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Connect the World
St. Petersburg Mourns Metrojet Passengers; Myanmar Votes; Taiwan and China Presidents Have Historic Meeting in Singapore; New Film Depicts Events Leading Up To Yitzhak Rabin's Death. Aired 11a-12:00p ET
Aired November 08, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: A national day of mourning in Russia as 224 victims of the downed Metrojet flight are remembered at a memorial service.
We'll have live reports from Russia and Egypt.
Also ahead, election day in Myanmar. Voting is over and now the country waits for the result. We'll cross to Yangon in a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And 20 years later, we're still in the aftermath of this event of the killing of Rabin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Two decades since the assassination of Israel's prime ministers and tensions between Israelis and Palestinians still run high. This
filmmaker hopes a look back at the past may give the region's people an idea about how to improve the future.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN center, this is Connect the World.
KINKADE: We start with a solemn day in Russia's second largest city.
A cathedral service in the memory of the 224 victims of the Metrojet crash in Egypt was beamed live from St. Petersburg across Russia's 11 time zones
as the vast country came together in shared grief.
A bell range out for every person killed in the crash, the cause of which is still not clear. But U.S. officials say they are increasingly confident
that it was a bomb planted by an ISIS affiliate.
Egypt, though, insists that all scenarios are on the table and the multinational investigation continues.
For more, let's bring in CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman in Cairo and our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson who
joins us from St. Petersburg.
Nic, we'll begin with you. 224 bells range out to mark ring out to mark each lost lost soul that was on board that flight. A very somber service
today.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a very somber, you know, just looking at the people that were standing inside the church
listening to the service. People were just really wrapped in their own sense of grief. their own sense of wondering how and why all of this came
about, wondering, you know, precisely what brought down the plane.
But really, the people we talked there told us that they had come because they wanted to show
support for the families. A few of the families of victims were there at the cathedral. There was several hundred people inside the cathedral.
It's a huge cathedral, St. Isaacs. It's the largest cathedral here in St. Petersburg.
At times, though, you sort of felt that the congregation in a way, and the enormity of the event, the enormity of the space was somewhat dwarfed.
There weren't thousands, but hundreds there, Lynda.
KINKADE: Not thousands but hundreds and notably absent was the leader of Russia who is also a native to St. Petersburg: President Putin.
ROBERTSON: Yeah.
I think that has surprised some people. Indeed, it's in keeping, really, with the way that he has played his role in this through the week.
Generally people in Russia are used to seeing President Putin leading issues of national gravity and national enormity like this that he
would be out front. He would be seen on television. He would be there involved somehow, but he wasn't here today and I think that will have some
people wondering a little bit why that might have been.
But there are families that we have talked to her that perhaps if they had seen him might have
wanted to speak to him and ask him questions, question that they asked us, concerns that they have. They would like to have more information from the
government. They would like to know what caused this plane to come down. They fear that it may be terrorism and
they fear that because it's such a tough the government may not want to answer it.
The majority of people we talked to inside the cathedral today told us they also believe that it was terrorism and they also believed as well that the
government wasn't about and President Putin wasn't about to change course on the governments military actions in Syria as a result of this.
KINKADE: And, Nic, it's also obviously very important to remember the 25 of the victims were children. 10 month old Darina Gramova's (ph) image,
which was shared on social media was quite a symbol of those innocent lives lost.
ROBERTSON: Hugely powerful.
You know, as you're standing there in the cathedral, the bombs from the chiming of the bell ringing out and each one 224, you cannot stand there
but think about the individuals. Darina Gramova (ph), 10 months old. That picture of her standing looking out the window of an airport really became
symbolic and iconic of all the losses, but particularly for the 25 children, but equally there were bells -- the bells tolled as well for her
parents Alexei (ph) and Tatiana (ph). They tolled as well for Lionid (phP and Alexandra (ph) who friends believe got engaged while they were in Sharm
el-Sheikh. For Daria Schiller (ph), a 32-year-old psychologist, her family still can't find her body. Her body hasn't been found yet -- the bell
tolled for her. It tolled for Timor Miller (ph), as well, a 32-year-old business man who was on the plane.
