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Ukraine Expects 120-140 Western Tanks In First Deliveries; Intense Fighting In Ukrainian City Of Bakhmut In The East; Top Diplomat Urges Peace, Two-State Solution; Benjamin Netanyahu Talks Peace In Exclusive CNN Interview; Second Round Of Nationwide Protests Over Pension Reform; Inside The Rebel Forces Fighting Myanmar's Military Junta. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired February 01, 2023 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, I'm John Vause.
Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. Meat grinder tactics, Russia sending waves of mercenary fighters directly into the firing line. A mass slaughter intended to overwhelm Ukrainian fighters defending the city of Bakhmut.
Back to the future as violence escalates between the Israelis and the Palestinians, America's top diplomat reaffirms the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution.
And after a second wave of nationwide protests and strikes in France, government plans to raise the age of retirement has gone from non- negotiable to we hear you.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: It's just after 7:00 in the morning in eastern Ukraine and Russian offensive across the Donetsk region appear to have intensified for control of key cities.
According to Ukrainian officials, the situation remains difficult in a number of areas, including Vuhledar, as well as Bakhmut, where Ukrainian forces claimed to have destroyed Russian trenches on the city's outskirts.
One official adding, attacks by Russian troops are turning Bakhmut into a total ruin. And with no letup in the fighting, senior Ukrainian officials are pushing allies to supply fighter jets and long-range missiles.
For now, the U.K. says it's not practical, the U.S. has also said no.
Ukraine is thought to have -- to receive -- is about to receive rather a dozen battle tanks from allies, the first deliveries from a dozen countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): I can note that in the first wave of contributions the Ukrainian Armed Forces will receive between 120 and 140 Western model tanks. This is not a low number. But we continue to work on both expanding the membership of the tank coalition and increasing the contributions of those already pledged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: To Little Rock, Arkansas now and the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO forces Wesley Clark is standing by. He's a CNN Military Analyst and founder of Renew America Together. General Clark, thanks for being with us.
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Thank you, good to be with you.
VAUSE: OK, well, the foreign minister did not give a timeline of when he expects delivery of those Western made tanks, but presumably, they will not arrive before a Russian offensive, which according to the Institute for the Study of War, Western Ukrainian and Russian sources continue to indicate it is imminent, adding Russia may mobilize upwards of 200,000 personnel. And it's continuing to acquire weapons and ammunition through increased domestic production and partnerships with authoritarian states like Iran and North Korea.
So, is the Russian military actually capable of calling up 200,000 troops? Could they train them, arm them, feed them, send them into battle in what seems to be a fairly short period of time? And would you want to go into combat knowing that your weapons and ammunition come from North Korea and Iran?
CLARK: Look, I think that the Russians are going to be successful in mobilizing those troops. Now, they won't be available immediately but some of the 300,000 they mobilized in September, we believe that'd been held out. They've been put into units, those units have been trained. So, they do have some fresh units to put in, nothing like what they started the war with, but still.
And that other 200,000, some of those will be thrown in probably as just individual fillers just to really meat into the meat grinder. But mass is important in this war, because there are limitations on the artillery, the artillery ammunition. And overall, the weight of the battle against Ukraine is very, very heavy.
I'm very concerned about getting the equipment there that's been promised on time. We know the initial 50 Bradleys had been shipped. Maybe some of the tanks will get there from allied countries in Europe in time, maybe the crews will be trained.
But by and large, probably most of it won't be there and be put in in time to meet a February 24th presumed offensive by the Russians.
VAUSE: Well, according to CNN reporting, the assessment by many Western officials is that the Russian offensive will not succeed because of the force ratios, the equipment, the logistics to support an offensive by the Russians, which will be successful is a real limiting factor.
So, what do they mean by that? And are these the same military officials who all agree for the most part that Putin would not order an invasion and Kyiv would fall in three days?
CLARK: Well, the Ukrainians are much stronger today and mobilized and they were on the 24th of February. The Russians, on the other hand have lost a lot of equipment, their first class years have been really ripped to pieces.
