. ♪ not just thailand, but northern thailand. once known as kingdom of a million rice fields, it's a fertile, green and gorgeous area, home of the ancient lanna people. >>> i remember the moment i welcome to chiang mai province, tucked up near the borders of burma, china, laos, india not too far away. all of them have left their mark on the food. >> here's the local hootch. lao khao. >> and if you're eating here, chances are, you're also drinking. >> compared to the stuff we had this morning, this is substantially more harsh, i would say. and less fragrant. >> the village of mae wang. in this place it's called hin tang. how did you find this place? we're in the middle of nowhere. >> it's a very popular place. >> a restaurant showcasing one of the distinguishing elements of northern thai cuisine, the heavy use of animal protein. >> you see the local people, they're lining up. here in northern thailand, pig reigns supreme. most of the stuff we're eating here is made out of pig. >> what did you order? >> grilled pig tail. >> that so

one of the women is under 25 too young to travel to thailand. young women are often targeted by gangs of human traffickers looking for fresh blood for thailand's sex industry. >> this week, we've arrested eight or nine brokers. as long as they're on trial, we look after the victims, and then we help them get back to their home towns, if that's what they want. >> but most try to get across the border on their own, or with the help of family members. those who make it often end up in settlements like this one, on the outskirts of chiang mai in northern thailand. now the work is finished for the day. everyone here is part of the ethnic shan minority. most of them earn less than the legal minimum wage of around eight euros a day. but that's still more than what they would make at home. jai leng tells us that even though they live in this camp, they still worship buddha with this little altar, just like at home. jai leng is also from myanmar. he's lived in thailand with his family for 20 years. >> i'm happy when i don't think too much. but deep in my

a few of the survivors who made it back home to thailand pray with the monks. they ask that we don't show their faces. in the past rescued workers and their families have been threatened with violence. an investigation found as many as 4,000 men on thai fishing boats are stranded on remote indonesian islands. workers' rights in thailand who uncovered the abuse say the priority now is to get the men home safely. they need help from the government. >> the government is too worried about the export sector and the international human trafficking report - they are more worried about their image than solving the problem. >> thailand is the world's third largest exporter of food and fishery products. the industry was worth 8.8 billion in 2012. the international labour organization estimates 17% of workers are subjected to forced labour. >> this is the fisheries industry in thailand. it is where many trafficking victims say they are recruited and sold by brokers to fishing boat captains and where seafood is brought to be distributed nationally and globally. >> for year

exposed labor abuse in thailand's fishing industry. >> now we're changing the whole system. it's not just announcing it, putting it into regulation, and checking the boats. >> even though they are now free workers are haunted by their experience,ings trapped for threang years afternoon indonesia beings government. >> i want the deposit to help us. >> the future looks uncertain for workers like these who have been rescued let alone for those still stranded in indonesia or trapped in the systematic abuse. veronica pedrosa near bangkok thailand. >> three businessmen suspected to be involved in the oil scheme of petrobras. >>> the irish government is accused of subject subjecting, many without their consent. the procedure cuts through cartilage and ligaments of the pelvic joint to allow the baby to be delivered more easily. lawrence lee reports. >> this is the result of a synph synpha pisiotomoy. pisiotomomoomy. >> after all any woman who accepts compensation also signs away her right to take any other legal action against well, anyone in ireland down from the state itself to an

in a shopping mall in thailand. shoppers on the popularturist islands are running in panic. the police don't know what caused the explosion. >>> in south korea people are protesting over last year's ferry disaster. victims have accused the government of holding up the investigation into the accident and want an independent investigation. over 300 people died when the ferry capsized off the southern coast. >>> russia has been carrying out military drills near the ukrainian border. dozens of helicopters and airplane pilots participated in the operation in the south. the russian president vladimir putin has promised to spend more than $140 billion u.s. dollars to overall the country's fighting forces. >>> now moscow signed an integration treaty with the self declared internationally recognized as belonging to georgia. it was bad news for the tens of thousands of georgians displaced in the territory. without decent housing or opportunities their futures look bleak. >> she's been washing her family's clothes the same way