It tolled for everyone. And you couldn't help but be struck for the people in the cathedral as well knowing as they will through media here, some of
the people who died, I think it was a moment where you couldn't help but by struck for each of those bell tolled for a single individual and the bells
told for over half an hour.
KINKADE: Yeah, absolutely, a very powerful service, very moving service. Nic Robertson, thank you very much for covering that. And we turn now to
Ben Wedeman who is in Cairo. Ben, British and U.S. officials say their intelligence certainly suggests that this plane was, in fact, brought down
by a bomb but Egypt still says there's no confirmation of that and they've raised other potential causes.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in fact, a statement was posted by the Egyptian ministry of civil aviation on its Facebook page
this afternoon, once more stressing that media reports to the effect that there was a bomb upon the Metrojet airliner are premature it said, and it
continues, the Egyptian officials, continue to insist until this investigation has been brought to an end they will announce any
conclusions.
Now yesterday the head of that investigation, Aymin Muhadem (ph) held a press conference where he did provide the kind of details that we haven't
had until now certainly, for instance, that the flight lasted exactly 24 minutes and 13 seconds, at which point a noise
was heard, according to him, that the flight reached an altitude of 30,888 feet. But they are still shying away from any sort of suggestion or
admission that there could have been a bomb on board.
Now during that, the end of that very brief press conference he did say perhaps it was a blast
caused by an exploding lithium battery, perhaps a mechanical failure. But until now, they are very
adamant that they're not going to say it was a bomb -- Lynda.
KINKADE: And Ben, of course evacuations for many of the stranded tourists continue. We know 11,000 Russians were evacuated yesterday and many more
today.
WEDEMAN: Yes. There were 55 Russian aircraft scheduled to fly out of Sharm el-Sheikh today. We don't know what the actual number at this point
was. But we know that, for instance, Russian consular officials from Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt as well as officials from Moscow did go
to Sharm el-Sheikh and Herdada (ph), another city on the Red Sea coast to facilitate the departure of Russian nationals.
In addition to that, a delegation of Russian airport security experts is coming not only to Sharm el-Sheikh but also to other airports in Cairo to
inspect the level of security there, that after a similar British delegation went to Sharm el-Sheikh -- Lynda.
KINKADE: OK. Ben Wedeman in Cairo, Egypt. Thank you very much for that update. We will talk to you very soon.
Now votes are being counted in Myanmar's general election in what could symbolize a major
commitment in the country's shift towards democracy. Around 30 million people were eligible to vote, many hope this election will further ease the
military's grip on power. As now Ivan Watson reports, people flock to the polls in Yangon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The gates here are closed and voting has officially ended at this polling station after what some
have described as perhaps the most democratic election that Myanmar has seen in 25 years.
Now we're in a Buddhist monastery so everybody here -- the voters who showed up, the
election workers and yes, even the reporters are barefoot according to Buddhist tradition.
We did see remarkable scenes before dawn this morning of people who lined up for more
than an hour at polling stations. They were so enthusiastic about casting their ballots.
At one polling station, we saw remarkable scenes of people waiting up to five hours in line to vote and they say that it was worth it.
[11:10:21] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the votes can change everything. So that's why we are together to participate in voting here.
WATSON: Do you trust this election?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. Have to. We have to trust. We have no choice.
WATSON: Before voting even began, there was some pretty serious criticism of this election. For example, the army reserves the right to appoint 25
percent of the seats in the upcoming parliament. Hundreds of thousands of people in Myanmar have disenfranchised -- Rohingya Muslims in the west of
the country who are denied citizenship and then people living in conflict zones where the elections were canceled by the election commission. And the
most popular politician in the country, Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the largest opposition party, she can't even run for the post of president
because of a clause in the constitution that bars anybody who has children holding foreign passports. She has two British children.