So, they're not strong relatively but the Russians will probably mask forces and try to penetrate somewhere. It could be in the Zaporizhzhia area. It could be through Bakhmut, they'll try to get a breakthrough. They'll use all their artillery, their weapons, who knows what else they'll also use on this.
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And they'll try to shock world opinion because I understand that the Ukrainians and have garnered incredible admiration from the world for their courageous defense. And if they can prove that defense is failing, then they hope they can shut down the Western supplies to Ukraine.
VAUSE: Well, with that in mind, Ukraine is now wrapping up demands for F-16 fighter jets, notably some NATO members like France were not saying yes, have not said no either. Here's the U.S. president speaking on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will the United States provide F-16s to Ukraine?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So yes, but so far, it seems the answer is no until it becomes a yes. Especially when you look at things like tanks. So, when it comes to fighters, could just be a matter of time before the U.S. agrees to send F-16s.
CLARK: It may well be, it may well come to that. But first, the Ukrainians have to get through this offensive. They have to blunt the Russian forces.
I think the policy here, what the United States is working for is to really block the Russians and force them back, maybe not all the way out and get the negotiation started and try to win it diplomatically based on a strong Ukrainian defense.
VAUSE: General Clark, as always it's good to have your experience, your insights, thank you so much, Sir.
CLARK: Thank you.
VAUSE: Mercenary soldiers sent to fight for Russia in the battle for Bakhmut appear to be fodder for it's been called meat grinder tactics.
In short, wave after wave of mercenaries, mostly former prisoners, are being sent to their deaths to try and overwhelm Ukrainian defenses. A mass slaughter intended to deplete Ukrainian ammunition supplies, while at the same time, locating Ukrainian firing positions.
Here's CNN's Fred Pleitgen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Going underground with Ukraine's frontline defenders against Russia's brutal private military company, the Wagner group.
Anthony and Burisa (PH) say they battle Wagner storm troopers nearly every day. This is what it was like when a handful of their troops were attacked by about 200 Wagner fighters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were fighting for about 10 hours in a row. And it wasn't like just waves, it was uninterruptedly. So, it was just like they didn't stop coming.
PLEITGEN: Andre (PH) says his man took out scores of Wagner soldiers until they themselves had to retreat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 140 of them, 80 were wounded and 60 were killed. And my platoon was 13 people, plus several from infantry. It was about 20 soldiers from our side. And no, let's say 200 from their side.
PLEITGEN: Wagner's tactics he says they try to overwhelm the Ukrainians by sending waves of fighters, many of them convicts recruited straight out of jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They make the group let's say from 10 soldiers is passing 30 meters. Then they started digging in and keeping the position. The next group is coming next 30 meters, they reach their position and going next 30 meters also digging in. And that's how, step by step they're trying to move forward.
PLEITGEN: The Ukrainian say Wagner fighters often seemed drugged.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The machine gunner was almost getting crazy, because he was shooting at them. And he said I know I shot him, but he doesn't fall. And then after some time when he may be bleed it out already, so he just suddenly falls down. It looks like it's very, very likely that they are getting some drugs before attack.
PLEITGEN: The unit provided us with a recording they say is of Andre questioning a captured Wagner fighter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When did you realize you are just meat? UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): At the first combat mission. They brought us to the frontline on December 28. They sent us forward last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): How many people did you have in the group?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): 10.
PLEITGEN: We reached out to Wagner's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin about allegations of abuse in their ranks. This was his answer on Wagner's social media account.
Dear CNN, he writes, do you really think that we will discuss our military issues with you while you're an open enemy? It's the same as discussing military matters and sharing information with the CIA.
Andre says no matter how many more fighters the Russians throws at them, they will resist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the war for freedom. It's a war for democracy. Yes, it's not even for me. It's not even the war between Ukraine and Russia. This is a war between a regime and democracy.
[00:10:07]
PLEITGEN (on camera): And certainly, the Ukrainians are saying they're not going to give up an inch of territory without a fight.
