Return to Transcripts main page
NEWS STREAM
North Korea Executes Defense Chief; Gunmen Kill 43 in Attack on Bus in Pakistan; Radio Announcement: President of Burundi Overthrown; Six Killed, 146 Injured in U.S. Train Derailment; Slavery on Ghost Ships; E.U. Commission's Migrant Plan; Migrant Parents Protest China's Law Changes; Highlights of CNN "WORLD SPORT". Aired 8-9a ET
Aired May 13, 2015 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to NEWS STREAM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT (voice-over): A high-profile execution in Pyongyang: reports say that Kim Jong-un's defense chief has been killed.
Plus a devastating scene in Pennsylvania: at least six people are dead and dozens injured after a passenger train derails.
And all this week we've been highlighting the use of slave labor in the seafood industry. And today I'll tell you about so-called "ghost ships"
with trafficked men on board.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
STOUT: And we begin this hour with reports the defense minister of North Korea has been executed. Now South Korean media report that Hyon Yong Chol
was shot and killed in a military school in Pyongyang in front of a crowd of hundreds.
And for reference, this is an example of what is reported to have been used to kill him, an anti-aircraft gun. Hyon had been a long-time loyalist to
the North Korean leadership and his fall from grace seems quite sudden. In fact, just last month he led a North Korean delegation to Moscow. For more
on this story let's go straight to CNN's Kathy Novak in Seoul.
And Kathy, Hyon Yong Chol, he was the defense chief of North Korea. What more have you learned about him, his career and before this reported
execution his relationship with Kim Jong-un?
KATHY NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, this was a very senior official. He had been in the military for decades and was in the upper
ranks during the reign of Kim Jong-un's father, Kim Jung-il. So it seemed that he was in favor with the ruling family. He survived that leadership
transition and it was under the new leader in 2012 that he was promoted to chief of the Korean People's Army.
So it seemed that he was a high-profile person who was very well respected as you mentioned. He was seen on the international stage just last month
representing North Korea and mentioned by state media just on April 29th as being among a group of people who were attending a military event.
So it does seem quite sudden that the next report is of this very public and very brutal execution.
STOUT: Yes, very brutal indeed. And the fact that Hyon Yong Chol was reportedly executed by anti-aircraft fire? Kathy, he wasn't just executed;
he was obliterated.
What does that detail alone reveal about Kim Jong-un?
NOVAK: Well, Kristie, you showed the kind of weapon right there. These are not weapons designed to shoot people at short range. They're supposed
to be very long-range weapons. And it's not the first time that we've heard a mention of anti-aircraft weapons. Now the U.S.-based Committee for
Human Rights in North Korea was examining satellite images that it said it took back in October last year. And it says that it noticed some unusual
activity at a military academy about 20 kilometers north of Pyongyang. It was observing these images that were taken at an area that should have been
used for training with short arms and the like -- short-range arms, rather.
And it says that it saw this unusual activity there I'm referring to, which is the lining up of six anti-aircraft weapons and then what it thinks was
people being bused in. Now of course this is all coming from just this source, the U.S.-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. But it
says that's very unusual and it seems to point to what might have been a public execution.
So of course everything is very difficult to confirm when it comes out of this very reclusive state. But the second mention of anti-aircraft weapons
is raising some eyebrows.
STOUT: Yes, from these reports, very unusual, very brutal indeed. Kathy Novak reporting live from Seoul, thank you.
Now we have breaking news out of the East African nation of Burundi. Reports say a top general has announced on radio that the president has
been overthrown. Deadly protests have rocked the country since last month as President Pierre Nkurunziza seeks a third term. Demonstrators say that
his run violates the constitution.
And now to Pakistan, where six gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on a bus in Karachi, killing 43 people. At least 20 people were wounded. Police say
most of the victims were shot in the head. The bus was carrying men, women and children from a minority Shiite sect. A militant group that targets
the Shiite minority has claimed responsibility for the attack and has vowed to carry out more.
Journalist Michelle Stockman is in the capital, Islamabad, and she joins me now live.
Michelle, some grisly details to this brutal attack.
What more have you learned?
MICHELLE STOCKMAN, JOURNALIST: That's right. This is a brutal attack, a mass shooting against a group of Ismaili Muslims, a subset within the Shia
Muslim sect here within Pakistan. What we know from hospital staff is that in the aftermath of the attack, the bus carrying the victims, unconscious
and dead, was driven directly into their parking lot and the staff described a scene of devastation, a bus riddled with bullets and blood
splattered everywhere.
