floods cascading through broken through the broken dam carrying mud and debris into the areas below a search is on for survivors. and up next we have a documentary on true along the darker side of paradise you're watching news live from berlin we'll have more news for you at the top of the hour until then you can get all the latest news on our web site thanks for watching. life on earth one of a kind and. gigantic coincidence. were comparable happened. to a bit like winning the lottery. or unique starts feb 11th on t.w. .

sri lanka is a country still recovering from civil war and it's a country with 2 faces on the one hand exceptional natural beauty of the island center a 2000 take taste of lush vegetation mainly comprising tea plantations a legacy of the british colonial era this is where the won't announce some home team is crowned a bigger attraction for tourists of the nature versus which a home to some of the planet's rare screeches. before the coronavirus pandemic the island nation was a hot spot for foreign tourists attracted by the low prices and the 1300 kilometers of pristine beaches but the reality behind this post compact. salissa pretty one.

sri lankans face discrimination in their own country with a growing number of the stablish mints now reserved for foreigners only they are not allowed to get in but we also visit the north of the country an area traditionally out of bounds for tourists to see the devastation of the civil war and the hundreds of thousands of landmines that still have to be cleared. certain areas remain listed with unexploded ordinance. while there i can't go any further and it's too dangerous and. ensuring that tourists do come back here means securing full and adjoining the beaches. tourism has become a final source of income for the country and among the parties wanting their piece of the pie as some you might not expect to make a martini and reservation details. in the north where the tamil minority constitute the majority of the population the army seems only present some villages have been

requisitioned in order to develop an unconventional business model. sri lanka has around 20 seaside hotels run by the military isn't it strange for the army to do this kind of business so they were participating in community life we took a side issue lanka the few get to see. this is a high security zone if you could if. you move up. and. we meet a group of tourists staying in this fishing village there's no beach bar and certainly no night club if you want to party you need to be more resourceful folks with it yeah it's never easy to find out where it is for that but i know you've got to earn your evening by you. for sure words are

facing play follow the music. of. today the tourists will be spending the evening at this guest house it's like a sort of block party where all the visiting surface in the area have decided to meet out. every night the guest houses in the village take 10 setting up and improvise my club with a d.j. and a bath. pint of beer cost 2 years 51st in these kinds of events enables guest house owners to place their incomes in a good month they can make 5000 euros checks from parties i think that's a lot of money here the average monthly salary in sri lanka is $250.00 euros and the party hosts could earn a lot more if it would for the regular mishaps. i.

think it is i. such as frequent power outages i 3 large guy this is true that no energy to talk to everything was going so well until the power cuts. which are spinning has led to regular power outages which isn't great for business with every minute that passes the party mode fades further the family house in the venue try to contact the local electricity company i here's the number 0011. i bought the line is busy it's 11 pm and the d.j. is getting restless if the outage last too long he'll have to cut the evening short by like. i. was i. was after half an hour the power is back on. you tube.

tonight these revelers won't be pack at their hotel until the early hours. but in sri lanka not everyone is in the mood for party. before the pandemic business was booming in the sri lankan tourist sector in 2019 it was the chosen destination of 2000000 holidaymakers it's one of the country's biggest income earners but it's a development that has seen the emergence of some controversial practices. shang is 26 years old he says surfing instructor but for the last 2 years he's been unable to mingle freely with tourists after work because for a certain guesthouse arness locals are not welcome. if they are not allowed to get inside they were going to come here and they again they have to

still be emboldened fanboy steadily and say. that's strange enough. they did scared so what's perhaps also strange is that the guest house makes no effort to hide what it's doing it openly advertises it's discriminatory policy. and i both here and there for more so here there's a rez there because i do in her eyes they were the doors long long time but they don't they just started now you'll be well you know. down the road another guest house also proclaims that michaels i'm not welcome. this kind of segregation is a less well known face of sri lanka. the some establishment of found other methods that have barely less conspicuous to stop sri lankans joining the party. by targeting. their wallets. this is. a few kilometers away the

popular club entry appears to be free for 2 wrists at least. 2 bouncers on the door a tasked with keeping srilanka guests to a minimum. and those locals who do pay for the privilege of getting in also have to wear a red wristband unlike the tourists. well that's great but it. doesn't work that way. sorry i was an awkward smile because 2000 rupees is the equivalent of 12 euros a sizeable some given that the average monthly salary in sri lanka is 250 years as a result precious few sri lankans make it through the door inside the club just

