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NEWS STREAM

Cholera Outbreak at Burundi Refugee Camp; The Rohingya Crisis; Iraqi Air Force Strike Targets in Fallujah; What Makes Biker Gangs So Dangerous? Landslide in Colombia. Aired 8:00-9:00 ET

Aired May 19, 2015 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:15] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.

Iraq steps up airstrikes against ISIS, targeting the terror group in Fallujah after the fall of a key city.

Plus, adrift at sea and unwanted on land. We'll examine the roots of the Rohingya crisis.

And dozens are killed when a landslide roars across a town in the Colombian mountains. And now rescuers are searching for survivors.

Iraq's air force has just launched strikes on ISIS positions in Fallujah, a city less than 60 kilometers from the capital Baghdad.

Now Iraq's defense ministry says that they have landed a major blow to the terror group's headquarters there. This comes as the Iraqi government

sends thousands of fighters into Anbar Province.

3,000 Shiite militiamen will be tasked with wresting control of Ramadi from the hands of ISIS.

Now for more, our senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joins me now live from Beirut. And Nick, first let's talk about Fallujah. What

impact will these airstrikes have on ISIS and its grip on the city?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In truth, it does sound comparatively minimal. There are reports of civilian casualties

being caused by those strikes, which obviously we're trying to independently confirm. But obviously a move by the defense ministry to try

and sound like they're on the front foot here by using air power against Fallujah, that has long had a substantial ISIS presence in it. It is

closer to Baghdad, certainly, but you would have thought perhaps this stage all focus would have been on Ramadi and hitting ISIS targets within there.

What instead is happening is a gathering, as you mentioned, of Shia militia to the east of that city, 4,000 potentially now. But we are now also

hearing a statement from the Iraqi prime minister al Abady in which he says one of the many different elements here suggests that it might be the time

now to arm what he refers to as the sons of the tribes in coordination with Anbar Province.

Now that appears to be a call to give weapons to those Sunni tribesmen who many say obviously should be brought into the fight against ISIS who many

also argue who have not been provided weapons in the past in the speed and quantity that he would have liked owing to the sectarian nature of those in

Baghdad who were Shia who held the purse strings and the weapons and those in Anbar who are often disenfranchised Sunnis.

Still trying to work out quite whether those weapons will get where they need to fast enough, because it's been a fraught process in the past, but

it does appear at this stage today to be some bid to remove the sectarian nature potentially of a force that will be fighting back against ISIS.

There may be properly armed Sunnis as well as the Shia militia who are flooding in now, the major concern having been that this being a Sunni area

there are many Sunnis caught in Ramadi who feel trapped between ISIS on one side who wish to take them back a couple of thousand years to a very

backwards society and brutal form of rule and then on the other side, too, Shia militia who have no (inaudible) with the Sunni societies as well and

consider them to be disloyal towards Baghdad and infidels in their mind.

So a deeply troubling moment for those still stuck inside Ramadi. You can see ISIS's pictures of deserted streets there showing nobody actually

around, but clearly tens of thousands must have been still trapped inside, Kristie.

LU STOUT: A call for more reinforcements of all kinds to Ramadi. Nick Paton Walsh reporting. Thank you, Nick.

Now according to reports out of Australia, three Australian citizens who left the country to fight with terror groups in Syria or Iraq are trying to

negotiate a return home. But Australian prime minister Tony Abbott isn't having any of it.

Speaking earlier, he said a crime is a crime, and anyone who violates Australian law will be prosecuted accordingly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY ABBOTT, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: If you go abroad to become an Islamist killer, well, we're hardly going to welcome you back into this

country.

As far as this government is concerned, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and you will be jailed because it is a serious criminal offense

under Australian law to fight with terrorist groups overseas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08;05:11] LU STOUT: Now Australia is not alone is its tough stance on extremist fighters. A UN security council resolution demands that member

states make it a serious criminal offense for citizens to recruit and travel abroad to fight with terror groups.

Now in addition to jail time, many countries are making it tougher for potential terrorists to exit and to reenter.

The UK has discussed barring British jihadis from returning to the country altogether. And Germany says it can take away a citizen's ID card and

passport.

And a U.S. counterterrorism official says more than 20,000 fighters from more than 90 countries, have left their homelands to fight with ISIS.

Now turning now to the global migrant crisis. As early as June, European navies plan to begin targeting human smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea.