And police, in a conference to local media, said that the assailants boarded the bus and executed the victims execution style directly in their
heads. So really a brutal attack targeting a religious minority here in Pakistan.
STOUT: Now 43 people were killed by gunmen on motorbikes in this attack, a militant group -- they're called Jundullah, has claimed responsibility.
Who are they?
STOCKMAN: That's right, Kristie. This is a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban. They have attacked religious minorities in the past.
They're responsible for a church bombing against Christian in Peshawar in 2013 and also earlier this year a bombing of a mosque, a Shia mosque in the
same province of Karachi, the Sindh province.
Now it's unclear exactly why they carried out this attack. But we know that they have vowed to carry out attacks against different sects within
Islam that they consider heretical, the Alevi sect, the Shiite sect. So again, this is just an occasion of the cloud of terrorism that religious
minorities live under here in Pakistan -- Kristie.
STOUT: And now we have 43 people confirmed dead, a horrific attack -- Michelle Stockman reporting for us, thank you.
A cease-fire appears to be holding in Yemen. It was proposed by Saudi Arabia until all the flow of aid to the civilian population. But some
organizations are already voicing concern that the five-day pause won't be long enough to cope with the vast needs in the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT (voice-over): The coalition had been bombing Houthi targets after the rebels took over the capital and other parts of the country.
And again, we are following the breaking news out of the East African nation of Burundi. Now reports say a top general has announced on the
radio that the president of Burundi has been overthrown. We've been reporting deadly protests have been rocking the country since last month as
President Pierre Nkurunziza seeks a third term. Demonstrators in the country say that that attempt, that run violates the constitution.
Survivors say that they saw other passengers catapulted onto luggage racks as the wreck was happening. Up next right here on NEWS STREAM, we'll give
you the latest on the deadly train derailment in the U.S. city of Philadelphia.
Also ahead, the source is on for a missing U.S. military helicopter in Nepal after it disappeared during an earthquake relief mission.
Also the E.U. Commission puts forward a plan for taking in some of the migrants trying to reach the shores of Europe. We'll have a look at the
proposal.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
STOUT (voice-over): All right. Welcome back. You're watching NEWS STREAM.
And if you're just joining us, we are following breaking news out of the East African nation of Burundi. Reports say a top general has announced
on the radio that the president of Burundi has been overthrown.
Deadly protests have been rocking the country since last month as the president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, is seeking a third term. And
demonstrators in the country say that that attempt to run for a third term violates the constitution.
And meanwhile in Nepal, four aircraft are helping search for a U.S. military helicopter. It looks similar to this one and it went missing
while on a relief mission on Tuesday, the same day Nepal was hit by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake. Now six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese service
members are on board and officials now say Tuesday's quake killed 94 people and injured nearly 2,000. And it happened just as the country was starting
to recover from an even more powerful quake that hit last month.
Let's head straight to Nepal now and CNN's Will Ripley joins me live from the capital, Kathmandu, and Will, you arrived there in Nepal shortly after
just hours after yesterday's major tremor.
What is the latest on the devastation and the human toll of the earthquake?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been such a difficult time for the people who live here in Nepal, Kristie. Earlier we were at a tent city.
This was a golf course, where people set up makeshift shelters because their homes, which were weakened in the first earthquake continued to
crumble when there was that major aftershock and so people no longer feel safe to sleep -- to sleep in their homes so now they're sleeping outside.
But also we're seeing something remarkable happening there. This was normally a quiet army outpost, the Nepalese army, though, is now using this
as the epicenter of their massive search and rescue effort. The helicopters that you see behind me have been coming in and carrying a
steady stream of survivors from the Himalayas. A lot of the people are injured and all they have are small bags of their possessions, some of them
clutching their children. But one thing that has not yet been recovered and the search continues in force is that U.S. military helicopter.
There are no confirmed sightings as of right now, no communication with the crew of that helicopter and as you can see, Kristie, sunlight is starting
to fade and therefore the search is going to have to wrap up for the day, at least the visual search, although we know that there are also army
troops on the ground in this area searching. And that might continue throughout the evening -- Kristie.