thailand. >>> hello again. welcome back. a reminder of the top stories an al jazeera - weapons supplies sped up in saudi-led coalition, targetting the houthi rebels in yemen. the situation across the country is deteriorating, u.n.i.c.e.f. saying 74 children have been killed since the end of march >>> u.s. security council is demanding humanitarian access to a refugee camp in syria's capital after it was stormed by i.s.i.l. fighters last week >>> hundreds of students mark through the kenyan capital calling for better security at universities following the attack in garissa, 149 dying after gunmen stormed a campus in the north-east >>> >>> malaysia's parliament approved an anterior. -- an anti-terror law. they reintroduced a policy revoked years ago in relation to those planning attacks in the capital >>> iran's newsagency reports soldiers killed on the border. the attack is a second-reported incident in the area. the official agency said republican guard's were attacked. the gunmen were linked to farren intelligence agency bu

it is a problem in thailand, in meen and many, many other countries. the other problem is also, this is only avery small group. we are talking around 4,000 people. there is a lot of boats still missing the once ones we saw yesterday, so many other undocumented crew has now gone missing. the ministry of fishing here in indonesia is trying to track down this boat and try to rescue all these people on board as well. >> step vaessen in tual, indonesia. >>> opposition leader aung san suu kyi is is considering boycotting the vote. >> the playing field is not level and the administration is engaging in acts which are discriminatory against nld. so we can't say it's fair so far i don't think we can guarantees fair elections. >> a group calling itself restore minorities, says the group are is there have also been counterrallies that say that recall australia is anti antiterrorism. s. >>> police shot and killed a boy during an operation targeting drug traffickers on thursday. the officers involved have been suspended. >> no longer using wild animals in their sho

. >> thailand? >> and see if i can find that product. >> i didn't want to go alone. that's what i told her. i didn't want to go alone. because it's a foreign country. >> she knew i'd been in the military. she knew i'd traveled and needed somebody to go with me. >> that's what i told kim. i remember that now. i don't mean to laugh about it. but i was really sick. >> mm-mm. i couldn't tell her all the details. because then that meant that i would have to admit to somebody that i was in the drug business. and that was not going to happen. three months previous i had a nail client who knew that i was in a really bad situation. i had $12,000 worth of debt from when i was married, and it was more than i could imagine because i was a single parent working part-time, taking care of three children by myself. >> feet off of the table. >> my nail client told me that she had a friend who had some businesses and maybe her friend could give me some part-time work. >> zuna was nigerian. she carried herself like a

. >>> and it's being described thailand's biggest ivory bust. we'll have details on the seizure of elephant tusks in bang kong. >>> more than 400 asylum seekers have been rescued off of the coast of italy. the group was found by a fishing boat. the ship they were on was taking on water. it's just the latest incident in what has become an almost daily occurrence between northern africa and southern europe. in the last week alone more than 10,000 people have been rescued in the seas. hundreds more have drowned. ing on sunday a ship carrying more than 800 people sank off of the libyan coast. it's one of the worst disasters in the mediterranean sea. then on monday a ship carrying migrants smashed off of the greek island of rhodes. the italian and maltese guards scrambled to respond to distress calls from a ship from libya. >> reporter: given how difficult the crisis has become the sight of young italian women showering refugee ships are flowers is a display of basic humanity that is more than a little moving. this claimed 700 lives or more brought a

for civilians to stop using thailand as a traffic point. thousands of refugees come through here every year in search of better lives. these men are hoping to take matters in their own hands to to prevent the crimes of lawlessness of their own gangs that smuggle them through the. >> government officials are involved in the human traffickers. this is our biggest challenge. many are also involved. i don't think they benefit as much as the officials. >> not far from the jungle refugees rescued from armed smugglers try to enjoy a semblance of freedom. they spent a month on a boat and then were to be smuggled through thailand across to malaysia. the volunteer militia rescued here as traffickers try to lead their group through the dense jungle. >> the guards were violent. they were always beating the row hingega. when i saw it, i wanted to die. it was very bad. . >> the volunteers set up check points and act as the local police. they have the support of the community giving food, petrol, and money for their needs. but not everyone believes this i

