IMMIGRANTS - Syrian Man’s Nightmare

"Syrian man’s immigration nightmare: stranded for months in a Malaysian airport" PBS NewsHour 5/11/2018

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SUMMARY:  Hassan al Kontar, a Syrian national, has been living in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur airport for more than 60 days, stuck in legal limbo over his immigration status.  The PBS NewsHour’s Rhana Natour reports.

MUSIC - "Not So" by Magic Reong

I didn't know you could play an electric guitar like a keyboard.  Also note the the instrument being played with the curved hammers is a modern version of the Balinese Reong.

These guys are GOOD!

HUMAN TRAFFICKING - Malaysia, Camps and Graves

"Human trafficking camps and mass graves discovered in Malaysia" PBS NewsHour 5/26/2015

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SUMMARY:  In Malaysia, migrants fleeing persecution and impoverishment have found a new nightmare when they land ashore.  Authorities admit they have found dozens of human trafficking camps in the country’s jungles, where desperate refugees have been starved, beaten, extorted and killed.  Jordan Sparks of Independent Television News reports.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  We travel now to Malaysia, where thousands of migrants, fleeing persecution and impoverishment, are spending weeks trapped at sea, find a different nightmare when they finally land ashore.

Jonathan Sparks of Independent Television News reports.

And a warning:  The story contains some graphic elements.

JOHN SPARKS, Independent Television News:  We were taken in army trucks to the bottom of the mountain, where the Malaysian authorities said they’d found a human traffickers’ camp.  This was a significant development.  Last week, they vehemently denied there were any.

We’re still going, are we?  We’re still going to the camp?

MAN:  Ya, ya, ya, ya.

JOHN SPARKS:  The order was given and we began to climb.  Yesterday, the Malaysians came clean, admitting there were at least 28 of these camps where traffickers held thousands of migrants, persecuted Burmese Muslims called Rohingya and impoverished Bangladeshis.

And we followed in their footsteps, men, women and children forced up and down this trail.  The track is rough, and it’s also very steep, but you can see that it’s well used.  There’s litter all over the place.  And it’s difficult to believe that local people and members of the authorities didn’t know that there were hundreds of people living out here.

The camp took shape from a distance.  Such was it size, it wasn’t easy to hide a bamboo jail that stretched across a mountain clearing, but further details were hard to come by.

AIR SAFETY - Lessons From AirAsia Flight 8501 Crash (Update)

"Using AirAsia Flight 8501’s mistakes to prevent future crashes" PBS NewsHour 1/29/2015

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SUMMARY:  The black box from AirAsia Flight 8501 provided some answers about what caused the crash, but also opened up questions about automation and why mistakes from past accidents haven’t been corrected.  Science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins Gwen Ifill to discuss eerie similarities between AirAsia’s flight and past crashes and why the still-missing Malaysia Airlines flight was declared an accident.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  Now an update on aviation stories from around the world.

In Malaysia, the government has officially declared the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 last March an accident.  In Indonesia, investigators now say the co-pilot was in control when AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the Java Sea last month.  And U.S. officials are reporting a spike in online threats against major airlines.

I’m joined now by science correspondent Miles O’Brien.

Let’s take these one at a time, Miles.

Declaring this flight an accident, is that something we kind of knew?

MILES O’BRIEN (NewsHour):  Yes, we did.

And, really, this is not based on any new information about the investigation.  This is more bookkeeping.  There are international treaties which require airlines to declare an aircraft missing or an accident or whatever the case may be.  And this makes it possible for the victims, for the families to seek redress.  And so…

GWEN IFILL:  We should remind people, this has never been found, this particular air…

MILES O’BRIEN:  That’s correct.

So, I mean, missing is considered an accident, by technical terms.  Here we are approaching the one-year anniversary of this event, and I think that it was time to allow these families to move on and seek their claims.

And so, meanwhile, the search continues in the Southern Indian Ocean.  That will continue until the weather gets too bad, probably in May or so, but we don’t know anything new.  So when people say it’s been declared an accident, remember, it’s based on the same information we have had for quite some time.

MALAYSIA - 6mths After Disappearance of Flight MH370

"Will flight tracking evolve in wake of Malaysia Air mystery?" PBS NewsHour 10/8/2014

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GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  Now the continuing search for a missing jetliner that captured the attention of the world.