STOUT: The challenge is just immense for the rescue crews and for the relief and aid agencies as well. They have to deal with just a vast scope
of the devastation; millions of people affected. They have to work around the relentless aftershocks as well as the monsoon season approaching.
When you talk to the relief workers and they're dealing with so much, what is their priority right now?
RIPLEY: Their priority, of course, is getting relief supplies -- that's medical supplies, that's food, that's water -- to not only the people here
in Kathmandu, but also the people who remain trapped in those remote villages in the Himalayas. In fact, you can see this truck right here
carrying relief supplies.
What they're doing is they're loading the supplies onto these helicopters. They're flying them into the hardest hit regions and then once they've
loaded off the supplies, then they bring on more people who are injured. And of course, the first priority goes to the people who need immediate
medical care.
But with monsoon season just weeks away and with each aftershock triggering landslides, the rains also possibly trigger landslides, it could be a very
difficult situation, not to mention the fact that there are a lot of people who don't have adequate shelter right now.
And if there's heavy rain, it's just going to complication an already bad situation -- Kristie.
STOUT: That's right. The people in Nepal just coping with so much loss and so much uncertainty -- Will Ripley reporting on the ground there in
Kathmandu -- thank you, Will.
Let's get more now on the breaking news from Burundi. Reports again say a top general has announced on radio that the president has been overthrown.
CNN's Robyn Kriel has been following the latest developments. She joins us now live from Nairobi, Kenya.
And, Robyn, has there in fact been a coup in Burundi?
ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's what we're really trying to ascertain, Kristie. What we understand from eyewitnesses in Bujumbura, in
the country's capital, is that they saw soldiers surrounding the state broadcaster -- that would be the state radio and television station.
Reuters, Kristie, is reporting that Major General Godefroid Niyombareh told reporters on Wednesday that there had indeed been a military coup and that
they were dismissing the current president, Pierre Nkurunziza.
Now what he said is that this was because the president was running for a third term. He said he was working with civil rights groups, religious
leaders as well as politicians to form a transitional government. This was of course quoting Reuters sources on the ground, saying that he and other
senior officials within the military had decided to dismiss the president essentially.
They're calling it a military coup; this has also, as you said, been announced on state broadcasters. However, Kristie, I must just tell you a
very contradictory opinion. I spoke earlier to Willie (ph), the government spokesperson from Pierre Nkurunziza ruling party. He said that this is a
joke, that this has only happened in the past in Burundi, that there was no coup.
I might also add, Kristie, that the president is out of the country. He's at the East African Community Summit, which was on the Burundian
(INAUDIBLE) being held in Tanzania.
STOUT: So we're having -- we have these conflicting statements coming out of Burundi but the fact is this. We know that there is extreme political
instability in the country. That's been the case for weeks now. There have been fierce clashes with police this day.
What is the latest on the violence on the streets of Burundi?
KRIEL: Well, yes, as you said, fierce clashes, police firing water cannons as well as tear gas at protesters, also some eyewitnesses stating that they
seem to be firing live ammunition as well at protesters.
But a contradictory opinion as well, coming from government, saying that the protests were using violence against the police, that five police had
been killed.
So you're really seeing two sides of the story. Government also saying that these protests are very small and sporadic, that they were only
happening very, very small pockets of the country. But it was not the general population that was rising up against the president.
But indeed, we then heard from the senior military official. He is, in fact, the former head of the intelligence, Kristie. He was fired by the
president in February of this year. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the fact that he is now calling for this overthrow essentially.
STOUT: All right. Robyn Kriel, reporting live for us from Nairobi. If you get any more details, any confirmation on what in fact is happening
politically on the ground in Burundi, please update us.
Robyn Kriel, thank you.
The mayor of Philadelphia says he has seen nothing like it. Rescue teams in the city are combing the wreckage of a passenger train that derailed,
killing at least six people, more than 145 were taken to hospital; eight are in critical condition.
The train was heading from Washington to New York when the wreck happened. And CNN's Sara Sidner is still on the scene of that derailment. She joins
us now live.
And Sara, it is now morning in Philadelphia. Are you now getting a clear picture of this disaster?
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are. And it is horrific. I want to give you some idea because we were able to obtain some video only on CNN of
the actual accident happened. It's very grainy and hard to see, but I want to let you know where we are.
We're standing on a roof, just above the tracks. To my left, you will see a little camera there. That is the camera that captured this surveillance
video. I want to go to that surveillance video so you get some sense of where we are.