In Brussels on Monday, the European Union agreed to set up a naval mission. The EU wants to capture human traffickers off Libya's coast, then destroy

their boats before the smugglers used them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FEDERICA MOGHERINI, EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: This is just the beginning of it, a decision to establish an operation means that now the

planning, the operational planning starts, the fourth generation starts. And again, the operation hopefully will be ready to be loaned will depend

mainly by the members states already in June.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, the UN and others are issuing an urgent appeal to Southeast Asian nations at the center of a growing migrant crisis. They are asking

Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to step up rescue efforts and to allow migrant boats to dock.

This follows accusations that those countries have been pushing away boats carrying thousands of desperate and hungry refugees.

Our Saima Mohsin went in search of these boats.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Beyond this idyllic dream holiday destination, a recurring nightmare is unfolding day and night for

Rohingya refugees, men, women, children, crammed onto a boat, risking their lives to save their lives from persecution in Myanmar.

Cry Wat (ph) was out on his boat when he saw many of the boats of Rohingya refugees.

"There are so many children on the boat," he tells me. "I think there must have been around 100 small children from younger than 1-year-old up to the

age of 5. According to the International Organization for Migration, 40 percent of the Rohingya who flee Myanmar are malnouished, 2 to 4 percent

are severely malnourished, 2 percent are what's described as human skeletons.

"I feel so sorry for them. I can't explain it in words," Cry Wat (ph) says. "It's so different to when you see these refugees on land and the

conditions are so terrible on this boat."

They haven't been seen since.

We searched and searched.

"Have you seen any Rohingya boats?" He asks.

"No," they say.

We're approaching as many boats as we can to ask them if they've seen this boat. It seems to have just disappeared. Nobody knows where it is,

whether it's in Thai waters, Malyasian or Indonesian.

Just as is feared, or perhaps even wanted, but this ethnic minority would somehow disappear, a problem people, no politician wants to support or

help.

The Fortify Rights groups tells me governments in the region have the wherewithal to track these boats and find them. They simply don't want to.

The group claims patrol ships stay ahead of those searching for these boats, chasing the Rohingya out of the area. So rights groups and

journalists are simply chasing ghosts.

The sea now the only willing host to these very unwelcome guests. Saima Mohsin, CNN, in the Andaman Sea near Thailand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Truly horrific conditions described there.

Now foreign ministers from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia will be meeting tomorrow to discuss the refugee crisis ahead of a conference next week.

But a director in the Myanmar president's office says that his country won't attend next week's meeting if the word Rohingya is mentioned.

The Myanmar government does not recognize the Rohingya as a legitimate ethnic group, or citizens of the country.

Now for more on their plight I'm joined now by Alicia de la Cour Venning in London. She is a researcher at the International State Crime Initiative.

And Alicia, thank you for joining us here on CNN.

Let's talk first on the origin of this crisis. Why is it that the Rohingya feel that they have no choice but to leave Myanmar?

[08:10:17] ALICIA DE LA COUR VENNING, INTERNATIONAL STATE CRIME INITIATIVE: Yes, of course. Well, the current humanitarian crisis that we're seeing on

the Adaman Sea is in fact a direct result of the Myanmar states, historic and ongoing persecution of the Rohingya ethnic minority. Now they have

been faced with absolutely deplorable living conditions to the point where they feel as though they have no other option, but to risk their lives on

the high seas fleeing their country.

LU STOUT: They are unable to work in Myanmar. They live in deplorable conditions. The Rohingya have been persecuted in Myanmar. And they have

even told CNN that they have been literally burned out of their homes. So are we on the brink of a genocide inside Myanmar here?

VENNING: That's right.

Now, my colleagues and I would in fact argue that what we are seeing is a genocide, that we are in the midst of a genocide.

Now we define genocide as a long-term and ongoing process. We don't restrict is solely to the mass killing of a people.

So, our research has indicated that the Rohingya minority have been stigmatized as illegal Benghali immigrants who have no place in Myanmar

society. They've been harassed through physical and verbal intimidation. Of course we saw intense violence in Rakine state in June and October 2012,

which displaced over 100,000 Rohingya Muslims from their homes. And today, no one has been held accountable for their involvement in this violence,

which our evidence indicates was in fact organized.

Now the Rohingya -- of course -- yes, sorry.

LU STOUT: Go ahead.