However, for them, things are becoming increasingly difficult also, because now they say it's not only the Wagner private military company they're facing, but also regular Russian units as well.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Pokrovske, Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Now to the Middle East and some rare, albeit implied criticism of Israel as well as support for the Palestinians from the top U.S. diplomat. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, calling for an end to the recent violence.
He also reaffirmed U.S. support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Blinken cautioned Israel against the expansion of settlements and the demolition of Palestinian homes. He also asked senior State Department officials to stay in the region to work towards peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Across my meetings with Israel's government, the Palestinian Authority, our partners in Cairo, I heard a deep concern about the current trajectory. But I also heard constructive ideas for practical steps that each side can take to lower the temperature, to foster greater cooperation, to bolster people's security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A fierce part of (INAUDIBLE) Israel be held accountable for his actions in the Palestinian territories and warned his people would not accept occupation forever
Here's CNN Nic Robertson.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): Weather matching the mood in the West Bank, gloomy, a rain drench Ramallah venue for Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, expectations steeped in past disappointments.
I'm 40 years old, I've seen it all before, this coffee vendor tells us. Many leaders here come and go. The situation remains the same.
His neighbor running the nearby nut store even more downbeat.
It's from bad to worse, he tells us. Someone who is against our cause. What can we expect from him?
Even experts in the art of diplomacy here see irony in Blinken's visit that ultimately weakens their leaders.
HANAN ASHRAWI, PALESTINIAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER: Only enhances the Palestinian people's lack of trust. And of course, it turns people towards individual actions. The acting to the occupation by saying we will defend ourselves, we will resist.
ROBERTSON: Inside the meeting not an easy dynamic. Blinken wanting what Abbas can ill afford to give improved cooperation with Israel, absent concessions.
Abbas wanting what Blinken can't give either, parity of U.S. support with Israel, saying our people will not accept the continuation of the occupation forever.
Blinken offering a small bump in aid, help with the legacy phone network and a warning for Israelis and Palestinians not to threaten the possibility of a two-state solution.
BLINKEN: We oppose any action by either side that makes that goal more difficult to achieve, more distant. And we've been clear that this includes things like settlement expansion, and of course, incitement and acquiescence to violence.
ROBERTSON: Stronger words than many expected. But here, actions speak loudest.
ASHRAWI: The fact is Israel has destroyed that two-state solution. Israel is making sure that there is no viable sovereign Palestinian state. It is expanding settlements, stealing more land. ROBERTSON: For the young, Lincoln's diplomacy, a double whammy, no faith in their own leadership and no hope Blinken can deliver.
Our leadership is incapable of delivering what we want, 18-year-old Nihad (PH) tells us. I don't see a two-state solution, he says. Maybe between us and the Jewish people. But with the Israeli occupiers, never.
We are Ramallah, the sign says but many people here are increasingly asking themselves, but are we a viable Palestinian state?
Nic Robertson, CNN Ramallah, the West Bank.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: During an exclusive interview with CNN, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the focus should be first on peace with Israelis out of the Arab nations, and then peace with the Palestinians will follow. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER: What happens when Saudi Arabia gets the U.S. to go along with some of the things that they want from the U.S. in terms of security measures? But they're saying, look, Mr. Netanyahu, they probably call you Bibi. I need something for the Palestinians in order to go along with this. I can't just do this around the Palestinians. That's important to me and to my constituency.
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What are you willing to give? Are you willing to let people in the West Bank vote? Are you willing to let the 300,000 Arabs who have residency in East Jerusalem vote?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm certainly willing to have them have all the powers that they need to govern themselves. But none of the powers that can threaten us. So, this means that Israel should have the overriding security responsibility, because every time we moved out, say from Lebanon, basically, Iran came in with its proxy Hezbollah, we moved out of Gaza. Another radical Islam is the Hamas takeover.
And if we just walk away, as people suggest, then you'll have Hamas and Iran move into the hills around Jerusalem, overlooking Tel Aviv.