they spent a month on a boat and travelled through thailand across to malaysia. the volunteers rescued her as they tried to lead the group through the jungle. >> translation: the guards are violent. they are beating the hassan rouhani. they used a rope two. two men were shot dead and one beaten to death. i just wanted to die. the suffering was bad. >> to prevent the suffering the boll tears set up checkpoints and act as the local place. they have the support of the community who give them food petrol and money. not everyone believes this is a good thing. the leaders are concerned the presence of armed civilian rescuers is just going to complicate matters further. >> if the muslims are carrying weapons, the row hinga know they'll be treated fairly. about the buddhists have them not all, but some will treat them harsh. >> that was not the case for fatima or their daughters. they were brought to a shelter and are glad to be alive. fatima hopes to get to her husband in malaysia. >> with no one stopping them the men in the jungle say they'll continue their works. arme

. >> i'm veronica pedrosa near thailand at the hub of the fisheries industry which is once again under the spotlight for human trafficking and live labour despite government promises. >>> welcome back let's recap the headlines. the saudi-led coalition stepped up air strikes in and around yemen's capital sanaa. military installations amongst the targets hit. it's 17 days since the operations began. in nigeria selections are under way for 29 state governors and other state representatives. it is closely watched to see if muhammadu buhari's party can consolidate their victory. they defeated goodluck jonathan in the presidential vote two weeks ago >>> fighting between i.s.i.l. and the iraqi army intensified. i.s.i.l. says it sees most parts of the area. the iraqi army says it's holding ground. >>> let's return to the top story and the air strikes in yemen. i spoke to a former advisor to the last three yemeni prime ministers, and said there was risk of a wider conflict. >> very heard there was talks between the g.c.c. countries and the russians that the russians were not using the veto. the

they spent a month on a boat and then were to be smuggled from thailand to malaysia. they were rescued as traffickers tried to lead the group through the jungle. >> the guards were very violent. they were always beating rohingya. the suffering was very bad. >> the volunteers set up check points and pretty much act as the local police. they have the support of the community, who have give them food petrol and money for their needs. but not everyone believes this is a good thing. many are concerned that the presence of armed rescuers are just going to complicate matters further. >> if the muslims are carrying weapons, the rohingya know that they'll be treated fairly. but if the buddhists have weapons, i won't say all of them but they will be treated very harsh. >> but that was not the case for fatima and her daughters. they were brought to a shelter and say they're glad to be alive. fatima say she just wants to get to her husband in malaysia. the volunteers step in and fill a gap that the their government has asked them to. >> shop keep necessary the afghan capital have

they spent a month on a boat and then were to be smuggled through thailand across to malaysia. the volunteer militia restless cured her as traffickers try to lead her group through the defense jungle. >> translator: the guards are very violent. they were always beating us. they even beat us with the guns they carried. sometimes they use aid rope too. two men were shot dead and one was beaten to death. when i saw it i just wanted to die. the suffering was very bad. >> reporter: to prevent further suffering the volunteers set up checkpoints. and pretty much act as the local police. they have the support of the community. who give them food, petrol and money for their needs. but not everyone believes this is a good thing. the leaders of the minority muslim groups here are concerned that the presence of armed civilian rescuers is just going to complicate matters further. >> translator: if the muslims are carrying weapons they will still know they will get treated fairly. about the buddhists have weapons and i am not saying all of them. but some with intimidate and treat rohingya ve

they have three companies connected to thailand. but there are many others in this whole region in the far east of indonesia where many others are still stuck in their situation. >> step this media investigation lasted a year. what does this say about the level of monitoring by the i indonesian government and indeed the international companies who have been buying the fish from these sellers. >> reporter: exactly. i have asked the same question, of course, to the head of the investigation team. how could this happen. and, of course, the answer is this is very remote. it's very, very difficult to control the situations like this we traveled a few days to actually get here, a couple of plane trips a boat ride. there is hardly any control over these areas in the far east of indonesia, that's one of the reasons this can happen. of course it's a huge concern of the companies worldwide who are buying fish that have actually been caught by slaves like these. >> step vaessen thanks very much indeed. >>> china's former security chief has bee

