING.”
HOW DO THE EXILED MEDIA FIT INTO THE SCENARIO, THE BURMESE EXILE MEDIA?
YOU HAD DIFFERENT LAYERS OF FOREIGN AND/OR EXILE MEDIA FOR THE 50 YEARS OF THE DICTATORSHIP.
AND AS FAR AS THE BURMESE EXILE MEDIA GO, THE DEMOCRATIC VOICE OF BURMA WAS BASED IN
OSLO FOR YEARS. YOU HAD THAILAND-BASED AND INDIA-BASED EXILE GROUPS THAT WERE REALLY
THE MAIN SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE WHO MANAGED TO GET AHOLD OF THAT. IT WAS NOT
EASY, BUT THEY COULD. THOSE GROUPS NOW WANT TO COME BACK.
THERE ARE MANY CHALLENGES IN BURMA, BUT AS FAR AS THE DRAFT LAW IS CONCERNED, HOW DOES
IT AFFECT INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTERS?
INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING...I ACTUALLY CAN’T REALLY COMMENT ON THAT BUT IN GENERAL, BROADCAST
MEDIA IS MORE HEAVILY RESTRICTED. THE INTERNET IS STILL ALSO QUITE RESTRICTED EVEN THOUGH
THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE COMING ONLINE. THERE ARE PROJECTIONS THAT BY 2015, HUNDRED OF THOUSANDS
OF MORE PEOPLE WILL BE CONNECTED ONLINE. BLOGGERS ARE WORKING IN BURMA, BUT THERE IS THIS NEBULOUS
AMBIGUOUS SITUATION WITH CERTAIN LAWS ON THE BOOKS THAT ARE STILL THERE.
THANK TO MARK SNOWISS FOR THAT. OF COURSE WE KNOW MARK WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW BURMESE
MEDIA DEVELOPMENTS CLOSELY, AND VIEWERS CAN ALWAYS GET THE LATEST AT VOANEWS.COM.
SPEAKING OF WATCHING DEVELOPMENTS CLOSELY... AMERICANS ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES INTERESTED
IN THE UPCOMING U.S. SUPREME COURT RULING ON SAME SEX MARRIAGE. ACTIVISTS IN INDIA ARE
PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE DEBATE AS WELL. A KEY COURT RULING DECRIMINALIZED ***
IN INDIA ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO, BUT THAT RULING IS UNDER CHALLENGE. VOA'S ARU PANDE HAS MORE.
AS A GAY MAN IN INDIA, LIFE HAS NOT BEEN EASY FOR KIRAN. HE LEFT HIS HOME IN THE ANDAMAN
ISLANDS AND CAME TO NEW DELHI TWO YEARS AGO, AFTER YEARS OF RIDICULE FROM TEACHERS, STUDENTS
AND MEMBERS OF HIS OWN FAMILY. THE DISCRIMINATION AND FEELING OF BEING AN OUTCAST WAS NOT LIMITED
TO HIS PERSONAL LIFE.
"WHEN MY EMPLOYER FOUND OUT THAT I AM HOMOSEXUAL, THEY FIRED ME FROM MY JOB - SAYING YOU LOOK
AND ACT GAY AND WE CAN'T KEEP YOU HERE."
KIRAN FOUND WORK, HOPE AND SUPPORT AT THE NAZ FOUNDATION, A NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
WORKING WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE *** AND AIDS. ANJALI GOPALAN FOUNDED THE GROUP IN 1994 TO
WORK WITH MEN WHOM SHE SAYS HAD NO GAY IDENTITY AND WERE GETTING MARRIED TO WOMEN TO CONFORM
TO SOCIETAL NORMS.
"TO ME, IT BECAME VERY CLEAR THE IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. IT TOOK ON
A GREAT URGENCY. I BELIEVE PEOPLE WHO DON'T VALUE THEMSELVES WILL NOT PROTECT THEMSELVES
FROM ***."
SHE DECIDED TO FOCUS HER EFFORTS ON REPEALING THE LAW CRIMINALIZING HOMOSEXUAL SEX AFTER
SPEAKING WITH A 20-YEAR OLD WHO UNDERWENT SHOCK THERAPY AT A MAJOR DELHI HOSPITAL IN
ORDER TO "BECOME STRAIGHT." THE NEARLY DECADE-LONG EFFORT PAID OFF WITH THE DELHI HIGH COURT
DECLARING THE LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN 2009. GOPALAN SAYS THE RULING HAS TREMENDOUS IMPACT.
"NO LONGER COULD WE AS A CULTURE, SWEEP HOMOSEXUALITY UNDER THE CARPET BY SAYING OH, IT'S A WESTERN
PHENOMENON."
LAWYER AND GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST ADITYA BONDYOPADHYAY AGREES. HE SAYS THE RULING MEANS POLICE ARE
LESS LIKELY TO HARASS GAY MEN IN PUBLIC PARKS -- BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY - THAT HOMOSEXUALS
ARE LESS AFRAID OF COMING OUT.
"WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE JUDGMENT IS THAT ENORMOUS, EXUBERANT FORCE OF PEOPLE HAVE BECOME
UNLEASHED, IT'S LIKE THE GENIE GETTING OUT OF THE BOTTLE AND CAN NOT BE PUT BACK AGAIN.
PEOPLE HAVE CERTAINLY TASTED THAT LIBERTY."
STILL, GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS SAY THE FIGHT IS FAR FROM OVER. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS ARE
CHALLENGING THE RULING THAT DECRIMINALIZED HOMOSEXUAL SEX IN THE INDIAN SUPREME COURT.
UNTIL THAT ISSUE IS SETTLED, ACTIVISTS SAY THEY CANNOT PRESS FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AND
OTHER RIGHTS.
OUR THANKS TO ARU PANDE FOR THAT. ARU ARRIVED IN NEW DELHI RECENTLY, AND HAS ALREADY HIT
THE GROUND RUNNING FOR US... THANKS TO ARU ...
AND THAT'S THE END OF OUR SHOW - TUNE IN NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE GRAVE DANGERS FACING
WOMEN IN POST-REVOLUTIONARY EGYPT.
WE'LL ALSO GO TO SENEGAL TO SEE THE EXTREMES TO WHICH SOME WOMEN GO FOR BEAUTY.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT ON ASSIGNMENT ON THE INTERNET - WE'RE ON VOANEWS.COM, FACEBOOK
AND YOUTUBE.
THANKS FOR WATCHING. WE WILL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
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