So, I think there's a formula for peace. But my view is because of the fact that the continuing, the persistent Palestinian refusal, which goes back a century to recognize a Jewish state, a nation state for the Jewish people in any boundary, that persistent refusal persists.
If we wait for them, we're not going to have peace. People said, you have to work your way outside and first, inside out.
First, these were the Palestinians peace with the Arab world. I think realistically, it's got to be the other way around.
If we make peace with Saudi Arabia, it depends on the Saudi leadership and bring effectively the Arab Israeli conflict to an end. I think we'll circle back to the Palestinians and get a workable peace with the Palestinians. I think that's possible. And I think that's the way to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The entire exclusive interview next hour right here on CNN.
We'll take a short break. When we go, protests are getting bigger, round two in the fight over the retirement age in France goes to the Union and the French Prime Minister seems to blink.
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VAUSE: The U.K. is waiting to potentially one of the biggest days of industrial action in decades, many schools will be closed, most train services in England will be shut down, delays are expected at border control points, almost half a million workers are expected to walk off the job including more than 100,000 government employees from more than 100 departments all demanding pay increases to cover the cost of record high inflation.
The government though appears to be digging in, arguing pay increases are not affordable.
On Tuesday, France saw a nationwide strike over government plans to raise the official retirement age by two years to 64.
Police say about 1.3 million people took part in demonstrations, a much bigger turnout than in earlier protest almost two weeks ago. Two more strikes are planned for next week.
Tuesday's protest were overwhelmingly peaceful but small skirmishes broke out with a few dozen people arrested in Paris.
CNN's Melissa Bell picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Another massive day of protests here in France and of strike action not quite as heavy the strike action as it was on January 19th. But still, an important show of strength on the part of the unions who are more unified than they have been in years here in France, not since 2010. And the last time a French government tried to reform the pension system.
Then, Nicolas Sarkozy managed to get it from 60 to 62. Now, Emmanuel Macron is determined that he's going to raise the retirement age here in France from 62 to 64. And he's given himself a very difficult timetable, getting it through he hopes by the summer through Parliament.
[00:20:05] The aim of the trade unions who are standing together and intending to cause more strikes and hold more protests against it, it's to try and get Emmanuel Macron to back down on this what was the key proposal when he was first elected back in 2017.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's European Affairs commentator Dominic Thomas is with us now live from Los Angeles. Thank you, Dom. Good to see you.
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thanks for having me on, John.
VAUSE: OK, we'll get to France in a moment. But the U.K. is now looking a lot like France with the country waking to what could be the biggest day of industrial action in decades. It's not pension reform, but rather pay increases in the U.K. and the government seems to be actually digging in, you know, in a very committed way.
So, what is the situation as far as those negotiations? And is there an end in sight to any of this?
THOMAS: Yes, well, we'll have to see the extent to which the government is able to hold its position and as you mentioned, they're arguing it's quite simply an affordability issue.
And of course, strikers, protesters are taking the opposite perspective to say yes, it is an affordable -- affordability issue, it's a cost of living issue, what we are getting paid, or the raises we have been receiving are simply not keeping up with inflation.
When you add on to that, let's say in the healthcare sector, the incredible strains and pressures they've been under for over two years or so with the global pandemic and then the infrastructural environment in other sectors that needs major investment.
What you see here are strikers and protesters, I believe, capitalizing on the awareness that this government will have to face the people in a general election in the not too distant future. And that this is the moment to get them to the negotiating table, and to try and change that cost of living and environment in which they are currently struggling, John.
VAUSE: Well, in France, the government's own numbers put the number of protesters at close to 1.3 million people, the union say there were a lot more but those official numbers say about 200,000 more people turned out compared to a similar protest two weeks ago.
Does the increased turnout explained by the French Prime Minister has gone from a position of raising the retirement age by two years was a non-negotiable? That was Sunday to tweeting on Tuesday, the retirement reform raises questions and doubts. We hear them.
So, is this the beginning of what could be sort of a government backed down of sorts?
THOMAS: Backing down remains the question. I mean, Macron is already gone from 65 to 64. But clearly the government is rattled by this turnout.