At the top of your screen on that surveillance video, you should be able to see the train go by. It's just kind of a light. You see sort of movement
at the very top of your screen. And then after that, a few seconds in, you will start seeing flashes of light, one, after the other, after the other,
after the other. That is the derailment happening. It happened at 9:23:40 according to that video. I want to also then, after you see those
pictures, because it doesn't give you a sense of where it is, this is where that happened.
And what you're looking at is the actual wreckage. It is still there, of course. There is a lot to do this morning. Investigators have been out
here all night long. We got here about an hour and a half after it happened. We have been here all night, watching all of this unfold. The
investigators going through every inch of the rail line, especially concentrating, it seems, on that turn that you see there. There's a curve.
It's a pretty sharp curve that you see there. It looks like the train derailed just after that. And what you're seeing is the last car of the
train. There were seven cars that derailed. People inside those cars described absolute chaos once it started to derail. Some of these cars
flipped over. Some of them almost broke in half. There was one that looked so mangled it's almost unrecognizable as an actual train car.
And we know now the unfortunate news that six people now have died from that crash. We also know that there are dozens of people who have been
hurt. They've got broken bones. They've got bruises and scratches.
But a lot of people were able to walk out of that wreckage and that is incredible, considering the damage that was done -- Kristie.
STOUT: Yes, indeed, indeed. And a chilling scene of the wreckage behind you and those flashes on the screen that you shared with us earlier, a
chilling record of what led to that horrible, horrible accident.
Sara Sidner reporting live from Philadelphia for us, thank you, Sara.
Now you're watching NEWS STREAM. Up next, stripped of their rights and their identities. CNN's "Freedom Project" takes a look at the traumatic
experiences of those forced into slave labor aboard so-called "ghost ships." Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
STOUT: CNN's "Freedom Project" continues to highlight efforts to end modern-day slavery around the world. And all this week we're focusing on
the Asia Pacific fishing industry and reports of men working as slave labor. In the first of a three-part series that we aired earlier this
week, a report in Thailand exposed the poor conditions and detention cells that Thai fishermen have been kept in on Indonesian islands.
In the second part, CNN discovered dozens of fishermen who returned home from their ordeal at sea and found that they are not recognized as
trafficking victims.
And now in part three, Saima Mohsin tells us about the so-called "ghost ships."
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, imagine being held against your will, your identity changed, your documents taken away from you and being
forced to work all day, all night, sometimes only given a few hours of sleep. Nobody knows where you are, not your family, not even the Thai
authorities can track you down.
Well, that's what's been happening for thousands of men lost at sea on board "ghost ships."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHSIN (voice-over): In the middle of the field, a rusty shack shelters two figures. They sit and wait.
The 77-year-old man shakes, awkwardly holding a phone to his ear. It's his son in Indonesia, a fisherman who's been missing for more than seven years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): I thought he was dead. We were sitting and thinking. He just disappeared, never showed up. Perhaps he's
dead. Maybe he died in the sea where he was trying to make a living.
MOHSIN (voice-over): He had no documents, no hope of being found or returning. But an aid organization, LPN, discovered him on an Indonesian
island along with hundreds of others. They took his information and went searching for his parents, garbage collectors in their 70s. They hope
he'll be home soon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I am desperate. My house is broken. I have no money. We have to wait for others to buy us some food.
MOHSIN (voice-over): I asked her if they'd go to the airport to greet him. She says they simply can't afford it, even though it would cost just $5 for
each of them.
In March and April, Thailand brought home more than 90 fishermen stranded on an Indonesian island, 90 out of a possible 3,000, according to LPN, a
labor rights organization. The men were discovered only when Indonesian authorities launched a crackdown on illegal fishing. Many of them gone for
months, years, even decades on so-called "ghost ships."
PATIMA TANGPRATYAKOON, LABOR RIGHTS PROMOTION NETWORK (through translator): The company could be given one permit to fish but in fact have five fishing
boats that rotate falsely under one permit. If they are caught, whoever's on board would be considered illegal since they're not in a boat with a
permit and often their documents are also forged under fake names.
So not only is the ship a ghost ship, but the people on board are also ghost people.
WARAPON PROMPOL, DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL, FISHERIES DEPARTMENT: It's impossible. They have to be out there all the time.