don't seem to have bothered even the sri lankan who had to pay to get in that's not tied to that if i'm an adult but. what if i did god they thought. that i was telling club owners have introduced the measures in order to reassure foreign tourists this is a country that has for years struggled to shake off a negative image and associations with violence. we want to know why sri lanka had taken so long to become such a popular tourist destination. we now take the road north to the part of the island less frequent and by tourists and what's happening there doesn't reflect well on sri lanka either the driver has agreed to take us there on one condition that we don't reveal his identity after an hour on the road we passed. an army checkpoint marking

a sort of internal border. we're entering a different country a different sri lanka. the big. population in this area is mainly tamil most of them hindus they currently live under government military control. the ideal landscape is increasingly blemished by houses in ruins. is the 1st time our driver has been to this area for several years. there was this big that's. something. that there is nobody said on this place that this is a wall you will get. for decades if not longer 2 communities have been in conflict with each other in sri lanka $15000000.00 buddhists in ellie's who have governed the country since the end of british colonial rule and $3000000.00 hindu tamils who

live principally in the north of the country and who have been seeking independence . in 2009 after 25 years civil war with the tamil tigers guerrilla group the government in colombo made of radical decision to effectively carpet bomb the north of the country in just a few weeks an estimated 40000 civilians lost their lives. on the ground and government troops then committed numerous atrocities some even filmed themselves performing summary executions. with 140000 civilians remaining unaccounted for the un has repeatedly demanded an investigation into war crimes.

today entire communities have been wiped off the map ghost villages when no tourists ever venture. was totally demolished and. really gunfire. is a journalist from the tamil community he's been investigating the army's attacks on the people living in the move of the island here soldiers opened fire on houses and civilians point blank range. see if. it's also out of bullets. you see. the there was an ounce by the gallon and. fire but then they are brought me they. bombed and shelled all over the people who are leaving the variac.

today the villages that deserted most of its inhabitants died journey attack only the most fortunate survived like this man. for prem these witness accounts are essential to proving economies involvement in war crimes and i'm. afraid and when we tried to shelter in our houses but the shells kept falling and killed everyone inside entire families were killed and start. any investigation is practically impossible since the area has been sealed off for years. in jaffna the tamil cultural capital government soldiers are visible on the interest rate corner this is the sri lanka don't. tease it until 2010 who's close to foreigners in an area comes off from the

rest of the country. through it all the newspaper frameworks for has never stopped printing this openly pro tempore publication has however paid a bloody price for its political leanings. and not a good morning. research. yeah after that incident so all the men really do you know going to be so they'd be happy being that it will matter here you know. one of the rooms still bears evidence of the violent reprisals that prince colleagues were subject to. be shot each and every morning 1st. in 20067 armed men attacked the office killing 2 tamil employees and the night may didn't and they. add up to that 2011 hour news they attacked the threats haven't stopped since the end of the poor crime

blames the atmosphere of intimidation of pro militia groups there so much of human rights violation and human rights abuses are happening in north by military and other forces and we are bringing out that informations the people. in the power doesn't like us despite the threats crime has no intention of giving up. the case he's currently investigating is a particularly sensitive on a state scandal involving the army can start from the. during the war 300000 tamil civilians were forcibly displaced by the army. now refused g.'s in their own country they were split up and sent to 37 different camps . $4000.00 of them including hundreds of children a still living in this one in utter destruction their homes walls

a made out of corrugated sheet metal an old dry sacks. these are the wars forgotten people now deemed undesirables. a pulley and a bucket serve as a makeshift shower for the 350 families who live in this camp. prim the approach is an elderly woman to ask some questions. the baby girl is a 3rd generation she doesn't even on the homeland and she never go back and she's the 1st generation and it's a 25 years. seeming here in 1990 day displays from really just did you. know one way she's we're just going i guess i can't go back we're not allowed to. think.