VENNING: Yes, so the Rohingya have been isolated to internally displaced camps, of course, where they are shut off from mainstream Myanmar society

and are being systematically weakened through overcrowding, the inability to access any meaningful livelihood. They are denied access to emergency

medical care, which means that people are dying on a daily basis of treatable diseases such as diarrhea and basic malnutrition. And they are

of course absolutely desperate to the point where we are seeing people flee in the tens of thousands just in order to seek some form of...

LU STOUT: And Alicia, you're describing just truly horrifying living conditions, a horrifying existence for the Rohingya, which is in line with

CNN's own reporting in Sittwe and that part of Myanmar, that's why we have this refugee crisis happening now.

And at this moment, Alicia, we know that thousands of migrants remain stranded at sea. And we have a situation where these governments in

Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia refuse to take them in. So what's the solution here? What can the international community do to

save lives?

VENNING: Of course we all need to -- the international community needs to put increased pressure on the government of Malaysia, Thailand and

Indonesia to assess these people who are facing a severe, severe humanitarian crisis. however, we must not limit our focus to this current

crisis, which indeed is absolutely appalling.

We must understand that the crisis is a manifestation of ongoing policies of persecution, which the Myanmar government has engaged in now for

decades. And until these root causes are addressed, we will continue to see people fleeing their homes in droves, and we will continue to see more

of the same.

LU STOUT: Which brings us back to Myanmar. And Myanmar, it does not recognize the Rohingya. The government is refuses to attend a summit even

if the word Rohingya is mentioned. Given such a hardline stance, what can be done to engage the government of Myanmar on this issue?

VENNING: Well, I think now in terms of the opening up and the continued and increased engagement by international governments with the Myanmar

state, more force needs to be placed. And the government needs to be made aware that this continued intolerance and inability to foster respectful

communities will not be tolerated. It is utterly unacceptable. And we need to make it very clear to the Myanmar State the consequences will

follow if it does not address the root causes of these tensions.

LU STOUT: Because we have the fate of hundreds of thousands of people hanging in the balance. Alicia de la Cour Venning, researchers of the

International State Crime Initative joining me live from London. Thank you very much indeed for joining me here on CNN. Take care.

VENNING: Thank you.

LU STOUT: Now you're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program, down to business in Israel. The prime minister and his new government has

convened and will look at the slew of challenges it faces in the weeks ahead.

Also ahead, the head of one of the world's top ecommerce giants speaks out on the company's latest legal battle.

We'll find out what's at stake for Alibaba.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:16:45] LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government has just convened in Jerusalem. A short time ago it gathered for the traditional

photograph. Now any smiles there hide the difficulties that lie ahead for the paper thin majority that Mr. Netanyahu has cobbled together.

Now for more, Oren Libermann joins me now live from Jerusalem. And Oren, Mr. Netanyahu, he is under extreme pressure to advance the peace process,

but really what progress can he make?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Kristie, there's very little optimism from either side that peace negotiations, that going back to peace

talks, can create any real process.

The last round of peace talks broke down about a year ago last April after nine months of negotiations, both sides left frustrated, feeling little

progress has been made. Not much has changed since then in terms of peace negotiations. What has changed is building international pressure on

Israel to recognize Palestinian statehood to find a two-state solution, to get back to peace talks and make real progress there. We've seen that at

the UN, the ICC and most recently the Vatican.

But Israel says these are unilateral moves by the Palestinians and they discourages the Palestinians from coming back to the peace table, coming

back to peace talks.

I've spoken with Palestinian leaders, Kristie, and they say very simply that they don't see any progress in negotiations and they see this as the

best way to recognition of Palestinian statehood.

LU STOUT: All right, Oren Libermann reporting on the challenges ahead to get to a two-state solution. Oren, thank you.

Now in Thailand supporters and reporters swarmed former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra after the first day of her trial. Now she was removed

from office after Thailand's constitution court found her guilty of abuse of power accused of negligence over a rice subsidy scheme. Critics say it

wasted public money. Yingluck denies the charges and she faces up to 10 years behind bars.

You're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program, a newspaper reports a suspect in the murder of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov is no long

in Russia and that has raised allegations of a conspiracy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:33] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now the leader of Sinn Fein is set to meet with Prince Charles in Ireland. It will be the first meeting between Gerry Adams and a member of the

British royal family.

Now Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, are beginning a four day tour of the Republic of Ireland.

The Sunday Times reports a man suspected of being involved in the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov has left the country. And that has

some jumping on allegations of a Kremlin conspiracy.

Now CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance has been following this story from Moscow. He joins us now.