MOHSIN: Our investigation has led us to understand that there are ghost ships that stay out at sea. They can be refueled. They can be brought
water by other boats and laborers stay on them for many years.
PROMPOL: That's quite interesting, you know, but what -- that is the kind of thing that we have to find out as well in form of cooperation with other
countries. We -- this one have to be fixed. This problem have to be fixed. It should be that pier term on (ph) where they have to go be and go
back to the port.
MOHSIN: Are you going to raise that as an issue with your other counterparts?
PROMPOL: For this particular issue, yes, of course. We will raise this issue.
MOHSIN (voice-over): Nung (ph) drops to his knees. He was among one of the groups of Thai fishermen recently repatriated by the Thai government in
March. He planned to be away only a few months. He's been gone two years, a ghost at sea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): He told me he was given only a potato to eat and water to survive.
MOHSIN (voice-over): They cling to each other, refusing to let go, after being separated for far too long.
It's stories like these that have dominated TV screens at home and abroad that is forcing the Thai government to take more decisive action. The
marine department grants fishing licenses or permits to boats and companies. It's now going to make installing VMS or vessel monitoring
systems mandatory for an annual license.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now with the VMS you monitor everywhere ship goes. Can protect or omit the risk of breaking the law. I think it's going to be
better. It's going to be hard work for the compliance and enforcement of (INAUDIBLE).
MOHSIN (voice-over): As with all those implementation is key. But 50,000 boats registered with Thai authorities only 6,000, the bigger boats, will
be installed with the VMS. And initially even fewer, about 2,100, 60-plus ton vessels will get trackers. But at least the largest boats that head
into deep sea are less likely to become ghost ships.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MOHSIN: Now as we saw in my investigation there, the government is taking measures now to ensure this doesn't happen again in the future, including
port out and port in inspections on board ships, not just as a vessel as they've always done, but also of the people on board, which is so
important. About for the future, there is so much human suffering that's already taken place. And these men have effectively come back from the
dead and now they're seeking compensation from them, simply asking for the salary they're owed. And at some point, a new job where they're treated
with respect -- Kristie.
STOUT: Saima, thank you. It's really eye-opening reporting there.
All this week you've heard from former slaves in the fishing industry, the activists helping them and now government officials pledging to do more.
And if you've missed any of our reports, just straight to cnn.com/freedom to find them.
And on Thursday, we're going to learn about your role. We speak to Justin Dillon of Slavery Footprint, which tracks how forced labor factors into the
products you buy. Find out more this time tomorrow right here on NEWS STREAM.
Still to come on the program, migrants are flooding into parts of Europe and Asia at an extremely high rate. How countries are handling it -- next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
STOUT: Now if you're just following this, we're following breaking news out of the East African nation of Burundi, a top general there has
announced on the radio that the president has been overthrown. But a government spokesman that is not true. Now deadly protests have been
rocking the country since last month as President Pierre Nkurunziza seeks a third term. Demonstrators in his country say that his run violates the
constitution.
CNN's Robyn Kriel is following developments from Nairobi, Kenya, as she joins us now live once again. And Robyn, again, conflicting reports about
whether or not there's been a coup in Burundi.
What are you hearing now?
KRIEL: Well, Kristie, just a short while ago a Burundian A.U. official confirmed tome that a coup attempt was underway in Burundi in the capital,
Bujumbura. This does obviously correlate with what we have heard from eyewitnesses on the ground, who state that they've heard on state radio
stations a senior military official, Godefroid Niyombareh, stating that he has dismissed the president, that he is -- that he and several members of
the civil rights unions, various other members of civil society are working together to now form an interim government and essentially that President
Pierre Nkurunziza is out.
But when I spoke to a government spokesperson, he stated, Kristie, in fact he was laughing when we spoke. He said it was a joke, that this is not the
case, that a coup has not -- that a coup has not been enacted, that there are not soldiers at the state broadcaster, as Reuters news agency is
reporting. So really quite a confusing situation on the ground. We are trying to understand more of it.
STOUT: OK. So a Burundian A.U. official has confirmed to you that a coup attempt is indeed underway in Burundi -- Robyn Kriel reporting for us, many
thanks indeed for that update.
Close to 2,000 migrants are believed to have lost their lives this year while trying to reach Europe from North Africa. And now the European
Commission is putting forward a plan that would see its member countries share the burden of taking in some of those who've risked their lives for
the chance at a better life.