That said, again this is the first time that the main opposition has run in an election since 1990. And the president of the country, a retired
general, has vowed that the results of the election will be respected.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: And our Ivan Watson joins us now from Yangon. Ivan, great to have you with us.
Now opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is of course known adoringly by millions of the people there as Mother Sue, but throughout the campaign
some radical Buddhist nationals and firebrand monks have sought to bring her down.
WATSON: Well, there has been some criticism coming from some of these ultra nationalist monks known as Mabata (ph), the committee to protect race
and religion.
I interviewed one of their leaders who didn't have very nice things to say about the main opposition party of Aung San Suu Kyi and he has been quoted
saying some derogatory things about their movement in the past.
They're far better known in this country for their anti-Muslim campaign, an Islamophobic campaign that has demonized and sought to boycott any
businesses in this country, Muslims who are citizens who have the right to vote.
Aung San Suu Kyi herself has come under some criticism for not speaking up in defense of either the Muslim population here, Muslim voters, nor for the
Rohingya Muslims who are are essentially stateless. Many political analysts in this country argue that if she had, it would really have been
politically suicidal.
Just a sense to share with you of how skewed some political perceptions are here and how little sympathy there is in broad swaths of society here for
the Muslim minority in this country.
KINKADE: Well, we will be watching the outcome of this election very closely. Ivan Watson, thank you very much for bringing this up today.
Well, still to come, one day before Benjamin Netanyahu and Barrack Obama are to meet in
Washington, there will be more violent clashes shaking the West Bank.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:16:52] KINKADE: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kikade. Welcome back.
More violence in the West Bank one day ahead of planned meetings between Israeli Prime
Minister and the U.S. President.
We want to warn you, you may find the first piece of video disturbing.
The incident was captured on security cameras. A woman appears to provide her identity to an Israeli border guard. While they talk, she reaches into
her purse, pulls out a knife and stabs the officer.
West of Nables (ph), an Israeli, was stabbed but the attacker hasn't been found.
And South of Nables at least three Israelis were wounded when somebody drove a car into people gathered at a checkpoint. Border officers then
shot and killed the car's driver.
Let's bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann now. He joins us from Jerusalem. And Oren, this all comes a day before Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is due
to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington. What is expected to come out of that meeting?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, today's violence, and perhaps even tomorrow morning's violence, will certainly come up during
the meeting but it's not the focus of the meeting.
What will be the focus of the meeting? The aftermath of the Iran nuclear deal.
Now that that deal is done, Prime Minister Netanyahu can focus on the military aid package between the U.S. and Israel, but as this is happening,
the relationship between the two has taken yet another hit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, another blow to the already strained relations between
Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama days before the two leaders meet in Washington. Revelations that Netanyahu's new appointment as media adviser
Ran Baratz, accused Obama of anti-Semitism on Facebook back in March in the run up to the Iran framework agreement and once said U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry had a future in standup comedy.
Baratz apologized, an Netanyahu said he will quote clarify the matter but the damage was done. A seven year relationship between Netanyahu and Obama
has only grown worse in recent months.
Earlier this year Netanyahu made what critics called an unprecedented intervention: U.S. foreign policy speaking before congress without a White
House invitation and criticized Obama's signature Iran nuclear deal sparking a very public and at times acrid feud between the leaders.
GIL HOFFMAN, JERUSALEM POST POLITICAL ANALYST: The importance of the meeting is that it passes without further skirmishes between Netanyahu and
Obama that are harmful to the U.S.-Israel relationship and to both countries.
LIEBERMANN: Both leaders have tried to downplay the frosty relationship saying the cooperation between the countries is far more important.
Hours before his scheduled departure to Washington, Netanyahu saying this meeting will be about the all important American aid to Israel.
The U.S. gives Israel some $3 billion a year in military aid and that will soon include America's latest fighter jet, the F-35 joint strike fighter.