More than six months ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 mysteriously disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, triggering a massive search.  The plane was thought to have crashed somewhere in or near the Southern Indian Ocean with 239 people on board.  A nearly two-month-long search for wreckage and clues proved futile, yielding no definitive answers about just what happened to the plane.  It’s been months, but now the search is back on.

Jeffrey Brown has more.

JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour):  The break gave investigators time to create a kind of map of the understood water seabed, and the search resumed on Monday.  Three ships will be involved in this next phase, which could last as long as a year.

Last spring, ships and planes from 14 countries served vast areas of the South China Sea and other regions.

Tonight’s “NOVA” focuses on the continuing investigation and many questions that remain and the technology of tracking planes.

Our science correspondent, Miles O’Brien, is the producer and reporter for the report titled “Why Planes Vanish” and he joins me from Boston.

So, Miles, as the search restarts, where do things stand?  What exactly are they focused on now?

MILES O’BRIEN (NewsHour):  Well, they’re focused on a very big area.

And, Jeff, it’s hard not to say that we’re sort of still at square one on this one.  And that’s an amazing thing to say so many months after the loss of MH370.  The search zone has been defined by some ingenious mathematics.  Essentially, engineers in this company Inmarsat, which operates communications satellites, which was part of what was equipped on MH370, were able to turn a communications capability into a positioning tool and were able to define this location in the Southern Indian Ocean as a search zone for the flight, which flew on seven hours after it disappeared from radar screens.

But we know it’s in that hemisphere by virtue of this mathematics, but it’s in a very, very big region, a big swathe.  They can’t define a bullseye.  So we have got to be ready for a long search here.

MH17 - Putin Changing Course?

"Will the MH17 disaster cause Putin to change course in Ukraine?" PBS NewsHour 7/21/2014

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GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  When the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down, the stakes in the fight for the future of Ukraine went up.  At the center of what has rapidly become a global flash point is the deteriorating relationship between the U.S. and Russia.  But what, if anything, can the U.S. or Russia do in the face of international grief, recrimination and derailed diplomacy?

Stephen Sestanovich was U.S. ambassador-at-large for the former Soviet Union during the Clinton administration.  He’s now senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.  And Eugene Rumer was the national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia during the Obama administration from 2010 to 2014.  He’s now director of Russia and Eurasia Programs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Stephen Sestanovich, how much — how much good can international pressure do?

STEPHEN SESTANOVICH, Council on Foreign Relations:  Well, there’s no doubt that Russia faces the most appalling public relations predicament that it’s been in, in decades.  And it is going to be responding to international pressure.

No government wants to have the kind of criminal reputation that the Russians are acquiring for their handling of this.  And the result is — you already see — is a kind of backing off of some of the positions that they have taken.  They supported a U.N. Security Council resolution today.  The separatists have been urged to release the bodies.  There is that kind of minimal level of cooperation that is meant to rescue their international position right now.

UKRAINE - The Shooting Down of Passenger Plane MH17 (4 parts)

"MH17 crash in war zone poses security challenges, but may be aided by more ‘eyes’" (Part-1) PBS NewsHour 7/18/2014

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JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Leaders from around the world called for an investigation into who shot down the Malaysian passenger plane.  But how can that be done in the middle of a war zone?

Hari Sreenivasan has that.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  For that, we turn to New York Times reporter Mark Mazzetti, and P.J. Crowley, who served as assistant secretary of state during the first Obama administration and is now a fellow at George Washington University.

Mark, I want to start with you.

From your sources in the intelligence community, is there any certainty on whether the surface-to-air missile was from Russia or from the rebels?

MARK MAZZETTI, The New York Times:  Not total certainty on that point.

You heard President Obama say — put the blame pretty squarely on Moscow today, saying either they did it themselves or they gave it to the rebels and they were doing this by proxy.  Either way, the president said, and as intelligence officials are sort of pointing out, it’s — Russia is escalating the conflict by introducing these surface-to-air missiles.

But you raise a good point.  Exactly how this happened, exactly how the missiles got there and when they got there is still an important point to — question to answer.

"Understanding the risks of flying in unfriendly skies" (Part-2) PBS NewsHour 7/18/2014

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SUMMARY:  For a closer look at the challenges on the ground at the site of the downed Malaysia Airlines plane in Eastern Ukraine, Judy Woodruff talks to Matt Frei of Independent Television News from Donetsk.  Science correspondent Miles O’Brien (NewsHour) joins in to discuss why the jetliner was on a flight path over a conflict zone.

