The 2024 season starts next Monday (March 18) on ABC Australia across Asia-Pacific region, with the Faking It episode.
Sikhs, spies and murder
Thursday 21 March 8.00pm
When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood up and accused India of being behind the killing of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil last year, the world took notice.
To have a head of state call out another country for effectively a state sponsored assassination was eye popping.
Then, months later, US authorities said an Indian agent was involved in a murder attempt on an American Sikh in New York.
Now Foreign Correspondent can reveal Australian authorities are also speaking to the Sikh community here.
This week, South Asia correspondent Avani Dias travels to Punjab where tensions are high and the authorities are watching.
This is the Sikh homeland where a banned separatist movement is fighting to create its own independent nation of Khalistan.
Avani visits the family home of the man murdered in Canada, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and learns of unusual activity in the lead up to his killing.
She also gains rare access to the movement’s leaders, viewed as extremists by Indian officials, who are in no doubt the Modi government is targeting Sikh separatists around the world including Australia.
Watch Sikhs, Spies and Murder on Foreign Correspondent, Thursday 21 March at 8pm AEDT on ABC TV, ABC iview, ABC News Facebook and the ABC News In-Depth YouTube channel.
Italy’s One Euro House Dream
Thursday 28 March 8.00pm
For many people, living in an historic town in Italy seems like an unaffordable dream.
But thanks to an ambitious social experiment you can live la dolce vita in Sicily for just one euro!
This week on Foreign Correspondent reporter Natalie Whiting travels to the Sicilian towns where people are arriving from all over the world to snap up abandoned houses for virtually nothing.
And their arrival is helping to solve one of Italy’s biggest problems.
The country has the oldest population in Europe with deaths now far outstripping births and huge numbers of young people are leaving for better work opportunities.
The one-euro house scheme aims to fix the vanishing population problem by enticing new residents to reinvigorate the struggling towns.
Natalie meets the newcomers with ambitious plans of turning their rundown purchases into Italian dream homes, she talks to the locals, some of whom are still not sure about their new neighbours.
And she meets the optimists who are confident an affordable real estate boom can not only breathe new life into these old towns but create a new community and forge new friendships.
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A Crack in the Mountain
Thursday 4 April at 8pm
Deep in the jungle of central Vietnam lies a magnificent underground kingdom. Hang Son Doong which translates as ‘mountain river cave,’ is the largest cave passage in the world and a place of spectacular beauty. It remained undisturbed for millions of years until its discovery was revealed in 2009. Small scale tours of the cave began in 2013 with visitors restricted to just 1,000 people a year. But it wasn’t long before Son Doong’s future was thrown into doubt when plans were announced to build a cable car into the cave.
This week Foreign Correspondent travels to the small town of Phong Nha, one of the poorest provinces in Vietnam, where the cave is located. Over the last decade plans to make the area a tourist mecca have sparked intense debate. Locals there support the development of the region and the opportunities it will bring. But environmental activists fear large scale tourism will forever destroy the natural beauty of Son Doong.
This film takes you deep inside this magnificent underground kingdom and explores the underlying tension between the economic benefits of development versus the importance of safeguarding one of the world’s greatest natural wonders.
Time Bomb - the Pacific
Thursday 11 April at 8pm
More than eight decades ago in the 1940s, World War II raged across the Pacific as ferocious battles took place between the Allies and Japan. One of the most significant events was at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands where the Japanese advance on the Pacific was stopped by the Allies and where around 30,000 lives were lost. Just over eight decades later, the deadly legacy of the battle continues. On Foreign Correspondent this week reporter Stephanie March meets the Solomon Islanders who are still being severely impacted by the war in the Pacific.
On land, the islands are littered with unexploded devices – almost 50,000 have been discovered since 2011. Accidental detonations of the bombs and other munitions have caused deaths and injuries and survivors are left to struggle for themselves with very little support. In the water surrounding the islands hundreds of corroding shipwrecks from the war still contain trapped oil supplies which some describe as a ticking timebomb. A major oil spill from one of these rusting wrecks could be a massive disaster.
The Solomon Islanders believe those who fought a war on their land should be doing more to clean up the mess they left behind. In the worlds of one local: “When the war ended US, Japanese and allied forces went home in peace. We still do not have peace, until we are safe here in the Solomon Islands.”
Sumo Sisters
Thursday 18 April 8:00pm
Across the world female athletes have been revolutionising sport, pushing for recognition and pay to put them on an equal footing with their male equivalent. In Japan the ancient sport of sumo is wrestling with how to accept women competitors on an equal footing, challenging deeply held customs and traditions.
