Episode two of Vice's new HBO series. A look at some of the world's worst borders.
In ESCAPE FROM NORTH Korea we head to the Korean peninsula with Thomas Morton, to meet up with a group of defectors attempting to flee from North Korea with hopes of obtaining South Korean citizenship- a perilous journey that puts both the defectors, and their families lives at stake. Morton shows us how the journey doesn't end once they escape the boundaries of the North into Chinese territory- as China does not recognize their refugee status. The escapees are forced to moved along an underground railroad- evading authorities at every turn- through Laos, and into Thailand- which is the closest nation to recognize their refugee status, and through which they can eventually obtain citizenship in the South. Unfortunately, many of the escapees end up victims and slaves to organized crime rackets along the way. Finally, we meet a brilliant Christian pastor who goes out of his way to help these wary travellers make their journey safely, and travel along with him as he helps smuggle a group of North Korean girls into Thailand. (segment approx. 10 mins)
In THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS BORDER, Shane Smith takes us to Kashmir, along the border between India and Pakistan. he opens this segment with a short introduction to the nuclear stalemate that exists between the two opposing countries. We then follow him as he heads to the Indian side of the border, where he gets their take on the border conflict- basically concerning the flow of state sponsored terrorists sent into India to destabilize the country. He then moves over to the Pakistani side, where he gets a tour through a neighbourhood controlled by the Taliban. Trying to get to the heart of the conflict, Smith then investigates the issue of water resources, and how they play into the conflict. (segment approx 17 mins)
In ESCAPE FROM NORTH Korea we head to the Korean peninsula with Thomas Morton, to meet up with a group of defectors attempting to flee from North Korea with hopes of obtaining South Korean citizenship- a perilous journey that puts both the defectors, and their families lives at stake. Morton shows us how the journey doesn't end once they escape the boundaries of the North into Chinese territory- as China does not recognize their refugee status. The escapees are forced to moved along an underground railroad- evading authorities at every turn- through Laos, and into Thailand- which is the closest nation to recognize their refugee status, and through which they can eventually obtain citizenship in the South. Unfortunately, many of the escapees end up victims and slaves to organized crime rackets along the way. Finally, we meet a brilliant Christian pastor who goes out of his way to help these wary travellers make their journey safely, and travel along with him as he helps smuggle a group of North Korean girls into Thailand. (segment approx. 10 mins)
In THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS BORDER, Shane Smith takes us to Kashmir, along the border between India and Pakistan. he opens this segment with a short introduction to the nuclear stalemate that exists between the two opposing countries. We then follow him as he heads to the Indian side of the border, where he gets their take on the border conflict- basically concerning the flow of state sponsored terrorists sent into India to destabilize the country. He then moves over to the Pakistani side, where he gets a tour through a neighbourhood controlled by the Taliban. Trying to get to the heart of the conflict, Smith then investigates the issue of water resources, and how they play into the conflict. (segment approx 17 mins)