And Matthew, what can you tell us about the suspect and this report that he was able to leave Russia?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he claims (inaudilbe) he's a member of the Chechen security forces, very senior

figure in (inaudible). He's believed to be very close to Ramzan Kadyrov, who is the head of the Chechen administration, the Chechen...

LU STOUT: OK, our apologies for that. Matthew, I'm going to have cut you short there. We have a really bad line between the two of us. My

apologies for the technical issue there. We'll try to reestablish that connection with Matthew Chance in Moscow a little bit later in the program.

Now meanwhile, the chairman of China's leading online marketplace Alibaba says the company's problem with counterfeit sales is a, quote, cancer.

Jack Ma spoke at a news conference in Seoul, South Korea earlier today. And the Chinese retail giant is being sued yet again by Kering, a luxury

brand group that includes Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, hearing claims that Alibaba profits from the sale of fake products.

Now Alibaba says it is fighting the problem by removing listings and banning sellers, a process that would be more effective if they could team

up with Kering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK MA, CEO, ALIBABA (through translator): We express our regret at the fact taht the company chose to sue us instead of seeing to work with us to

jointly combat counterfeit goods.

Alibaba has been working with numerous branded companies and gained huge progress by using litigation. We don't think we are fighting the same

enemy, but instead are fighting each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now Jack Ma added that the company is now making use of technology to fight counterfeits. He's referring to a new type of digital

tag to help consumers verify products. Now the tags are similar to QR codes. Users can scan them with Alibaba's mobile apps to get more

information about the product. And that includes a confirmation of authenticity.

Alibaba aims to attach a unique code to each of the billions of products sold on its platforms.

If you've been waiting for a television from Apple, don't hold your breath. The Wall Street Journal says that Apple decided not to make a TV set more

than a year ago, ending the wait for what some believed would be their next breakthrough product.

Now it all stems from the biography of Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs. Now, before he died, Jobs said that he'd like to create a TV set, quote, "that

will have the simplest user interface you could imagine." And he said he finally cracked it.

Now those words hung over the tech industry for years as pundits just kept predicting that Apple's next product would finally be the TV created by

Jobs.

But the Wall Street Journal says the company never found a way to make their TV stand out. Instead, it will focus on the Apple TV, that small set

top box that connects to existing television sets.

Right now, rescuers in northwest Colombia are searching for any survivors after a landslide killed at least 62 people. Mud rushed down the mountains

in the early morning, pouring into homes and bridges. And houses were carried away by debris. There's no word on how many people are missing.

The Colombian President has declared a state of emergency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:25:26] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good day to you. Let's bring you up to date with what's happening here across Colombia, because

certainly had isolated thunderstorms about this region. And you take a look at exactly what transpired on early Sunday morning between two and

three in the morning. Best estimates we have for Salgar, population here about 20,000 people, was about 50 to 100 millimeters of rainfall came down,

nothing historic by any means when you take a look at how much rainfall occurred here.

But we know the down is in the bottom here in the valley forum. And of course we have mountain slopes surrounding this region, northern portions

of the Andes, and valleys one of the most common landforms on our planet. They form because of water rushing down the sides of these mountains for

millions of years, also ice essentially carving its way down toward the lowest point, and that's where populations have set up.

Unfortunately, the same sort of a pattern with tremendous rainfall really exacerbates the problem and brings the highest water right down towards the

town center out there.

And you take a look at the rainfall as far as the month of May. Peak season, that's the second wettest time of the year. And then October

brings the wettest portion of the year as well.

So we are in the heart of the wet season across this portion of the world and then you look at what we have in store in the coming couple of days.

Salgar in line right there for some of the heavier rainfall, upwards of 150 millimeters in the forecast. So the threat remains high for potentially

additional landslides, but also the recovery efforts here going to be very challenging in this mountainous area.

Going to send it back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: All right, Pedram Javaheri there.

Now, they fled their country to escape violence and unrest. And now, there are concerns about a potential cholera outbreak among refugees from

Burundi. We'll bring you the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Now Iraq's ministry of defense says air force plans have launched strikes on ISIS targets in Fallujah. Now this comes as the Iraqi government sends

thousands of fighters into Anbar Province. 3,000 Shiite militiamen will be tasked with wresting control of Ramadi from ISIS hands.

Yemen's defense ministry tells CNN a Saudi-led coalition launched at least 18 airstrikes on two Houthi arms depots in Sanaa. Now the strikes are the

first in Yemen's capital since the five day humanitarian ceasefire ended.