On Foreign Correspondent Thursday 18 April at 8pm on ABC TV and ABC iview, the ABC’s North Asia correspondent James Oaten meets the women who are leading the charge to modernise attitudes and change the sport they love. The world of sumo can be a secretive one, off limits to outsiders and the media. But James is given a rare opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes in the sumo stable and to understand why there is such strong resistance to change.
Dias was informed of the decision via a phone call from an official at the Ministry of External Affairs, who said her most recent Foreign Correspondent episode “crossed a line”.
Britain’s Drug Gangs
Thursday 25 April at 8pm
The UK illicit drug market is big business, worth an estimated 9.4 billion pounds a year. In small British towns in the north of England, drugs including weed, crack cocaine and heroin, are being warehoused and distributed by criminals who make large sums of money. They lead enviable lifestyles, attractive to many in these working-class towns.
This week on Foreign Correspondent reporter Ben Zand goes inside this dark and dangerous world. He meets the drug lords in secret locations and sees firsthand how they run their operations. The criminals reveal to Ben the lengths they go to avoid detection. He also meets the addicts who say the only support they get is from the drug dealers who feed their habits.
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South Korea’s Sham Adoptions
Thursday 2 May at 8pm
In the decades since the Korean war, over 200,000 children have been adopted to families worldwide. Now as adults, adoptees are demanding investigations into falsified documents, duplicate identities and even stolen children. This week on Foreign Correspondent reporter Mazoe Ford investigates the Korean adoption system. Amidst claims of falsified documents, duplicate identities and even children stolen, she meets the adoptees on a mission to find the truth of the past.
For many, information from the adoption agencies who capitalised on what quickly became a lucrative business has been hard to obtain. Concerns over corruption, malpractice and human rights violations have resulted in an official investigation into Korea’s international adoption scandal.
Online feature
Reporting for Duty: The women covering the Ukraine war from the frontline
Thursday 9 May 8pm
Across Ukraine in regional towns and cities, increasing numbers of women are running newsrooms and reporting the war from the frontline.
While male colleagues have been mobilised to join the fight against Russia, these women are ensuring that isolated communities are still being kept informed through their local independent media.
This week on Foreign Correspondent we meet the women who are working in difficult and dangerous environments to bring the news to places that are cut off and need it most.
From the frontline to the towns devastated by Russian missiles, this is a firsthand account from the women who are reporting the news while juggling the demands of families and staff living and working under the constant threat of bombardment.
Some have lost their homes and their offices and all of them know people who have died in the war. Despite the personal costs they are determined to continue.
Watch Reporting for Duty on Foreign Correspondent, Thursday the 9th of May at 8pm AEST on ABC TV and ABC iview.
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America’s Broken Borders (mid season final)
Thursday 16 May 8.30pm (special time)
Will immigration decide who wins the US election? In the United States immigration has become one of the defining issues in this year’s presidential election race. Former President Donald Trump has made cracking down on the border and deporting millions of people a key promise in his election campaign. And the surge of migrants into the country has pushed President Joe Biden to take a tougher stance on the issue. This week on Foreign Correspondent, the ABC’s Washington Bureau Chief Jade Macmillan reports on America’s border wars.
In the state of Texas, the Republican Governor has spent billions of dollars to control what he calls an “invasion” and has politicised the problem by sending busloads of immigrants to Democrat cities like New York. Jade travels to Eagle Pass in Texas, ground zero for the immigration issue, where migrants from Mexico are still trying to get through the heavily fortified riverbanks of the Rio Grande. And she visits New York where the city is at breaking point from an influx of migrants and where liberal views on immigration are being put to the test.
This is a fascinating insight into one of the most critical issues dominating US politics this election year.
Returns Thursday 18 July 8pm
USA: America through Australian eyes*
SEASON RETURN
Thursday 18 July at 8:00pm on ABC TV and ABC iview
America is no stranger to political violence but the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump has shocked the nation, which includes around a hundred thousand Australians who call the US home. Over several months Foreign Correspondent has been filming with some of these Australians in the lead up to the presidential election. As they live their lives, they witness the US becoming more febrile, gun violence is always on the agenda, and now there is even talk of civil war. Some are horrified by the state of affairs, others hail Donald Trump as a hero with lessons for Australia. Their experiences reflect the deep divisions in America, and as political tensions escalate, some are asking the question, should they stay or should they go?