from thailand and today, from indonesia. they have the light on the remote part of indonesia. >> i know this is early in the investigation, but has there been response at all from the corporations two have been buying the seafood from the boats using the sailors as slaves? >> as far as i know. negotiations have been responded and they are very worried. they don't want to be connected to any form of slavery. from what i see on the ground it's a situation that they are experiencing. those that go to the united states. that those situations are unacceptable. they want to stop it and they'll take confirm action against the company. >> this is a tip of the iceberg. there's more people working under these conditions around the region. >> as i understand it many of these sailors have been abandoned by boat captains after there was a moratorium by the indonesian government on foreign fishing five months ago. is there likely to be action taken against the captains of the boats who abandoned them. >> yes, the captains are there now. w

they spent a month on a boat and were to be smuggled in thailand across from malaysia. they rescued her as traffickers tried to lead her group through the jungle. >> they were violent. they were beating the rohingya. they beat us with the guns they carried. sometimes they used a rope too. two men were shot dead one bapt to death. when i -- beaten to death. when i saw it i wanted to die. the suffering was bad. >> to prevent the suffering volunteers set up checkpoints and act as the local police. they have the support of the community, who give them food petrol and money for their needs. not everyone believes this is a good thing. the leaders of the minority group here were concerned the presence of rescuers will complicate matters further. >> if the muslims are carrying weapons, they know that they'll be treated fairly. if the buddhists had weapons, i'm not saying all of them. some will intimidate and treat the rohingya harsh. >> that was not the case for fatima and her daughters. they were taken to a shelter and are glad to be alive. she hopes to get to her husband in m

. >> a few of the survivors make it back to thailand pray with the monks they asked we not show their faces. their families have been threaten wednesday violence for telling their stories. as many as 4,000 men working on thai fishing boats are stranded on remote indonesian islands. the priority now is to get the men home safely but they need help from the government. >> the government is too worried about the export sector and the internationalling trafficking report they are more worried about that than solving the problem. >> thailand is the world's largest exporter of fishing and fishing products, the international labor organization estimate 17% of the workers in the sector are subject to slaver labor. many trafficking victims say they are recruited and sold on to fishing captains. often where seafood is brought to be distributed nationally and globally. for years cases have emenched emerged that expose the issue. >> it's knot just announcing but we've put it into action in legislation, setting the rules and regulations and even check checking the boats. >> even though they're fre

this is the hub of the fishery in thailand. this is where many trafficking victims say they're recruited and then sold on by brokers to fishing boat captains. and it's also where seafood tainted by slave labor is brought nationally and internationally. >> now we're changing the whole system. we announced it in the beginning, it's not just announcing. we put it into action in legislation. setting the rules and resolutions, and checking the boats. >> even though they're now free, workers who had been rescued are haunted by their experiences. this worker said he was trapped for 13 years on boats and on indonesian island. >> i don't know what to do next. i have to wait for compensation from the employers. during the period of waiting it could be two to three months. so i want the government to help us. >> the future looks uncertain for workers like these who have been rescued let alone those still stranded in indonesia or trapped in the systemic abuse. al jazeera thailand. >> hillary clinton is said to launch her long-awaited 2016

. >>> plus we go on patrol in thailand, where peopling are taking the fight against human trafficking into their own hand. >>> and we meet the inventor who has found a good solution to alzheimer's carers. >>> the u.s. deputy secretary of state is saying that the u.s. is going to be expediting arms supplies to the anti-houthi coalition according to the reuters news agency once again, citing the u.s. deputy secretary of state. the fight for control of yemen does continue meanwhile. where forces loyal to the government and supported by the coalition are battling shia houthi rebels. it has been nearly two weeks since the air campaign began. saudi jets bombed a military base in central yemen controlled by houthi righters near the by of ibb. and in the southern port city of aden many civilian homes were destroyed by shelling. they are set to have recaptured an air base north of aden from the houthis. we're joined by our correspondent in a city in yemen. what is the latest on that air strike in ibb? >> reporter: well the information about the air campaign about the coalition forces is really

the general praised his government for bringing stability to thailand after years of protest. as we report from bangkok his critics are alarmed at new military powers which replace martial law. >> due to appear in court taken for taking part in protests, he could be sentenced to three years in prison if found guilty. >> i wouldn't be so concerned if we went through the normal judicial pros. normal citizens should not be tried in a military court. we can't find a fair and just system there. this makes me lack confidence in thailand as a country. >> days after the coup, demonstrations were held across bangkok. soldiers were sent to public areas to prevent further protests. >> on the surface things have returned to normal. the walk ways like this one here in bangkok connected several shopping malls are filled with shoppers office workers and tourists. >> the thai economy suffered throughout the years of political uncertainty and this year's prospects don't look great, either with many analysts downgrading growth forecast the. some say thailand faces its worst economic outlook in

