Jonathan Head
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Trump blames diversity policies for US air crash
There were officially eight people still technically being held, but we already knew that two of them had died in captivity. They're among the 44 Thais who have died either in captivity or in the initial Hamas attacks. So that left six, and I think a lot of people here were hoping that all six would be released. But five of them, all men,
Global News Podcast
Trump blames diversity policies for US air crash
who are farm workers who've come from mostly the northeast and north of Thailand. That's where most of these guest workers come from, to work in Israel. It's a long tradition going back many decades, the ties to go to Israel. And, yep, they've all been released. As far as we can tell, they're in reasonable health. We can only imagine the conditions they've been held in.
Global News Podcast
Trump blames diversity policies for US air crash
I mean, I can remember talking to hostages who were released after only about 50 days, and they were pretty traumatised by the experience, so we can't even guess... what their state of mind is. The big question is still this one remaining man, whose wife actually I've been in touch with since the very start of this, and we really had hoped that he would be among those released.
Global News Podcast
Trump blames diversity policies for US air crash
We don't know what's happened to him. There's no record of his name. Hamas haven't mentioned holding him. He's not recorded as having died. So he is the one last remaining contingent among the Thais who are caught up. And remember, the Thais were the largest group of foreign nationals who were caught up in the whole Hamas attack and the hostage crisis after that.
Global News Podcast
Trump blames diversity policies for US air crash
Yes, we have. I mean, I've been reporting from Bangkok, but my Thai colleagues have gone off to talk to someone. They're all quite a long way away. It's absolutely fantastic. I mean, the sense of relief. You know, they don't show emotion very much all along. They're quite stoical. They've been buoyed by their communities.
Global News Podcast
Trump blames diversity policies for US air crash
They usually live in quite tight-knit communities in the villages they come from. But, you know, the not knowing when or whether their sons, husbands, brothers would come out has been very, very painful. And you... had this absolute gush of relief that's come from, for example, Willett Tyner. He's a 65-year-old man and his son Pongsak has been held for all that time.
Global News Podcast
Trump blames diversity policies for US air crash
And I think my colleagues have spoken to before, you know, he was beginning to lose hope. Remember, Thailand has been running its own diplomatic track to try and get the hostages out. It's not a party to the conflicts in the Middle East. And Thailand tries to maintain good relations with everyone, but actually has quite a good relationship with Iran.
Global News Podcast
Trump blames diversity policies for US air crash
So they've been talking directly to the Iranians, to the Qataris, to the Egyptians in the hope that they would be able to get their own people out. But, you know, they did get 23 out the month following the initial attacks. But there's been no progress, partly because of the devastating Israeli operation. Everything's been frozen for this last year while that's gone on.
Global News Podcast
Trump blames diversity policies for US air crash
So it's been a very long wait and a very difficult one. But as far as the ties are concerned, apart from this one man who's missing, their saga is now over.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
Look, from a prestige point of view, it's devastating for Min Aung Hlaing, the coup leader. He's taken many embarrassing losses. His own side, the sort of hardline supporters of the military, are out on social media saying, Yeah, absolutely condemning him, saying, what are you doing? How can you let this happen? We've often wondered whether he would survive.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
He's very unpopular, even in his own military council now. But we do see China as a crucial player now, looking for a solution. And it doesn't want the military to collapse completely. So there's a lot we can't tell about what happens in the future, even though the military is much weakened. And this will weaken it a lot more.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
There are far more serious considerations, though, for Rakhine State itself. Just one of multiple conflicts in Myanmar is completely cut off. We can't get access. Humanitarian agencies can't get access.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
But we know that the devastating fighting of the last year has caused immense dislocation of people, hundreds of thousands driven from their homes, no aid going in, the UN warning of looming famine. This is a lot for the Arakan army to be taking on. And there will be real problems for the Rohingya minority, those left behind, those who didn't flee in the ethnic cleansing seven years ago.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
The Arakan army is backed by the local Rakhine Buddhist population who don't like the Rohingyas. And tension has really risen during this conflict because some Rohingya groups bizarrely have backed the military against the Arakan army, even though it's the military that attacked the Rohingyas seven years ago.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
So it's a very messy situation and deeply alarming to the humanitarian agencies who are monitoring it. Our Southeast Asia correspondent, Jonathan,
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
We know about it because the Arakan Army has put out a quite dramatic video showing the last stages of the siege of a base in which the remaining military units had retreated. The Arakan Army has had the military on the run for a year. This is the most sustained fighting in the entire civil war. This battle for Rakhine State, the westernmost state in Myanmar, up against the Bangladesh border.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
And the Arakan army is probably the best armed, and it's certainly a very dynamic ethnic, a relatively new one, well-funded, well-armed. It seemed to have the military certain to drive them out. But this last base proved very tough indeed. I know the base well. It was built on top of a burnt Rohingya village that I covered when I was there seven years ago, and I saw them build it.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
It's about 20 hectares. They built ditches with spikes. There were minefields around it. And it seemed like those soldiers were told they couldn't surrender. And they just pounded it and pounded it with rockets, with all the artillery they could get. All the time, the Myanmar Air Force was bombing the insurgents, bombing the town. All the remaining civilians were driven out.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
Finally, last weekend, they surrendered. And if you look at the video, it's extraordinary. These soldiers coming out look absolutely bedraggled. They're carrying terrible wounds. And then when the Arakan army goes inside, there are dozens and dozens of bodies. It was a really nasty battle. But as a result, this insurgent group now controls the entire Bangladesh border.
Global News Podcast
Syria: thousands celebrate 'Victory Day'
The military regime in Myanmar has lost control of its border with Bangladesh.