Yes, there were strikes again, but the increase from the last time around was in protesters.
Now, Emmanuel Macron will argue that he was elected on a mandate to increase the retirement age. But people will quickly point out that in fact, only about 28 percent voted for him in the first round. And all the major opposition parties except for the far -- except (INAUDIBLE) on the right, believe in holding the age of 62 or even reducing it.
So, you have a government here that's concerned that this is galvanizing the opposition and helping them and that a president or a government that does not have a majority any longer in parliament is potentially going to be increasingly distracted as the days move on. And as the protests potentially increase from being able to push their legislative agenda, so they're going to be watching this very closely.
VAUSE: Well, the French president does argues that raising the retirement age is crucial, because the system he claims is not financially viable, if it continues as is. Here's Macron. We'll listen to him now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Yes, we should never forget that this reform is indispensable when we compare ourselves to the rest of Europe. And when we look at our collective need to preserve and save our pay as you go pension system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, so pay as you go, here are the numbers. In the year 2000, for every person retiring in that year, 2.1 workers were contributing into the system. But increased life expectancy has meant that by 2020, the ratio was down to 1.7. By 2070, it's expected to drop to 1.2 contributing for every one person retiring.
That's a problem, not a crisis. So, that'd be myriad ways of addressing the problem beyond rising or increasing the retirement age. There are other things that can be done, right?
THOMAS: I think so John, and this is obviously a changing society, you have the government here arguing and competitiveness, sustainability, and so on. But in fact, these are more ideological arguments than economic arguments, because there's no consensus in among economists when it comes to this.
As I mentioned, there's back down already on this on age from 65 to 64. But no matter what, he's playing a numbers game around age and the number of years that you have to contribute to be able to get your full pension. What others are arguing is that this is exacerbating inequities that
are already there, and have been there long standing in French society, and the government is making a choice to not continue to inject and to invest at the same level into the pension scheme, while at the same time, throughout his presidency, providing significant tax cuts to corporations businesses, and to the wealthiest members of French society.
[00:25:06]
So, you see this playing out on ideological lines. And you see it galvanizing the very powerful opposition at the moment in French society. And I think that Macron's hands are tied here. And they have to think very carefully about whether or not this is a battle they want to ultimately pursue, John.
VAUSE: I guess it's a question that many will be asking right now. Dominic, good to see you. Thank you.
THOMAS: Thank you.
VAUSE: Well, two years ago, life in Myanmar changed forever. The military coup and subsequent bloody crackdown on protesters drove many ordinary people there to take arms.
And coming up a CNN exclusive from inside rebel forces.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everyone, I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
It's now two years since Myanmar's military overthrew the democratically elected government and seize power. But follow was a violent crackdown on protesters and the toll on the country has been devastating.
According to U.N. estimates, 1.2 million people have been displaced, but 70,000 have fled the country and the political violence has claimed the lives of 19,000 people. The U.N. has accused the military dictatorship of war crimes and crimes against humanity. But Myanmar's military leaders say their actions are a campaign against terrorists.
CNN's Ivan Watson live for us this hour in Hong Kong.
It is amazing how this opposition to this regime, this military regime has evolved over the last two years.
IVAN WATSON, CNN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, from peaceful protests to armed rebels, and we are seeing the streets of the largest city Yangon largely empty today as people appear to be showing their displeasure on this second anniversary of the military coup by not turning out into the streets.
In the two years since the elected government was swept from power and jailed, the country has been plunged into an economic retraction. The United Nations is estimating that this year some 17 million people in Myanmar will need humanitarian assistance and the country has also been plunged into a cycle of violence, a conflict with no apparent way out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON (voice over): Racing into battle, images shared exclusively with CNN filmed by combat medics in Myanmar.
They extract a rebel fighter wounded in a clash last October with government forces, scenes from a vicious conflict raging across the heart of Southeast Asia, a war that is rarely seen by the outside world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has been forgotten.