The proposals will certainly be controversial. CNN's Atika Shubert joins us now from London with more.
And Atika, the European Commission has unveiled its plan for handling the migrant crisis. Please walk us through the proposals.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's quite a comprehensive proposal. It tackles both stopping those boats of migrants coming to
Europe and tripling the amount of resources available to Frontex, which is of course the E.U.'s border mechanism, tripling their resources to try and
combat the problem. But also it tries to sort of spread the burden to not just those front line countries like Italy, Greece and Spain but also make
sure that there's a legal way for migrants and for refugees to come across to Europe, especially to countries in Northern Europe. So here's some of
the points of it, tripling of course the capacities of Frontex but also a 50-million euro resettlement scheme to transfer 20,000 people to Europe in
a safe and legal manner.
Now of course, the question is going to be in the details. And each of the member states has its own reservations about a plan like this, whether or
not it's mandatory or voluntarily for example. But the E.U. Commission vice president, Frans Timmermans today made a plea to all the countries to
solve the situation as soon as possible. Take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANS TIMMERMANS, EUROPEAN COMMISSION VICE PRESIDENT: It's not acceptable to people around the E.U. to say, yes, stop; people are dying in the
Mediterranean and at the same time remain silent when the question is raised, what should happen to these people once they were saved in the
Mediterranean?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: Now part of this plan also means not only will they be making it -- find more legal methods for people to come to Europe but also once
asylum seekers are taken in, there are of course many migrants that have been -- that have not been given asylum in Europe. And for those migrants,
those irregular migrants as they're called in the document, they will be returned to their country of original. And this is very much a sticking
point is trying to find a safe way in which to return many of those people that come here. And so this will one of the things they'll be debating in
the weeks to come.
STOUT: Thank you very much indeed, Atika Shubert there with the details on this E.U. plan. And of course the question now is whether all E.U. member
states will be on board, willing to share the responsibility of this European migrant crisis.
Atika Shubert there, thank you.
A surge in migrants is a major issue in Asia as well. Nearly 600 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh arrived by boat in Indonesia on Sunday and have
been living in a sports hall. Officials say that they hope to move the migrants to a larger facility soon with better sanitation and sleeping
accommodation. One of the migrants told Reuters that he hopes the U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR, will help get them to Australia.
Now a new United Nations report paints a startling picture of the number of Rohingya refugees. It says that in the first quarter this year 25,000
migrants boarded smugglers' boats in the Bay of Bengal. The U.N. believes 300 people died during those trips. Many suffered starvation and
dehydration.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. And still to come, in China, migrant parents are protesting changes to household laws and Chinese authorities aren't
pleased. We'll tell you what happened to our crew after the break.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
STOUT: Welcome back. Now in China, migrant parents are protesting changes in household registration laws outside of an Education Commission building
in Beijing today. Our CNN crew was there and tried to interview some of the parents. What happened next was startling and it reflects China's
attitude towards reports of dissent in the country.
Our David McKenzie joins us now with more.
And David, please walk us through what happened when you were detained by police in Beijing today.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, certainly these parents, they say they have legitimate grievances against the Chinese government,
effectively complaining that their schoolchildren, aged children, cannot get into school. They're migrants and they are lacking a lot of the
support from the government that Beijing citizens get.
We got word of this protest and certainly when we got there it was clear that the cameras weren't wanted.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE (voice-over): We had gotten wind of a protest in Beijing. Scores of migrant parents saying their children are locked out of public schools.
But coverage protests is never easy in China.
MCKENZIE: People don't want to speak me about the (INAUDIBLE). If they want to speak to me, they should be allowed.
You don't take our cameras. You don't take our cameras.
Excuse me.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Thousands of protests like this happen every year across the country.
MCKENZIE: This is a protest from the hookah system (ph).
MCKENZIE (voice-over): But the Communist Party doesn't like images of dissent getting out.
MCKENZIE: You have no right to do this here.
So we're sitting here; we're surrounded by police. The protest was a peaceful protest so it's unclear why. In fact, they rushed on us like
this.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): The more senior officer eventually arrives. He checks our IDs and we're told to leave the area. The parents cheer our
release. Some distance away, they say bureaucratic rules mean their children can't go to school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): We've lived here for over 10 years. We pay taxes. We have social security and we have our own apartment. But
somehow our kids are not allowed to go to local schools.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): The Communist Party has promised to reform the registration system but it's clear it doesn't want to show cracks in what
they call the harmonious society.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Now certainly, Kristie, we don't always want to be -- we frequently don't want to be part of the story and certainly the parents'
issues are far greater than anything that happened to us today in Beijing. But it does show the tightening grip that the Chinese government has even
over the foreign media; some 90 percent of foreign reporters surveyed last year said that conditions had worsened in China over the previous year --
Kristie.