the japanese government stresses that the lifting of the ban on thailand-based airlines is a temporary measure. it expects that further talks will be held with the thai government on how to deal with the issue from june onward. >>> in the late 19th century a turkish ship sank off the coast of japan while heading home from a goodwill visit. many crew members died, but some were rescued by local villagers. the incident is considered a key event in the history of the friendship between japan and turkey. now, numerous items recovered from the wreck site are on display in the city where the ship's journey began. nhk world's akihito yohada has more. >> reporter: the exhibition opened on thursday at the istanbul museum. about 200 people attended the opening ceremony. this man is a turkish nautical archaeologist. he's been the driving force in making this exhibition a reality. >> i'm happy there was a good representation of some of our japanese friends as well as from navy and from turkish people. >> reporter: in 1889, the frigate set sail from constantinople, now istanbul, to japan. a delegat

. >>> in southern thailand people have taken matters into their own hands. they are armed and they say they are determined to stop their communities from deteriorating into lawlessness. >>> deep in the jungles, these men patrol one of asia's busiest smuggling routes. they are all volunteers who have answered their government's call for civilians to do what they can to stop human traffickers from using thailand as a transit point. thousands of refugees come through here ever year in search of better lives. and these men hope taking matter into their own hands will help stop the rising of violence. >> translator: the government officials are involved with the human traffickers. this is our biggest challenge. many of the local villages are also involved. though i don't think they benefit as much as the officials. >> reporter: not far from the jungle refugees try to enjoy a semblance of freedom. this woman paid traffickers to help her and her daughters. they spent a month on a boat and then were to be smuggled through thailand across to malaysia. the militia res

they thought they were going to send it to thailand. they contacted an agent and before we knew it they were sent here. and the government says after speaking to them it was clear that they were used as slags, forced labour. this group is here from cambodia. they are going to go home. people from thailand laos and a team from the international organisation of migration are sad. they estimate 4,000 of them are in the whole region in the east of indonesia. in this company. there's a few hundred. the government is going to take as many as they can, and they'll hand them over to the government of myanmar, cambodia and all the countries that they are coming from >>> the u.n. security council is calling for than investigation into the latest reports of chemical weapons in syria. activists and opposition members sir syrian opposition members dropped bombs containing chlorine gas in idlib. >> most of the council measure expressed concerns occurring after the adoption of resolution 21.09, condemning in the strongest terms the use of any toxic ch

workers' rights in thailand who uncovered the abuse say the priority now is to get the men home safely. they need help from the government. >> the government is too worried about the export sector, and the international human trafficking report - they are more worried about their image than solving the problem. >> thailand is the world's third largest exporter of fish and fishery products. the industry was worth 8.8 billion in 2012. the international labour organization estimates 17% of workers are subjected to forced labour. >> this is the hub of the fisheries industry in thailand. it is where many trafficking victims say they are recruited and sold by brokers to fishing boat captains, and where seafood is brought to be distributed nationally and globally. >> for years, cases have emerged that expose labour abuse in thailand's fishing industry. >> now we are changing the system. we announced that in the beginning, it's not just announcing. we are putting into action in legislation, setting rules and regulations and checking the boats. >> even though they are free, workers rescued are

they thought they were going to thailand. they contacted an agent and they were sent here for this fishery company here in indonesia. the government says after speaking to them was clear that they were used as slaves for labor. this group is here from cambodia and they also are going home. from thailand, laos. 4,000 of them are estimated to be in this area of indonesia. in this particular part, this particular company there's a few hundred. the government is going to take as many as they can to another port closer and then they will hand them over to the government of myanmar cambodia and all the countries that they are coming from. >> greece said it will be able to make a crucial payment of $489 million to the i.m.f. on time. the deadline for the installment is wednesday following a recent warning from the government that it was weeks away from running out of cash. the ruling is a recent does a party said the government can still make social security payments on april 14. >> continue knicks in ukraine lack medical supplies.