before being sent to this camp she lived in the north of the country. and you show us on this map where you lived in there that the learning a lot of the london england. but it was. it was around here. just there i remember there was that road to the side. this huge green zone on the map does not represent a sprawling green forest. keeping. it out of. 24 square kilometers of coastline and the army control. during the war the military placed troops here to stop tamil guerrillas receiving

weapons from india. but this territory confiscated by the government has never been given back to the tamil population and government soldiers have decided to make money from this land that isn't theirs via a somewhat unusual business model. our requests to film it went unanswered by the army without official fries ation it's normally impossible to pass the barriers placed around this high security area but we found a way to enter incognito. after a little research on the internet we discovered a hotel that has been set up in the middle of the army controlled zone. from the outside it looks like a classic resort this is swimming pool and access to the beach. we decided to try our luck. below i go here through looking for

this bags. they have rooms available we put 2 of them. secured. by booking a room we now have 24 hours of authorized access. entering this high security zone means being checked in aidid after a 20 minute car journey we come to a military roadblock. from this point on we have to film in secret. and take it to tourists. to the hotel idea reservation to oust. your prey me. where they from where. from friends. of both to checking our papers they let us through. when our lead with the tamil refugees in the camps used to live. the army has put up barracks to house and soldiers.

and in the middle of the complex facing out on tour we reached the hotel where we've booked a room. as a plaque at the entrance tells us in 2010 just after the war ended the hotel was opened by none other than the army's top commander. and it soon becomes clear why. on the arrivals form we have to fill out this is a list offering preferential rates to soldiers so it is. nice for the. plan. you are military yes. everybody military. this man in civilian clothing is a sergeant major in the sri lankan army the employees who are with him are also

soldiers including the 2 women. we bring up the subject of the tamil refugee camps before yesterday i met a guy. in the refugee camp. before the city or he lived here in the north. as a reserve refugee camp no. no. never. ceased but before the stupid ones family lived there and now he lives in the refuses. to go then come back. never. never ever. with the awkward laugh the soldier reception is categorically denies the existence of the camps that we visited only a few days ago. once the war ended the military top

brass decided to exploit the land for their own benefit and built this hotel complex with a stunning ocean view. as far as army personnel are concerned it's simple the soldiers who were mobilized to combat the guerrillas who have relocated to the hotel. a new business concept was born military resorts. the hotel doesn't attract many western tourists which isn't surprising outside there's no one in the pool in fact the water is dirty and the lawns are poorly maintained the whole thing feels like what it essentially is a barracks rather than a hotel for holidaymakers it's mainly used by families visiting soldiers who is occupying the region. we decided to take a walk along the beach but don't get very far. but. there. are going to the big. a soldier in uniform

causes back. ok. if if you're there. if you did. i'm damn. leaving the hotel without authorization is prohibited and this is a strictly guarded environment nonetheless military hotels are extremely popular in sri lanka the ministry of defense is in fact the number one hotel group in the country. and n.g.o.s has identified 17 other resorts owned by the army. most of them are in the north on land that belongs to the tamil. to take advantage of the countries to resume. and more importantly to redeploy some of the 150000 soldiers demarcate since the end of the war. these military commercial

ventures on tamil land are a controversial issue in sri lanka in 2015 the president himself asked the army to give the land back to the local population since then the ministry of defense has returned a paltry 2 square kilometers of territory. in. the north of sri lanka represents a golden financial opportunity to develop the country's tourism industry the region boasts endless stretches of deserted beaches. the problem is that when they do depart the soldiers leave behind areas that are among the most dangerous in the world. it's 6 am 100 also temples of rice by truck. for the last 5 years this helping hands has been doing their bit to clear the land of unexploded munitions and the management of

a push in geo. then sign. up then send scientists and send. heading up the team is head of a fishing 9 year old senator. as you everybody know larry going very young you do your job. only yesterday you were found 121 months in all mine fields in injury along with the army i guess you're in the war all these tamil civilians cleared up after army combatants today they're also the ones who are living their homeland of landmines but remember safety 1st. is a very very dangerous job and we have to keep those are we have to maintain discipline otherwise things get out of control. we don't want tax breaks ready for a kid who can has years of experience clearing form

a conflict zones but the type of work he's doing here in sri lanka is like nothing he's ever seen before i started in gaza what better are. awarded from boredom. and then iraq to wait. for something. force langridge one of the most dense minefields in there in the world we found here we've cleared here nearly 20000000 square metres since 2002 halos operating in this country. 200000 mines have already been destroyed but there remains a huge number still to be cleared. today he's at one of the most important scientists a strip of land covering several square kilometers right on the cubs to. precautions are essential by the rest of the team he domes a protective faced. ok ready to go to my field. and