"Did Russia destroy key evidence from the MH17 crash site in Ukraine?" (Part-3) PBS NewsHour 7/19/2014

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SUMMARY:  Ukraine accused Russia and pro-Russian separatists today of destroying evidence that could offer clues about the downing of the Malaysian Airlines plane that went down in Ukraine earlier this week.

"Kerry:  Evidence mounts pointing blame at pro-Russian separatists for MH17" (Part-4) PBS NewsHour 7/20/2014

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SUMMARY:  Pro-Russian separatist leader Alexander Borodai said today that critical evidence has been recovered from the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that is believed to have been shot down Thursday near the Ukrainian-Russian border.  Secretary of State John Kerry said there was overwhelming evidence that pro-Russian separatists shot down the plane.

MALAYSIA - Flight MH370 Updated 3/25/2014

"Using social media to scour the ‘haystack’: More than 3 million join search for Flight 370 from home" PBS NewsHour 3/21/2014

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SUMMARY:  The overflow of information generated during a crisis like the Malaysian airliner gone missing can be just as paralyzing as the absence of information for those officials charged with searching.  A crowdsourced search for Flight 370 harnesses the energy and time of the more than 3 million people who have volunteered to scour satellite imagery.  Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.

"Missing plane search focuses on new satellite imagery data" PBS NewsHour 3/22/2014

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SUMMARY:  After two weeks of searching, the missing Malaysian Airlines plane has yet to be found.  In recent days both Australian and Chinese satellite imagery have picked up on objects that could be aircraft debris.  What does this mean for search?  Hari Sreenivasan speaks with WSJ reporter Andy Pasztor about the technology authorities are using to find flight 370 and how it is affected by nature.

"Malaysian government says Flight 370’s final satellite ping ended over the Southern Indian Ocean" PBS NewsHour 3/24/2014

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SUMMARY:  Around the time the passengers on board Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 should have arrived in Beijing, their plane came down in the empty Indian Ocean 6,000 miles away — with no chance that anyone survived.  Tom Clarke of Independent Television News reports on the announcement on the presumed fate of the airliner by the Malaysian government.

"Still facing abyss of questions, what gives Malaysia confidence in its Flight 370 conclusion?" PBS NewsHour 3/24/2014

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SUMMARY:  After 17 days of searching for the missing airliner, Malaysian officials announced that they believe it went down in the Southern Indian Ocean and that no one survived.  Michael Schmidt of The New York Times joins Judy Woodruff to discuss lingering questions for the Malaysian authorities in light of their conclusion.

MALAYSIA - Flight MH370, 10th Day

"Pilot’s political views raise fresh questions in search for missing Malaysian airliner" (Part-1) PBS NewsHour 3/17/2014

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  The latest now on the investigation into Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.  There were more questions raised today about the pilot himself after reports confirmed he attended the trial of a leading jailed political opposition figure just hours before the flight.

New video also showed the pilot and co-pilot passing through security detectors before they took off.

Lucy Watson of Independent Television News begins our coverage.

LUCY WATSON, Independent Television News:  Little did they know that such routine movements would be so scrutinized.  This is Zaharie Shah, the pilot, and Fariq Abdul Hamid, the co-pilot of MH370.

Mohd Othman has known Captain Zaharie for 40 years, but now his friend’s anti-government views are being cited as a reason why he may have taken control of the flight.

MOHD NASIR OTHMAN, Friend of Pilot:  He’s just a normal, typical Malaysian who has his own political beliefs.  But to say he’s obsessed, I don’t think so.  He’s a professional.  He wouldn’t endanger the passengers.

LUCY WATSON:  But 10 days on, speculation is great, with the focus on the crew.  The airline doesn’t want us to talk to their families.  And the families aren’t being given a say.

We have just been escorted out of this hotel by Malaysia Airlines, because this is where the families of the 12 crew members are being held.  And they have been here for just over a week and they’re not allowed to talk to the media.  Malaysia says the plane was deliberately diverted.

A vast area is now being searched by teams from 26 countries with particular focus on two possible flight paths.  The last voice message from the aircraft was from the co-pilot, who said, “All right, good night,” at 1:19 a.m. local time, 12 minutes after tracking systems sent their last transmission before they were disabled.

Since then, these men continue to confront criticism.

Is it not time for the Malaysian government to admit that they have made some mistakes and at least apologize to the families?