Kerry highlighted this aid to Israel when he spoke in Philadelphia in September in defense of that military aid is set to expire in 2018 and
Netanyahu could use this chance to push for a bigger aid package.
As for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a big issues for Kerry, a top White House adviser says there probably won't be any real peace
negotiations before the end of Obama's time in office.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:20:04] LIEBERMANN: That military aid package certain to be one of the big topics they talk about but Analyst Gil Hoffman says he's not expecting
any big announcements out of this meeting, instead it'll be just trying to make sure this relationship doesn't get any worse. Netanyahu knows very
well that Obama has just over one more year in office -- Lynda.
OK. We will be talking to you. I'm sure we'll be staying across that meeting for us. Oren Liebermann, thank you very much.
Well, live from the CNN center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, Russia mourns the
victims of the Metrojet crash looks increasingly like an act of terror. We'll speak to an expert about
how the country is likely to react.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You're watching Connect the World live from the CNN Center. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back. Saturday brought something historic to
China's thorny relationship with Taiwan. The first meeting between the leaders of the two countries since they split back in 1949.
CNN's Matt Rivers has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Their handshake lasted 70 seconds in a moment 66 years in the making.
President Xi Jinping of China and the President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan met Saturday in neutral Singapore, the first ten minutes just photo ops and
opening statements, then it was a closed door meeting for just under an hour.
Afterwards, President Ma spoke to reporters. President Xi did not.
MA YING-JEOU, PRESIDENT OF TAIWAN (through translator): I find Mr. Xi very pragmatic and direct. I hope the spirit will be reflected when dealing
with the cross-strait relations.
RIVERS: President Ma said the two discussed Taiwan having an broader role in international
organizations like the World Trade Organization, something China has fought against for years. He said he also brought up security, expressing concern
over China's constant military presence. The two sides did agree to set up a special hotline for quick communication in time of crisis.
[11:25:10] ZHANG ZHI JUN, DIRECTOR OF CHINA'S TAIWAN AFFAIRS OFFICE (through translator): The Chinese government will establish relationship
with any political party in Taiwan as long as they recognize the 1992 consensus and the one China policy.
RIVERS: President Ma's party agrees with that policy. It holds that there is only one nation of China, though both sides disagree on what exactly
that means.
RIVERS: But there are plenty of people who don't agree with that policy. Protests in Taipei featured hundreds of people upset over the policy and
Saturday's meeting. Many are fearful of what they call Beijing's growing influence in Taiwan and a lack of transparency from President Ma on how the
meeting came about.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He only inform us a few days before the meeting. Now so it's very bad procedure.
RIVERS: Protesters also question the timing of the meeting coming just months before voters head to the polls.
Many have speculated that President Ma will try to use this meeting to boost his party's popularity ahead of next January's presidential election,
a race in which his party is currently trailing badly in the polls. That said, given the level of opposition over this meeting, that could prove to
be a political miscalculation.
But for every protester chanting in the streets, there were dozens of others who just watched from the sidelines. Taiwan has been self-governing
and practically independent for decades so there is plenty of skepticism that one meeting would change that.
This restaurant owner said he's seen plenty of lower level meetings before and nothing has
changed.
As expected the meeting was largely symbolic: no new agreements, no sweeping trade deals and yet with this handshake, history was made.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Taiwan.
KINKADE: The latest world news headlines are just ahead.
Plus as thousands of Russian tourists stream out of Egypt, we look at how the Metrojet
disaster may effect public opinion of President Putin and his intervention in Syria.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Hello, this is Connect the World and I'm Lynda Kinkade. These are the top stories this hour.
Ballots are now being counted in Myanmar's general election. The vote has been called the country's most free and fair in decades. But hundreds of
thousands of people were ineligible to vote including the Rohingya Muslim minority.