a protective plexiglass visor from here on there's no deviation from the set path. this is our where there are so just really do not cross the road thanks and just just a moment. this is where outsiders learn to fully appreciate the term minefield the area is cleared by hand inch by inch. a mark of mind. as you see of the mines although very. very he says this is among all the other. and they're a yellow markers as far as the eye can see entire field some of them. they give you an idea of the intensity of the civil war but there's still a lot of work to to the next mine is really far away some are easy to spot there is

another mine just. the slightest amount of pressure on the detonator could take the mind clear is laid off but most of the devices are buried several centimeters under the surface and as such they are invisible to locate them experts like have to exercise extreme caution while keeping maneuver. to avoid coming into contact with the detonator vicious starts from underneath gradually digging up to the surface. the mind here on the left is only a few centimeters away from her pick-axe. the detonator is just visible about the sand. we should now has to remove the mine it's a delicate operation one wrong move could set off an explosion.

when i can't go any further dangerous. since the beginning of the mine. clearing campaign to sri lankans have lost their lives for this high risk job is paid $160.00 euros a month. to stay back in order to have maximum use of her hands to supervise what works without gloves the only tool she uses now is a hook. clearing away the sand requires utmost concentration. you still have to be careful at this point throughout the entire operation the team leader has shown immense precision and skill. but now it's in the box the danger is over. these mines were planted by the army in order to stop the tamil rebels from advancing join the war on in mind. today it's the

tamils who are risking their lives while the sinhalese soldiers then take the explosives. are. ready for very. every day the army comes by to destroy any devices that have been found. why do you insist on destroying the mines yourselves. if someone that in trying to only the army is authorized to detonate these and we give them no one else. so the army doesn't trust the terminals we're asking too much. that's exactly the very anger. it's clearly a sensitive issue it's out of the question that these minds full of explosives would ever end up in the hands of determined. this huge strip of land dotted with mines is the gateway to

a highly treasured territory which is also why the chappells a taking such great risks to clear it. every. day hope to attract tourists to the area with its unspoiled nature including lakes the goons and a little further on a long beach. by the sound of a very very gray water. for the most part. may have a potential of birds. in a few years time holiday makers may start frequenting these beaches. in the meantime it's the south of the country that's completely untouched by the war that's profiting from too isn't. central sri lanka is covered in rich vegetation and there are plenty of unique sites for foreign visitors to discover

here such as this produce statue overlooking the city of candy. but the biggest draw for tourists are the animals. he said this group of 6 tourists got up at dawn is morning. getting ready for a once in a lifetime 2 week trip through the sri lankan countryside. the all inclusive package cost $1500.00 euros. 60 year old veronique has saved up all gear for her dream holiday. we were off on safari and we really hope we'll see all the animals in our guide book. the 6 friends are about to enter the jala national park and nature reserve known to

have the biggest little population on the planet. if we go. this cheap trip has cost them $25.00 euros per person it must be one of the cheapest safaris in the world. because. we're sinking. and they'll certainly get their money's worth. thank you miles for the camera. the reserve covers 100000 hectares of land the to risk it to see buffalo in india and also exotic birds that can't be found anywhere else. in a. leap all. of. the animal everyone is here to see is

a leopard. the guides are on the lookout while the french tourists are getting impatient. up to 6 hours of searching oh yeah i don't know about over there what's that. was the big cats emerge so i did that. and i. want you to bowl. leopards a very rare also food is so beautiful they can only be found in 7 countries around the world very soon enough imo and we're so incredibly lucky. and have friends who are chosen to cross the center of the country accompanied by a french speaking died. it's a traditional trial. what i will get on here that there are seats. in sri lanka taking the train is an

experience in itself. that the trade has a right to know why india in a region that's about 2000 metres above sea level its main attractions of the tea plantations a legacy of british colonialism today sri lanka is the world's 3rd biggest t.v. producer after india and china its specialty is the variety named after the british name for the island of ceylon. speak here that what you learn about the entire process is that what this is what we used to make the young leaves just that. there's no charge to visit the plantations the french tourists are happy to go on a walkabout but they guide worried about the picture postcard image the authorities

want to convey then stops the group of french tourists. the art of impacting on stop filming that's not good for t.v. . let's get the wicker baskets. just as you say all of a sudden the picture appears to be a family one. the pictures on the plantation are all tamil women there were 6 days a week and here the work is done by hand. and also from horny he's women are paid per kilo that might not seem very heavy as i imagine it must be quite difficult in fields with a tricky mopes how much kilograms did you do it in their plan little over 4 euros says the guard and that's not the one you put the 24 no but thank you for watching the hard work. the pick has earned 20 euro cents.