DATUK SERI HISHAMMUDDIN HUSSEIN, Transport Minister, Malaysia:  That’s purely erroneous, because I have also got a lot of feedback that in the circumstances that they are facing, we have been very responsible in our actions.

LUCY WATSON:  But actions yet to show results and many questions, with few real answers.

"26 countries searching for missing airliner face lack of big breaks, vast terrain" (Part-2) PBS NewsHour 3/17/2014

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SUMMARY:  Confusion reigns and theories abound on the 10th day of the burgeoning search for the missing Malaysian jet.  Officials offered contradictory information about the timing of the disabling of the jet’s communications, while investigators and the press chase information on the pilot’s political activity.  Judy Woodruff gets an update from Andy Pasztor of The Wall Street Journal.

MALAYSIA - Flight MH370 an Act of Piracy?

"Window may be closing on possibility that Malaysian jetliner disappearance was aviation accident" PBS NewsHour 3/14/2014

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HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  After nearly a week, the search and speculation continue to grow.  Ships and planes from a growing number of nations have expanded the hunt to the west and the east.  Various news accounts today quoted unnamed officials, both Malaysian and U.S., that it’s increasingly likely the Boeing 777 changed course, possibly in an act of piracy.

What’s now known is the plane left Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing, reached an altitude of 35,000 feet, and then stopped communicating with air traffic controllers around 1:30 in the morning last Saturday, somewhere over the South China Sea.  One possibility, it made a hard left turn.  The search areas now encompass thousands of miles, stretching further into the South China Sea and also pushing Westward into the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean.

That’s in keeping with reports the plane traveled several hours after disappearing, although Malaysia won’t confirm or deny it.

"New details on missing plane emerge shifting investigation’s direction" PBS NewsHour 3/16/2014

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SUMMARY:  With new information released Sunday about the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, authorities have taken both the search and investigation in a new direction.  Where are investigators focusing their efforts?  Hari Sreenivasan speaks with Michael Schmidt, who has been covering the story for the New York Times, about the current focus on the pilot and other recent developments.

MALAYSIA - Security Failure on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

"Security failures of missing Malaysian flight spark concern" PBS NewsHour 3/9/2014

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HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  For more about whether the crash of that Malaysian jetliner was an act of terrorism, we are joined now from Washington by Rafi Ron.  He is an aviation security expert and former director of security at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport.

So, Mr. Ron, of what we do know we have a few things confirmed:  We had good weather.  We had experienced pilots.  We had solid safety records for both the airline and the aircraft.  We had no distress signal.  And then we have the incidence of these stolen passports.  Does it all point toward a security failure and terrorism.

RAFI RON:  There’s no question that there is a security failure by the fact that two people were allowed to board the flight with identities that do not belong to them.  But whether this security failure is connected in any way to the destruction of the aircraft – or the disappearance of the aircraft – it is still yet to be determined.  At this time there is no direct evidence to tie up the two events.

"How does a modern jetliner vanish without a trace?" PBS NewsHour 3/10/2014

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SUMMARY:  There are still many more questions than answers in the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.  Judy Woodruff asks former NTSB investigator Alan Diehl and former NTSB board member John Goglia to speculate on different known factors and possible theories.

MALAYSIA - Demand for Palm Oil = Migrant Workers

"Growing Demand for Palm Oil Drives Malaysia to Employ Child Migrant Workers" PBS Newshour 2/12/2013

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JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour):  Next: the very high cost of a very common product.

A growing demand for palm oil used in cooking and many processed foods is driving one country to harvest it using migrant workers, many of them children.

Special correspondent Steve Sapienza traveled to Malaysia, one of the world's second largest exporter of the oil.  His story is part of a collaboration with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

STEVE SAPIENZA:  In Malaysia's Sabah province, migrant workers hustle to keep up with the rising global demand for palm oil.  Made from the fruit of oil palm tree, it is now found in more than half of all the products sold in U.S. supermarkets, from cookies to cosmetics.

This labor-intensive work has changed little since the 1960s, when the government first pushed the expansion of palm oil production.  Today, palm oil is Malaysia's top crop, netting $25 billion dollars a year, and driving the spread of palm oil plantations into the wilderness.

The once sleepy port town of Lahad Datu is at the epicenter of Malaysia's palm oil boom.  The local population has doubled over the past 15 years, and real estate prices are soaring in what has been dubbed Palm City.