A memo sent to Texas police warns of more violence between two of the biker gangs involved in Sunday's shootout in Waco. A source says four of the

nine bikers killed were shot by police. Bail has been set at 1 million dollars for each of the 170 people arrested.

Alibaba chairman Jack Ma says it is regrettable that his company is being sued for counterfeits. The Chinese ecommerce giant is battling a lawsuit

filed by Kering, a luxury brands group that includes Gucci. Now he says his company is using advanced technology to fight counterfeits. And he

called on Kering to work with Alibaba to battle what he called a common enemy.

Now in the capital of Burundi, about 100 protesters opposed to the president chanted slogans. Now the demonstrators insist they won't stop

until President Pierre Nkurunziza gives up his bid for a third term. And the latest demonstrations come after the government warned protesters that

they will be considered accomplices in last week's failed military coup.

Now thousands of have fled the unrest in Burundi. And Diana Magnay joins us now from off the coast of Tanzania. She is on a boat with refugees from

Burundi. And Diana, please describe the scene around you and the condition of the people, the refugees on the boat with you.

[08:31:23] DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, well the ones who made it onto the boat are the ones who are in most need, Kristie -

- the women with many children, those who are very sick. Downstairs they've put up strips to rehydrate those who have watery diarrhea. We've

had cases of cholera confirmed, 14 deaths the UNHCR told me last night from cholera as a result of this refugee exodus out of Burundi.

As you say I'm on the -- on Lake Tanganyika. And where the refugees have been coming in is a place called Kagunga where we just spent the day. And

it's basically a shoreline on a peninsula. And conditions there are dreadful. It is incredibly crowded.

When we arrived on this boat, which is a World War I gunship, actually, and it's been sailing this lake mostly ferrying passengers for the last 100

plus years now ferrying refugees, people were desperate to get on. The UNHCR was handing out wrist bands on basically a first come, first serve

basis when refugees came to the strip of land. It would be registered at the immigration center. And those most in need and who could come first

would then be ab le to come off after a few days. But the fighting to get one of those wristbands before we're tied behind ropes and they were

desperately pushing to get past while men as their community tried to keep them back.

It was an extraordinary situation. This boat does two trips a day taking 600 refgees each time. And there's one other boat. But aid workers say

that this is a -- you know, their nightmare scenario to have this number of people, and I'm talking 50,000 on that small strip of land at one point and

now that's gone down to around 30,000. But to have this number of people on a small peninsula, which is only accessible by boat is incredible

challenging to fee them, to provide them with the sanitary care that they have and that's why we have these instances of cholera that have now been

confirmed -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Diana, the refugees on this boat with you they were desperate to get on that boat, but where will they go next? What is their destination?

What's next for them?

MAGNAY: So what happens is that there is a stadium in the town of Kagoma (ph) where they go to next and that is a sort of a holding place. They

spend the night under the stars before they head on to Tanzania's largest refugee camp, which is called Niragutu (ph).

It is not abnormal for Burundian refugees to cross to this country. Their civil war has scarred Burundians for the last 20 years. It ended round

about the turn of the century, the turn of the Millennium, and so most of the refugees who are fleeing now have already fled into Tanzania before.

This is nothing new to them.

And when you talk to them about why they left this time, they'll say we are scared of a possible civil war. We've see what happens before. We've seen

people killed around us -- our friends, our neighbors, our family. And we're not waiting for that to happen again.

And when you talk to them also what kind of a message they have to the president. They say, well, he's been told before it's this bid for a third

term, it's dividing the country and they're leaving because they're scared about what will happen.

LU STOUT: The Burundian refugees tell you that they are scared there could be a civil war in their country that's why they left their homeland.

We know that that attempted coup has been foiled, its leaders arrested, and yet there is still extreme political instability in the fierce civil war.

So should we expect more waves of people from Burundi to become refugees to leave the country?

[08:35:30] MAGNAY: Well, at the moment the UNHCR says around 105,000 have left not just for Burundi -- sorry, not just for Tanzania, but also for the

DRC and Rwanda in smaller numbers. Over the last week, week-and-a-half, those numbers have reduced somewhat. There was a point when around 2,000 a

day were coming through and now that's much less.

Now why that is, it's hard to know. It would appear as though the Burundian authorities are making it very difficult now for refugees to

leave. That may be one issue, because the exodus started before this coup, it started when the protests began around the possible running of the

president for a third term. And the status quo remains the same. So aid workers say that they do expect or fear that although there has been a

slight lull in the numbers coming through over the last few days that it might easily pick up.