STOUT: All right. David McKenzie reporting live from Beijing -- and just to clarify, when we talk about migrant workers in China, these are migrants
inside China, not from outside the country, but are effectively illegal aliens inside their home country -- David McKenzie, thank you so much for
your reporting this day.
And finally, an update on the breaking news story out of the African -- East African nation of Burundi. We have heard from CNN's Robyn Kriel on
the ground in Nairobi that a senior Burundi and African Union official has confirmed that a military coup attempt is in fact underway. But a
government spokesman in Burundi says that that is not true. So there are these conflicting reports coming out of the country.
In the backdrop of all this, the president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, he is outside of the country, attending a crisis summit in Tanzania. He
has been hit with this political challenge, deadly protests have been rocking his country since last month when announced that he was going to
run for a third term. A number of demonstrators, people in Burundi, are against that because they say that that violates the constitution and there
are reports of fierce clashes this day on the streets of Burundi. This as we are learning from a senior Burundi African Union official that a
military coup is underway in the country.
And that is it for NEWS STREAM. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But keep it here for the sports headlines on CNN.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to CNN WORLD SPORT. I'm Alex Thomas in London. We're six hours away from kickoff in the Champions
League semifinals second leg at the Bernabeu Stadium where either Real Madrid or Juventus will book a meeting with Barcelona next month. Real are
the defending champions and trail 2-1 from the first leg in Italy. Their preparations have been dogged by the controversy of a Gareth Bale future,
the $130 million man has been criticized for his form this season. Bale's agent says his teammates don't pass to him enough, a claim given short
shrift by Real boss Carlo Ancelotti.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLO ANCELOTTI, REAL MADRID BOSS (through translator): This is a world in which a lot of people talk and sometimes they talk too much. (INAUDIBLE)
who has never been to one of our training sessions, who doesn't know the atmosphere we have, who spoke from the outside. Bale has never had
problems with his teammates and his teammates have never had problems with Bale. His teammates love Bale and Bale also loves them.
So too many words and it would have been better to stay quiet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: Juventus hadn't been this fast since 2003, when they went on to reach the final that lost to AC Milan, although they lead from the first
leg, the Italian club won't try simply to hang on to what they've got.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI, JUVENTUS COACH (through translator): It is going to be almost impossible to a 0-0. We will make the play a different match, an
excellent match from the technical point of view in the attacking points and in the construction points where they will pressure us. We have to be
brave because we are here, 95 minutes away from Berlin. So I don't know why we shouldn't believe that we can achieve that. It is a great
opportunity for us that initially no one expected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: The winner will compete against Barcelona at next month's title match in Berlin with the possibility of a second successive all-Spanish
final. Barcelona put their place after a 5-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich, meanwhile scoring both their goals. Despite a 3-2 defeat in
Tuesday night's second leg against Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski scored the pick of the Bayern goals. But there was no miracle comeback for Pep
Guardiola's team against his former club.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
THOMAS: Although the loss from the night ended Barca's 18-game unbeaten run in all competitions, the stars -- or the stats, I should say, created
by their star attacking trio of Messi, Neymar and Suarez are looking increasingly oppressive, all three among the top 10 scorers in this
season's Champions League. Messi's top with 10 goals, that of Neymar joined second with 9 and even Suarez has 6 goals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUIS ENRIQUE, BARCELONA COACH (through translator): They have many virtues and we aren't even going to talk about their individual talent, which is
beyond any doubt; that they understand each other is evident. Also that they are not selfish and are team players as well. They continuously look
for each other. It's much more difficult for our rivals to try to stop three players of that caliber. In addition to all the others who come from
the back, and all the situations that the team creates so that our forwards can take advantage of opportunities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: Barcelona, Real Madrid and Spain's other top clubs will have to wait until Thursday to discover if a players' strike will go ahead. A call
to Madrid has postponed a decision on whether or not the wall count is legal. La Liga bosses took the action against the players' union after it
declared a strike over a proposed new law to sell media rights to the top clubs collectively instead of team by team.