now this comes during an ivory amnesty program here in thailand fronted by the government. this goes out to private individuals, even sellers of ivory if they come in and register their iefry they have an amnesty. but if they are caught with the ivory after the deadline tuesday, they could face up to a thoundz fine. now this is all part of a program to clamp down on the illegal ivory trade here in thailand. >>> south korea's prime minister has offered to resign after being accused of taking bribes. he denies the allegation that he accepted illegal campaign funds from the businessmen. he was found dead hanging from a tree earlier this month in an apparent suicide. lee allegedly received $28,000 from the man when he was trying to get reelected in 2013. >>> shanghai is preparing to introduce a new law to force polluting vehicles off of the road. exhaust fumes have been blamed for the country's worsening air quality. our china correspondent reports. >> reporter: business is slow at this second-hand car market. so traders wile away the day playing cards or board games. that real

they spent a month on a boat and then were to be smug would threw thailand across to malaysia. the volunteer militia rescued her as traffickers tried to lead her group through the dense jungle. >> the guards are very violent. they are always beating the people. they even beat us with the guns they carried. sometimes they used a rope, too. two men were shot dead and one was beaten to death. when i saw it, i just wanted to die. the suffering was very bad. >> to prevent further you suffering, the volunteers set up check points and pretty much act as the local police. they have the support of the community, who give them food, petrol and money for their needs, but not everyone believes this is a good thing. the leaders of the minority muslim groups here are concerned the presence of armed civilian rescuers is just going to complicate matters further. >> if the muslims are carrying weapons, they know they will be treated fairly, but if the buddhist carry weapons not all of them, but they will treat people very harsh. >> fatima and her daughters were brought to a shelter and are just

people from myanmar, thailand and international organization said they estimate around 4,000 of them are in this whole region in the east of indonesia and this particular part and this particular company there is a few hundred and the government is going to take as many as they can to another port closer and then they will hand them over to the government of myanmar, cambodia and all the countries they are coming from. >> the populations of some polish cities are shrinking at alarming rate and the bank says dwindling birth rate and lack of jobs are having a devastating mark and we go to the southern pollish town. >> reporter: emotional scene that is played out daily at the bus station, another young worker is leaving town one of thousands said good-bye and the town shrunk by 50,000 and 23-year-old samantha is on her way to london and a job in a hotel. sad to leave your friends. >> leaving friends. >> reporter: it's very hard. >> we cry. >> reporter: quite tough. >> yes. >> reporter: some of samantha's friends say they plan to follow her soon. samantha sets off for london, she is amon

comes during an ivory amnesty program here in thailand. fronted by the government this goes out to private individuals collectors even sellers of ivory if they come from over the last two months if they come in and register their eye rethey have amnesty. if they are caught with it after tuesday they could face up to a $100,000 fine, this is all part of a program to clamp down on the ivory illegal ivory trade in thailand. >>> an exhibition looking at the cultural history of ab ridge anies is about to open up it the british knew see you feel it's a window in to one the oldest cultures it includes 18th century artifacts as well as indigenous art from australia. jessica balanced winnow has a sneak peek. >> reporter: this shield was picked up on the beach by captain cook or one of his men when they landed on australia's east coast in 1770. the story goes two ab ridge anies saw the white men thought they were ghosts and ghosts and ran so fast they dropped their shield it's never been back to australia but that will change in november. in it trav

it's described as thailand's biggest ivory bust. we have the details from bangkok. >> from the rain forest to the courtroom with that, the 30 year fight between chevron and environmental lawyer takes a new turn. >> the gold be state warriors take a step toward the next round of the nba playoffs. we'll tell you why after the break. break. just because i'm away from my desk doesn't mean i'm not working. comcast business understands that. their wifi isn't just fast near the router. it's fast in the break room. fast in the conference room. fast in tom's office. fast in other tom's office. fast in the foyer [pronounced foy-yer] or is it foyer [pronounced foy-yay]? fast in the hallway. i feel like i've been here before. switch now and get the fastest wifi everywhere. comcast business. built for business. >> welcome back. the italian coast guard rescued 400 people off the coast of italy. this comes as the captain of a ship that sank off libya sunday with 800 onboard has been charged with manslaughter. >> a cairo court sentenced former egyp