[00:30:08]
WATSON (voice-over): The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar is trying to focus international attention on the crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has been two years of a military at war with its own people. We've seen 1.4 million people displaced. We've seen more than 28,000 homes destroyed. Thousands of people have been killed.
WATSON (voice-over): Before the war, this group of medics included a high school student, a lab technician, and a hospital nurse.
WATSON: Why are you guys doing this? Why are you risking your lives right now.
ROSALIN, COMBAT MEDIC (through translator): If we don't fight, then we know we won't get democracy. And that is what we want.
WATSON (voice-over): On February 1, 2001, Myanmar's top army general announced a military coup, imposing martial law and throwing members of the elected government in jail.
A deadly crackdown crushed anti-coup protests, forcing the opposition underground and into the jungle. Armed rebel groups, calling himself Peoples Defense Forces, sprouted up across the country, allying themselves with armed ethnic militias that have battled the military for decades.
No foreign country publicly offers them support, so these fighters armed themselves, using ammunition produced in a jungle workshop. Homemade rounds stored in a refrigerator.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is for air-drop drones.
WATSON (voice-over): He sows drone bombs, mortar rounds and something he calls rifle grenades, tested nearby.
Compare these makeshift weapons to the military, boasting an arsenal that includes tanks and warplanes. One of the military's deadliest airstrikes on record involved what was promoted as a local golf tournament last October. The competition and subsequent concert, organized by an ethnic opposition group called the Kachin Independence Organization.
Survivors say a famous local singer named Aurali was about to perform his second song of the night when --
(SOUND OF ARTILLERY)
WATSON (voice-over): An airstrike demolished the building, throwing this local businessman, who doesn't want to be identified for his safety, up into the air.
"People who had been happily greeting each other, clapping and drinking wine, were not corpses," he says. "They were in pieces. It was horrific."
Kachin officials say the attack killed the singer and at least 67 other people.
In response to a CNN request, Major General Zaw Min Tun claimed responsibility for the attack, in this letter, published in the state newspaper. He called it a necessary military operation, targeting a dozen were enemies and terrace were hiding, adding, "Throughout history until now, the military has never attacked civilians."
TOM ANDREWS, U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN MYANMAR: That statement is absurd. It's ridiculous. There is clear evidence. We -- we have video of airstrikes on -- on villages.
WATSON (voice-over): Evidence that points to a growing number of civilian casualties from a conflict with no end in sight.
ANDREWS: If it remains in the shadows of international attention, then we are providing a death sentence to untold numbers of people.
WATSON (voice-over): With no help on the horizon, the next generation has little choice but to prepare for a life at war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (on camera): And John, I think what is remarkable is just how hopeless the situation appears to be.
I mean, look at this statement from the United Nations, which is predicting in 2023 this year continued political instability, escalating armed conflict, persistent displacement, slower stagnant economic growth, just nothing kind of positive in their projection of what will happen to this country in the coming year.
The U.S. announced sanctions this week on this grim anniversary in conjunction with Canada, Australia, the U.K., targeting members and companies that are affiliated with the military regime in Myanmar.
We are not seeing a coordinated response, really, from ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member. There does seem to be a split with some governments vary uncomfortable with the military dictatorship -- I would mention, Malaysia and Singapore and Tunisia -- while others which are neighbors and could provide access to territory there and perhaps more support for the opposition of the people there, like Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, they appear to be more comfortable with the dictatorship that has run the country for the last two years -- John.
[00:35:05]
VAUSE: That in itself is an environment. Ivan, thank you. Ivan Watson, live for us in Hong Kong.
Just ahead, early elections are now on the agenda in Peru as protests continue nationwide. More on the political unrest in a moment.
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VAUSE: The death toll after a suicide bombing at a mosque in Pakistan continues to climb. At least 100 confirmed dead so far.
Police believe about 12 kilograms of explosives were used in Monday's attack at Peshawar. Worshippers, many law enforcement officials, had gathered at the mosque for evening prayers.
As rescue workers sift through the rubble, hope is now fading of finding any survivors.