50 euros a month it adds up to a cheap workforce in sri lanka some 1000000 people work on the plantations. he is 1st and foremost a business sri lanka's industry is valued at around $1000000000.00 euros a year. since the end of the colonial period the market is being controlled by private companies. a few kilometers further on one of the companies puts its values on prominent display guaranteeing the health safety and wellbeing of its workers but the truth is rather different when a company enters the tea industry it buys hectares of plantations and also all the people who work on.

the lonnie has been working on this plantation for 10 years she's also a tamil there are innocent. they did and i became a picker because there's no weather work here tonight i don't have a choice if you let it be it's what i have to do with leave the. but when he is now 30 like most of the pickers he is she was born on this plantation. the tea fields are a wound apart in exchange for small salaries the companies promise to house their employees and a contractually obliged to do so. as for what the company has actually given by one ear and the other pick is. a slum hidden away in the middle of the plantation fornace i'm not normally allowed. to enter we spoke to this man. i love my students he's a kind of workers representative but everything. that. let me show you

the conditions we live in here. the only. around 20 families live here in rudimentary conditions some don't even have running water. now you know what he shows is his house. look it's full of holes. in that it was somewhat of a you know the company says its hands renovate the house because the plantation doesn't make enough money. in this village everyone works for the company the women pick the leaves and men like petra maintain the plantation. he's $35.00 and in charge of spraying the tea plants.

it's master signed. the company has given him this container with no label headroom only knows that he needs to mix it with 3 parts water from the river. he wears no protection when he's working with a highly toxic chemical. i had some farms about that damaged so now i don't have a good. because there's kind of 2. friends and every. federal is criminally under equipped. his job is to spread the pesticide. that. he's been working in constant contact with the chemical for 7 years now the revenue i often have had and it does not worry you and your horse

a little but i can't stop walking. last month his headaches worsened and he was unable to work his absence from work costs india need to stay in that ever more but i only walked into the company paid me 1269 rupees. that's less than 8 euros for 2 days' work and there is no health insurance that. this is definitely good but he got ill because of this chemical and the company won't pay him and they always find someone else to do the work even cut and. headroom has little choice he had to start working again to feed his family in this village the t. workers seem to be left to provide for themselves. by the several days we tried to contact the plantations management to no avail. the office is several kilometers away. behind this barbed wire fence.

but some tea produces in sri lanka have made the well being if they work is a key element to their business. companies like deal marty and each of its plantations has built proper housing for its because they don't any more than elsewhere but rohatyn who is in charge of the plantation has created an environment that is more comfortable for the workers. the penalty is a standard size but he'd try to help them by other means. but it would be. another day to farms so that big. so that he would be collecting the milk if you have a healthy foods you are definitely going to get a bit out. and to make family life easier schools have been set up inside the

plantation to ensure the children good nature cation here at least so long that famous symbol of sri lanka does not need to be sure aftertaste. indiana is. an established resource so it's been somewhat discredited. but today kemp is on to new highs and the family is for example i think i'm fallin the tourists are gone puts me. in for hemp on the things that are made from. t.w. . in good shape. to the company's us

every day and most of the time we don't even think about it bringing fresh oxygen into all sales engine moving coming died such but it's not only about those gases it's a lot of vitality in standardizing all body everything about breathing in good shooting . being 30 minutes on d w. it's about billions. it's a balance of power. it's about the foundation of a new food order good news silk road. china wants to expand its influence with this trade network also can unearth. china is promising its

partners rich. but in europe there's a sharp warning to never accept money from the new superpower will become dependent on it china's gateway to europe. starts feb 19th on d w. this is news and these are top stories. in northern india several people are confirmed dead after a glacier broke causing a torrent of water to crash into several 100 electric plants in the state of with a count some 140 people are still reported missing and feared dead search efforts are underway for survivors. tens of thousands of people continue to protest me in march after last week's military coup that despite the.