military leaders imposed marshall law last may, and suspended thailand's constitution. they say they would allow them to establish stability and security. under the law, all political gatherings of more than 5 people have been banned. thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets in november 2013. they demanded the resignation of then prime minister. and their demonstrations continued even after her fall from power. some people say marshall law is affecting the country's economy, particularly where tourism is investments are concerned. under the new orders the military officials will be able to detain demonstrators without charge. and they'll be able to try people in military courts in cases deemed to affect national security. >> some people in japan say they're still not feeling the benefits of the prime minister's economic policies what's known as abe-nomics are set to stabilize the economy. >> tell us more about business sentiment. >> one has been the weaker yen, and the people who are feeling better that's days are the one who benefit from that there's

thailand rang in the traditional new year with its annual water festival. you have to check this out. there it is. elephants a big part of the celebration. they are dishing out the water and getting it back from the tourists. beautiful brightly-painted elephants spraying the tourists. the animals very popular and credited with a 40% jump in attendance to the water festival. they are from a preserve north of bangkok in case you have been to that preserve and think they look familiar. that's them. >> thank you for watching nbc bay area news. "saturday night live" is up next. you probably knew that. have a great night. you're finally going to announce that you're running for president. >> oh, my gosh. i do

they were sold by an agent in thailand to this company here in the east of indonesia to work on fishing vessels. some for many, many years. they were not allowing to home. they were all abused. they were all suffering from lack of food, from lack of sleep, and they had to work on very difficult conditions. the government has decided to take them away from the place where they were held for such a long time because they worry about their safety after they had been speaking out to the press and the government. now they will be brought here to this port, and they'll be questioned once again. it all has to be documented to find evidence for all these very very harsh allegations. then all these people will be handed over to their responsible governments in myanmar cambodia and thailand. it will be a long and difficult process. this is only one small group of a very big group who is still most of them, out there at sea somewhere and nobody knows yet where they are. >> myanmar's opposition leader says that she's considering boycotting general election slated for later this year until four year

they are not going to disney world but to thailand. eva pilgram has thar story. >> when you walk down the hallway it sloshes a bit but you don't want it to spill. >> finding the answers is never as easy as finding the problem. >> we are suppose figure outs why things happen. >> they are trying to answer 17 questions as part of the young physicists tournament. it's the physicists world cup the u.s. has not been represented since 2007. mr. jennings their teacher found out about the competition after the organization followed him on twitter you can see an opportunity and try to take it and if you work hard enough you can make it happen. many other countries have special funding and classrooms for these competitions, but these students are doing their work in their own free time with the tools they can find. >> we have phone each other for a while and we are coming and doing research but its like we are hanging out. >> even if you are not right it helps you learn more. >> thailand isn't a hop skip and a jump and we decided as a team and sc

. >>> people in thailand have been remembering victims of political violence. they gathered on the fifth anniversary of a military crackdown on anti-government protesters and they honored 90 people who got killed. >>> a japanese diplomat joined locals to lay flowers. he was remembering hiroyuki muramoto, a photographer who lost his life in the violence. he pointed out thai authorities have not determined who's responsible for the killings. >> we are waiting for the conclusion of the inquiry made by the court. so we are waiting for the conclusion. >> translator: a sad event took place because of conflicts of opinion in thailand. i think this should be resolved. >> soldiers cracked down on protesters in 2010 on orders from the government of then prime minister ab hiss it vejjajiva. the group that launched the demonstrations are still at odds. >>> officials in tokyo are trying to arrange a meeting between the defense ministers of japan and south korea. they're hoping to set a date for next month. the last time defense chiefs from the countries met was about four y

find out how tourists in thailand are bringing in the new year. >> every sunday night. >> i lived that character. >> go one on one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be able to see change. >> gripping. inspiring. entertaining. talk to al jazeera. only on al jazeera america. >> "the stream". >> your digital community. >> you pick the hot topics and express your thoughts. "the stream", it's your chance to join the conversation. today, 3:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> welcome back. planes carrying medical aid has landed in yemen for the first time since audi led airstrikes began 16 days ago. coalition is have planes land in sanaa. >>> president obama and raul castro is expected to meet at the summit in panama. >>> one of seven suspects connected to india attacks. >>> daughters of talks between syria's government and some opposition figures in moscow have ended with no sign of a breakthrough to end syria's four-year conflict. the fighting there has now killed more than 200,000 people. from the russian capital rory challands reports. >> how many press conferences does