Further South in the Pakistani city of Kahat, officials say at least 51 people have died after a boat capsized on Sunday. The boat was carrying school-aged children between the age of 7 and 14, along with their teachers.
At least five students have been rescued. One person remains missing.
Peru's Congress will discuss early elections in the coming hours amid nationwide protests. The president, Dina Boluarte, is urging lawmakers to reconsider a proposal to hold elections later this year.
Protests have rocked the country since former president, Pedro Castillo's, ouster last month.
Channel 4's news correspondent, Guillermo Galdos, takes a look at what protesters are demanding.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUILLERMO GALDOS, CORRESPONDENT, CHANNEL 4 (voice-over): Deep into Peruvian land, local people have taking control of the mountain roads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GALDOS (voice-over): They are supporters of the deposed president, Pedro Castillo, who was arrested in December after trying to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) GRAPHIC: Our hospitals have been abandoned. Our education has been
abandoned. Everything has been abandoned.
GALDOS (voice-over): Most here are poor indigenous farmers and miners, who work Southern Peru's resource-rich land but see little in return.
Castillo, a left-wing former union leader, promised to change all of that. And these protesters believe he was overthrown by a corrupt political elite in the capital of Lima, who had never done anything to help them.
Violent protests have spread across Peru since Castillo's removal. Clashes with police have led to more than 50 deaths and hundreds injured.
Castillo's successor, President Boluarte, has done little to quell the anger, refusing to resign and calling the protests terrorism. The protestors call her a traitor.
But while the flash points dominate the headlines, Peru is in a state a paralysis.
[00:40:00]
Cusco is the closest neighbor town to Machu Picchu, and so relies heavily on tourism. That has completely shut down, because tourists have been told it's too dangerous to travel here.
We travel the winding highways through the Andes, heading for the town of Juliaca. We were stopped at barricade after barricade.
This journey usually takes five hours. This time, it was two days.
This is the scene of the worst violence during the weeks of chaos. On the 9th of January, 17 people were killed as the police used live ammunition on protesters at the airport.
Among those killed was a medical student called Marco Samian (ph). I met his family who told me he was in clear medical uniform and treating an injured protester, but the police shot him anyway.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: The protests are not going to end. One thing which makes us different from the people in the capital. We do not give up. They will not silence us. More people will die, but we will not be silenced.
Every night I cry for him. Life will never be the same for me. He used to hug me when I was down, and now he is not here. I feel empty, but obliged to keep on living. If it was up to me I would give up on life.
GALDOS (voice-over): Today, the area around the airport in Juliaca looks like a war zone.
GALDOS: This was the place where 17 people died in clashes with the police. Hundreds of people tried to take over the airport. They destroyed the fence, and they were trying to stop police and military reinforcements arriving to the airport.
Today, we spoke to the police, and they told us. They've been authorized to open fire.
GALDOS (voice-over): I met with a brigade of young volunteer medics who Marco (ph) was working with the day he was killed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: It was a massacre in my opinion because there were people injured with rubber bullets. Then there were people shot with bullets in the head. They had very bad injuries.
GALDOS (voice-over): These remote regions have not seen violence like this since the days of Shining Path, a Maoist insurgent group, which killed thousands of Peruvians in the '80s and '90s.
The military were sent in to crush the far-left group then, and that response killed thousands of civilians, too.
Marco's medical colleagues accompany his family to the cemetery for his funeral. This was a young man who died trying to save the lives of others.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: Brothers and family, I promise you here in front of his tomb. We will not forget him. We will demand justice, and we will make sure that we get it. We will never forget this.
GALDOS (voice-over): The protests began a support for one politician and his failed coup, but they are beyond that now.
This is a cry of anger from people who don't feel valued by the leaders of the country. They believe their lives are seen as worthless by a government they think just doesn't care whether they live or die.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: That report from Guillermo Galdos of Channel 4 News.
Well, thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. WORLD SPORT starts after a very short break. Hope to see you here at the -- right back tomorrow. And at the top of hour, stay tuned for CNN's exclusive interview with Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. See you tomorrow.
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