This story marks the return of Foreign Correspondent for another season. Over the coming weeks we’ll take you to Norway where a tussle for power between Russia and NATO nations is playing out in the Arctic; we go to Africa where Islamic extremists are creating upheaval in former democratic nations; we’ll follow the flower industry in the Netherlands to uncover the true cost of a rose and we’ll meet the Monk police in Thailand who are trying to stamp out the increasingly bad behaviour amongst Buddhist monks.
The Arctic Chill
Thursday 25 July at 8:00pm on ABC TV and ABC iview
This week Foreign Correspondent reporter Stephanie March travels to one of the most remote places on earth – the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard. It’s also one of the most geostrategic places on the planet and is part of a tussle for power between Russian and NATO nations in the Arctic. Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has thrust the once quiet Norwegian territory of Svalbard into a place of tension. Russia has a toe hold on the archipelago and where once both communities lived peacefully, allegations of propaganda, provocation – even sabotage – are now being levelled at Russia. In this report we explore why this unique and stunning location is so vital and how tensions are escalating.
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Hong Kong Now
Thursday 1 August at 8:00pm on ABC TV and ABC iview
Hong Kong is a changed city. Five years after a record number of anti-government demonstrators engulfed the streets, the protest movement is now effectively silenced. With activists either fleeing the country or ending up in jail, the city is being remade. This week on Foreign Correspondent the ABC’s East Asia correspondent Kathleen Calderwood reports on the new Hong Kong where freedoms have been curtailed, where the economy is struggling and where mainland Chinese are being encouraged to resettle.
Kathleeen also reports from Taiwan where many thousands of people have taken refuge, some still fearful they will face repercussions if they speak out against Beijing.
Article accompanying the Hong Kong Now episode
Bad Monks
Thursday 8 August at 8:00pm on ABC TV and ABC iview
Sex, drugs, money and murder in the monkhood
In Thailand, Buddhism and the monks that lead the religion are deeply revered and hold a special place in Thai society. But a series of scandals involving corruption, adultery, drug use and even murder have undermined the religion’s moral authority.
This week on Foreign Correspondent the ABC’s South-East Asia Correspondent Lauren Day reports on the ever-growing number of scandals engulfing the religion. She talks to the Thai police who are going undercover to hunt down badly behaving monks and she heads out on patrol with the Monk Police whose aim is to catch wayward monks and drag them into line.
Paradise in Flames
Thursday 15 August at 8:00pm
The recent violence in the tourist mecca of New Caledonia caught many outsiders by surprise. But within the South Pacific nation tensions between the French government and indigenous Kanak people have been simmering for decades. This week on Foreign Correspondent Naomi Selvaratnam reports from the French capital Noumea where outbreaks of violence are still occurring.
In a volatile environment this episode looks at why events spiraled out of control and why France is intent on maintaining its presence in the South Pacific. Naomi also reports on the foreign players who are hell bent on interfering from the other side of the world.
The Real Cost of a Rose
Thursday 22 August at 8:00pm
Foreign Correspondent takes you behind the scenes of the global billion-dollar flower trade to reveal the true cost of the flowers you buy.
A bouquet of flowers is the go-to gift for many special occasions, but the world is paying a high price for out of season blooms, including right here in Australia. This week on Foreign Correspondent, reporter Isabella Higgins travels to the Netherlands, the country at the centre of this trade. There, the flower industry is grappling with how to tackle the climate crisis and soaring energy costs. But as the industry struggles to reduce its carbon footprint it’s also facing greater competition from low-cost alternatives. The European flower markets are under pressure from growers in Africa who are producing cheaper flowers that often end up in supermarkets in Australia. Isabella travels to Kenya where the cheap prices we enjoy at the checkout come at the cost of workers who can least afford it.
Kidnapped - West Africa
Thursday 29 August at 8:00pm
This week on Foreign Correspondent veteran reporter Jonathan Holmes returns to the program with an exclusive interview with the Australian doctor held captive by Al Qaeda in the harsh Saharan desert for more than seven years.
Dr Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn were kidnapped from the West African country of Burkina Faso in January 2016 where they were working.
While Jocelyn was released three weeks later, Ken endured brutal conditions.
He was quietly released last year at the age of 88.
Now the Elliotts have decided to tell their extraordinary story to Foreign Correspondent.
Jonathan Holmes has been following their case since the Elliotts were first taken.
In 2016, he travelled with a military escort to the remote town of Djibo in Burkina Faso where the Elliotts had lived for more than 40 years and where they ran a hospital offering lifesaving surgery.
Days out from broadcast, concerns over Dr Elliott’s safety prevented his report from being shown.
Now their story can finally be told. It’s one of unimaginable pain and suffering as well as remarkable resilience.
It’s also a story of hope, faith and survival against all odds.
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