We're about to tell you why Deflategate seems to have made Tom Brady more not less popular and show you the action that leaves LeBron's Cavaliers in
the driving seat against the Bulls.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
THOMAS: Hi, CNN WORLD SPORT's back with the scenes from the Philippines as national hero Manny Pacquiao returned home following his megafight against
Floyd Mayweather. Pacquiao's arm in a sling following surgery on a shoulder injury that Pacquiao claims hindered him during his points lost to
the American in Las Vegas. Mayweather scored his opponent's sore loser.
Somebody who certainly doesn't like losing is LeBron James, not that he had to worry about that in game 5 of Cleveland's NBA playoff series against the
Chicago Bulls. James inspiring the Cavaliers to victory with a game high 38 points. And this was a feisty encounter. Take a look at Bulls forward
Taj Gibson tangling with Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova, Gibson knocking, kicking him straight in the back and is thrown out of the game, LeBron
struggling with an ankle injury but seemed far happier than he had in game 4 on Sunday when he was forced to overrule a call from the coach before
draining a buzzer-beater, not as much drama this time. Cleveland taking a 3-2 series lead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS FORWARD: I think Coach Blatt did a great job of putting me in positions where I can be successful and I just try to
read and react, shot through my game, be aggressive and any time I get the chance to go in early, I feel pretty good. I was able to get my jumper
going. I was able to get my postop game going pretty early and my attack game.
So I just try to feed off of it. I just try to feed off the rhythm that I had and just try to stay in the rhythm as long as I could.
DAVID BLATT, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS HEAD COACH: When you play in a series and particularly a series like this, you learn a lot about yourself. You learn
a lot about your team and you learn a lot about what's important to win game because they're not going to come easy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS (voice-over): The Houston Rockets are back in contention in their Western Conference semifinal against the Clippers, although Blake Griffin
top score with 30 points, Dwight Howard's 20 points and 15 rebounds combined with a triple double by James Hardin of 26 points, 11 rebounds and
10 assists helped the Rockets win game 5, 124-103, cutting the Clippers' lead in the series to 3-2.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: Now the lead investigator in the NFL's Deflategate report has hit back at criticism refusing claims of a witch hunt against Tom Brady and the
New England Patriots. Lawyer Ted Wells told reporters on a conference call the suggestions he'd set out to condemn Brady from the outset were, quote,
"ridiculous," insisting his conclusions had been based on evidence alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TED WELLS, LAWYER: When I was appointed to be the independent investigator, no one at the Patriots or in Mr. Brady's camp raised any
issue about my independence or my integrity to judge the evidence impartially and fairly. In fact, Mr. Kraft (ph), to my recollection,
publicly said he welcomed my appointment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: (INAUDIBLE) Tom Brady merchandise has doubled since he was suspended. According to fanatics.com, sales of Brady gear are up 100
percent. Experts believe jersey sales would plummet. It's not just fans in the Boston area who are putting their money where their support is
perhaps, the site claiming the sale of Brady merchandise is coming from all over the United States.
Former England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen has spoken of his anger and hurt at the moment he was told he would not be considered for selection by
the English National team for the forthcoming series with New Zealand and Australia.
He told the U.K.'s "Telegraph" newspaper, "I am absolutely devastated that it looks like my hopes of an England recall have been brought to a close,
especially given everything that has been said and asked of me. I just find it incredibly deceitful what has happened to me and am frankly finding
it difficult to understand right now."
This ends CNN WORLD SPORT with Tiger Woods, who, let's face it, doesn't always get a lot of positive press, but he's been praised for a comforting
letter he sent to a young fan. Woods heard from LPGA professional Sophie Gustafson that a boy she was mentoring was being bullied.
So Woods wrote a letter to the teen and offered some words of encouragement, some that read, "I know what it's like to be different and
sometimes not fit in," and went on to day, "You have a great family and big fans like me on your side."
The letter was so touching that Sophie tweeted Tiger, "Thanks so much, Tiger Woods, for sending my friend Dillon a letter. He got so happy! It's
being framed and hanged. #class"
That's it for this edition of CNN WORLD SPORT. I'll see you for another one in just under two hours' time. Up next here on CNN, Paula Newton is
live from New York with your latest "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY." Thanks for watching. Bye-bye.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