These people are so traumatized by the violence that, you know, that those a little older than the children are around me now have experienced, that

they want to leave before -- before the situation deteriorates further, because they know how easily things can spiral out of control in this part

of the world as do Burundi's neighbors, all of whom fear that what is happening in Burundi if it spirals out of control could inflame tensions in

their own countries -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Our Diana Magnay reporting live for us on board a boat surrounded by Burundian refugees off the coast of Tanzania. Really a stark

picture of the humanitarian crisis sparked by the political instability and the fear of all-out violence inside Burundi. Diana, we thank you for your

reporting.

Now you're watching News Stream. And up next, a man who infiltrated biker gangs tells a sobering story of who these people are, who they are fighting

and the skills they possess that make them so dangerous.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now I want to warn you the images from this next video are truly disturbing. Now police in Lanzhou, China are investigating why this wall

was blown down by high wind killing two workers and injuring seven people.

Now nearby residents they scrambled to rescue them. And this accident it happened over teh weekend.

Now police in Waco, Texas are being warned that motorcycle gangs from other states could be headed there to retaliate for Sunday's deadly brawl. At

least nine bikers were killed, 170 of them have been arrested and charged with involvement in organized crime. They're each being held on a million

dollar bond.

Now, the threats from biker gangs are not being taken lightly. Our Sara Sidner sat down with someone who knows firsthand how real those threats can

be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:01] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's definitely on now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This man is in a position to know just how dangerous biker gangs can be. Cloaked in darkness, he agreed to speak with

us. He says he spent five years infiltrating three different biker gangs for the DEA -- The Vagos, Monguls and Outlaws.

How would you describe how they operate? Are they different in the way that they operate?

CHARLES FALCO, AUTHOR: They're very similar. They're very sophisticated. They're structured like the military. A lot of members are ex-military.

So they're highly trained for combat. They're much better than your average street gang at conducting war.

SIDNER: When you talk about war, who are they warring with? Is it just other gangs or is it society at-large?

FALCO: I'd say it's society-at-large and mostly other motorcycle gangs.

SIDNER: That's terrifying.

FALCO: Yeah. And a lot of these guys -- when I did my Vagos infiltration, half my chapter was ex-Marines. Yeah, so they're highly skilled, highly

trained killers.

SIDNER: Charles Falco is an author and now consults for law enforcement on biker gangs and says just a month ago he was asked to go to Waco because of

growing tensions between two gangs: the Banditos and the Cossacks.

FALCO: The Banditos are the biggest motorcycle gang in Texas. And they don't allow other motorcycle gangs to enter that state.

SIDNER: While this is the worst violence the country has seen in years affiliated with biker gangs, this is surveillance video showing the chaos

in a Nevada casino as three people are killed in 2002.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shots are being fired inside the hotel. People are being stabbed..

SIDNER: Rival gang members shoot it out, leaving the casino crowd dodging bullets, police forcing everyone to the ground as they try to sort suspects

from victims.

Then in 2011, shots fired at another casino, this time in Sparks, Nevada. When it's all over, a member of the Hell's Angels is shot dead police say

by a rival gang.

And the violence between gangs hasn't stayed just within the U.S., violence exploded in the mid-1990s between the Banditos and the Hell's Angels. At

one point, the Banditos accused of using a car bomb and a rocket-propelled grenade against their rivals.

In America, Falco says there is a way to quell the violence, keep known gang members from getting concealed weapons.

FALCO: The problem we're seeing now is in states where you're allowed a concealed weapons permit, these biker gangs have been ordered by their

leadership to get a concealed weapons permit if they're not felons, because right now in most of these states where they have concealed weapons

permits, gang members can get concealed weapons. There's nothing to stop them.

SIDNER: But he says the bloodbath in Waco could have been avoided if only the restaurant would have listened to law enforcement and mandated bikers

could not wear their gang periphernalia.

FALCO: And if they would have done that, these biker gangs won't show up because they always have to wear their colors.

SIDNER: Sara Sidner, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And finally, I want to show you a unique sight from China. Now these buildings standing defiantly in the middle of roads across the

country. They're known as nail houses suggesting that they're like a nail that refuses to be hammered down.

And the owners of these homes have managed to hold out from leaving despite pressure from developers or the government. Sometimes they want more

money, and others simply don't want to move.

You can find more pictures of this phenomenon at CNN.com/China.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere. World Sport with Christina Macfarlane is next.

END