thailand's transport minister says that the aviation sector here has struggled for more than a decade to meet international safety requirements. now the government wants to use sweeping new powers to deal with the situation urgently. >> i need to use special measures to tackle many issues. that's why we need article 44. we will use it constructively. >>reporter: article 44 is a paragraph in the interim constitution last year that gives the ruling council known as the national council for peace and order or ncpo power over all branches of government. that you are argument is that these extra powers are needed in certain circumstances. >> you need to strike a good balance between using executive power the right way and using power the wrong way. and in the end i think the combination of executive and democratic power used carefully would get us out of this transitional period. >>reporter: but the political opposition is concerned. they point out that this is an important time for different voices to be heard because the new constitutions seem to be debated and elections held. >> article

a team by the indonesian government announced to all the people from myanmar, thailand and layo, that they can go home. the team said after they were speaking to all these people they are not safe here. they are talking about abuse. they are walking on the ship for many, many hours, many days without any rest hardly any food and hardly any pay. there was no salary they have hands out. they were really really excited. you can see here this is what they were gathering. when they heard they were going home they went to the boat and this is what they took. this is what they've been living off for the last few years. some have been here for 10 years. wanting to go home all the time. one day they have no idea they were going to work here. they were applying for jobs. they contact an ate. before they knew it they were sent here to the company in son eeshia and the government says it was clear that they were used as slaves forced labour. and they are going to go home. people from myanmar, thailand laos and teams from the organization - they estimate 4,000 of them in this region in the east of

. >>> thailand's prime minister has been speaking to reporters six months after a legislature chose him as leader. he praised his government for bringing stability to thailand after years of disrest. >> reporter: [ inaudible ] is due to appear in court again next week for taking part in a protest during last year's coup. he could be sentenced to three years in prison if found guilty. >> translator: i wouldn't be so concerned if we went through the normal judicial process. normal citizens should not be tried in a military court. this makes me lack confidence in thailand as a country. >> reporter: days after the coup demonstrations were held across bangkok. army commanders responded by sending shoulders to shopping malls, and other public areas to prevent further protests. >> reporter: the walkways like this one here in bangkok, are filled with shoppers office workers, and tourists. the thai economy suffered throughout the years of political uncertainty, and this year's prospects don't look great either with many analysts downgrading growth forecast. >> when we have democratically quote u

. >> thailand's interim prime minister lifted martial law after 11 months. but he's invoked a new security clause that means the military will retain broad powers. he made the announcement in a televised address. the military imposed martial law last may just before it took control of the country in a coup. he issue ad new order which retains significant powers for the military. it bans political gatherings of more than five people and the military would be able to detain people without charge. he says the new order is based on an interim constitution in order to maintain security. observers say the lifting of martial law is design to diffuse internal criticism of human rights violations and eliminating concerns about the effects on the economy, especially the tourism industry. >>> negotiators from iran and six world powers have extended their marathon round of talks for a second day. they are hoping to reach a deal on demands from iron. the negotiations between iran and the five permanent members of the united nations security council plus germany have not

reports suggest drifting ice may have holed the vessel >>> thailand's government says it lifted martial law and will be placed as article 44, a security measure. it grants emergency powers to the ruling military. veronica pedrosa has more from bangkok. >> so article 44 is a single vaguely worded paragraph in the interim constitution that came into place after the coup of 2014. the leader of that coup the general, is the hurnt prime minister. what he has done is to have article 44 replaced martial law, which is a specific 7-page document in the thai context. that's where the critics are worried. article 44 allows the leader of the government sweeping powers in any situation that he's judging it to take over the powers the legislature, et cetera. >> there are criticisms coming in from human rights groups. this as the human rights watch puts it is a descent into dictatorship or thailand >>> a new inexpensive vaccine is said to be introduced in india to help prevent death from the roeta virus. the vaccine is due next month, the first to be used in the developing world. >> reporter: it's chi