The party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conceded defeat in a key state election. Mr. Modi said he called the chief minister of Vihar
State (ph) to congratulate his party's rival on his renomination. Now this is the second major defeat for India's ruling party this year after it was
defeated in Delhi's state elections in February.
ISIS is claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed seven people in Iraq's capital, that's according to a statement published on
Twitter by ISIS supporters. The attacks struck a market in a mostly Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad.
A memorial service was held Sunday in St. Petersburg, Russia for victims of the Metrojet
crash that happened just over a week ago. A bell range out 224 times, once for each man, woman and
child aboard that flight. It broke apart over Egypt's Sinai peninsula. An investigation is ongoing, but U.S. officials tell CNN, the cause was most
likely a bomb.
Some are wondering if this will effect public support for Moscow's military moves in
Syria where Russian jets are bombing ISIS and other military targets. Jill Dougherty is a researcher for the International Center for Defense and
Security and she joins us by phone from satellite.
Jill, President Putin obviously is the leader of the country. He's also a native of St. Petersburg but he didn't turn up for today's memorial. What
do you make of that?
JILL DOUGHERTY, INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR DEFENSE AND SECURITY: Well, you know, Lynda, I think that they do not, they being the Kremlin and President
Putin, at this point are not quite sure how to present this to the Russian public. After all, technically there's no official, definitive explanation
of what happened, but I think even more importantly he is treading very carefully. He did express condolences but the fact that he is not there
reminds me of something that happened back in 2000, which was the sinking of the Korst (ph) submarine
and that was right as President Putin was becoming president for the first time. It was a terrible incident. Sailors died and the Kremlin and Mr.
Putin were very slow in response.
And when he went to visit the families, they were furious. It was very low point for the Kremlin in terms of dealing with the Russian public. And I
think in terms of this emotional moment, they do not want any unpredictability. They don't want any relatives reacting to President
Putin. And so he's just keeping a relatively low profile until they can figure out how to play it or deal with it.
KINKADE: And, Jill, Russia of course has taken a very active role in the war in Syria., though it's main focus seems has been rebel groups opposed
to the Assad regime rather than ISIS.
If ISIS has something do to do with the downing of this jet, as it has claimed, will Russia change it's policy there?
DOUGHERTY: Well, I think actually they have been, in fairness, with their air attacks, protecting the troops from -- the Syrian government that are
to some extent going after ISIS. There is some action.
But I do think that based on what President Putin has done before, certainly during the Chechen war when he was reacting very strongly and in
other cases, I think he will hit back hard. At least, you know, to have a real attack on ISIS and then also to present it to the Russian people as
protecting their interests. After all, this is what it is about.
The Russian people could react, let's say, at this point if it is ISIS, they could say yes, we rally around you President Putin, we support you and
continue, please, to you know protect us or they might blame him. And this is why it's very troublesome for the Kremlin right now.
So I do think, though, I think that he will be tough in dealing with ISIS at least rhetorically and probably militarily.
[11:35:21] KINKADE: OK, Jill Dougherty on the phone from Seattle. We appreciate your analysis on all of this. Thank you very much.
Now, returning to one of our top stories this hour, the landmark election in Myanmar. Nobel Laureate and pro-Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi cast
ballot in Yangon. Votes are still being counted. But her National League for Democracy Party is predicted to have a strong showing.
Our Ivan Watson explains why Suu Kyi and her party are so popular.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Aung San Suu Kyi is arguably one of the most loved people in Myanmar and a big part of the
affection that people have for her has to do with her father.
Her father was Aung San, a military officer who helped fight for Burma`s independence after being a British colony for about a century. He is
revered here as the founding father of independent Burma, now officially known as Myanmar. He was gunned down by political rivals in 1947 when Aung
San Suu Kyi was only 2 years old.
For much of the first 40 years of her life, Aung San Suu Kyi lived overseas. It wasn`t until 1988 that she really moved back to Burma. That
opened up the launch of her political career. In 1990, Aung San Suu Kyi led a newly founded party, the National League for Democracy in elections.
And by all accounts, her party won.
But then the military rulers of this country, they annulled the results. They placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for much of the next 20
years. In 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest. It was part of a transition to a civilian system of government.
Aung San Suu Kyi and her party were allowed to compete in by-elections in 2012, and they won dozens of seats in parliament. Among the electoral
victories there was Aung San Suu Kyi herself.
Aung San Suu Kyi is a living symbol in this country. Part of the respect that people have for her is due to the sacrifices she made that were shared
by many people in this country during decades of strict authoritarian military rule.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Penny Green joins us now for perspective on Myanmar's election and what it mean for Aung San Suu Kyi. Penny Green is a professor of
globalization at Queen Mary University of London. Penny, thanks so much for being with us.
PENNY GREEN, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY: Pleasure.
KINKADE: Now some say this election, many actually say this election is stirring up anti-Muslim fears. We know Rohingya Muslims have been
persecuted there for years. Many say it's become much worse now. Just how bad is it?
GREEN: Well, I think the situation in Rakine State -- Rakine State is the northwestern state, the most northwestern state in Myanmar and it's where
the 1.1 million Rohingya live -- the conditions for the Rohingya at the moment are truly appalling. They live in very squalid internship camps in
a ghetto. And in an area of northern Rakine State, which is effectively a black hole hidden from international view.
KINKADE: And in a powerful op-ed, you wrote that this could be a genocide of the Rohingya people.
GREEN: Yes, my team and I at Queen Mary have conducted 18 months research into the question of whether or not what we're witnessing inside Myanmar is
indeed a genocide against the Rohingya population. And our evidence is, I think utterly compelling that there is, in fact, a genocide taking place
against the Rohingya Muslim minority inside Rakine State.
And I think, if I may explain why that that's the case.
I think first of all we have to appreciate that genocide is a process. And the Rohingya have suffered from decades of being stigmatization and
dehumanization strategies on the part of both Rakine nationalists and the state. They were denied citizenship in 1982, and they have been utterly
disenfranchised.
Now, that stigmatization and dehumanization moved from the verbal to a physical form of violence, particularly in 2012, though violence has
existed against the Rohingya prior to that period, and in 2012 we witnessed a number of massacres against the Rohingya. Over 200 Rohingya were killed,
their homes were destroyed in Sitwe, the capital. And they were then, if you like, herded, pushed into what is now an internment camp complex.
So inside that internment camp complex the Rohingya are now experiencing what we call the
fourth stage of genocide, systematic weakening.
KINKADE: And Penny in this very powerful opinion piece you wrote in The Independent you said that Aung San Suu Kyi is complicit in their suffering.
Explain why.
GREEN: Well, I think Aung San Suu Kyi held a tremendous amount of moral and political credibility inside Burma, that she is a voice listened to by
human rights activists, my civil society inside the country.
Now she has remained absolutely silent on this question. In fact she was in Rakine State a week or so ago. She didn't speak to a single Rohingya.
She didn't visit the camps, she didn't enter the Unmingala (ph) ghetto inside Sitwe. And she has basically said that this is a question that she
is not prepared to address, that once she introduces -- if she ever -- if the NOD assume power, they will
address questions of law and order.
But I'm afraid that if a genocide is taking place in your country and you are standing as a key representative on the basis of a human rights
platform, it's unconscionable not to address the question of the persecution of the Rohingya.
KINKADE: And Penny, these elections are being hailed the most free and fair in Myanmar, but for the first time the Rohingya people can't contest
seats in parliament. One Rohingya MPed barred from seeking another term said, and I quote, "this election is poised to institutionalize and
entrench the long standing persecution of minorities."
What are your thoughts?
GREEN: Well, that's right. I mean, I don't think we can possibly call these elections free and
fair when 1.1 million of the population has been excluded, disenfranchised, unable to vote. And the NLD, coming back to Aung San Suu Kyi's party,
refused to stand a single Muslim candidate.
So this is a problem that effects not only the Rohingya but Muslim people more generally inside Myanmar, and they're a very significant minority in
the country.
So, to talk about a free and fair election when 1.1 million people are suffering a genocide and those people are denied a voice inside of the
country or denied a political voice, I think it's rather absurd to talk about a free and fair election.
KINKADE: It's a very good point.
Penny Green, we really appreciate your perspective on all of this. Thanks so much for joining us today.
GREEN; It's my pleasure, thank you.
KINKADE: Well, live from the CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Still to come, decades after his death, a new film sheds light on the days
leading up to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Plus, a nation comes together in grief as Russia remembers the victims of the Metrojet crash in
Egypt. More on that just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:47:02] KINKADE: Ceremonies to mark remembrance Sunday are taking place across the UK. Queen Elizabeth lead a moment of reflection earlier laying
a wreath at the war memorial in Central London.
Britain's leading politicians were also in attendance. The annual ceremony honors the men and
women who died in armed conflicts.
You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Well, it's been 20 years since the assassination of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. He was killed by a Jewish extremist who wanted to derail
Rabin's landmark efforts towards peace with the Palestinians.
Using reenactments and original footage, a new film "Rabin: The Last Day" chronicles Rabin's final moments and the tense political climate leading up
to his murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The man who shot the prime minister is Vigal Amir, a singl 26-year-old from Horzikya. He's a member
of Eyat, a radical right-wing movement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When did you come up ith the idea of shooting the PM?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When Oslo was signed. I realized that the only way to top the travesty was to get rid of the Prime Minister.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The forces who wanted to oust Rabin were all out there, you know?
Some sort of hallucinating rabbis with all sort of curses, the strong lobby of the settlers who didn't want Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian
areas and the parliamentary right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't say they wanted Rabin killed, but they wanted him weakened, and so this unholy triumvirate managed to in the end
to get rid of a democratically elected government and 20 years later we're still in the aftermath of this event of the killing of Rabin and the
lack of an alternative.
[11:50:02] SHIMON PERES, FOREIGN MINISER UNDER YITZHAK REBIN (through translator): Yitzhak Rabin went through a very difficult term before he
was assassinated. That when I admired him most.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOEIGN LANGUAGE)
PERES (through translator): That was inspiring. He didn't back down, he wasn't afraid.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): If Yitzhak Rabin hadn't been assassinated would we have achieved maybe not peace, but a more stable
situation?
PERES (through translator): Yes. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGAUGE)
AMOD GITAI, DIRECTOR: The reason to make a film about the killing of Rabin is not sentimental, it's about the fact that when you are sometimes stuck
in the present you should look back to the past, maybe it will give you an idea for the future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): ...against violence and for peace.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: And the man responsible for Rabin's death, Jewish extremist Yigal Amir, remains in prison serving a life sentence.
Live from the CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Still to come, a bell rings out for every
victim as Russia mourns the 224 people who have lost their lives more than a week ago. More on that memorial service when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: In tonight's Parting Shots, we want to bring you back to the memorial service for the victims of the Metrojet crash. As the remains of
victims continue to arrive back on home soil one final time, Russia remembered each one in St. Petersburg.
The country's eyes were on St. Isaac's Cathedral Sunday afternoon where the memorial service took place and was beamed out live across the entire
nation.
A single bell rang out for the 224 people, one for every man, woman and child who died just 23 minutes into what should have been a flight home
from their holidays. Their pictures and names on screen brought home a tragedy that has shaken Russia.
Several hundred mourners attended the ceremony, among them staff of the cathedral. They told the news agency AFP that their colleague and her 13-
year-old daughter were among the victims.
And you can always follow the stories the team is working on throughout the day by going to
our Facebook page, Facebook.com/CNNconnect and get in touch on Twitter with @lyndakinkade.
I'm Lynda Kinkade. And that was Connect the World. Thanks for joining me.
END
