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Narrator: A facility
in rural england
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00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,520
where information was
on a need to know basis.
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00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:11,880
You've got a compound
within the larger compound
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00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:16,520
strongly built to contain
something that was very valuable,
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00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:18,360
volatile, dangerous.
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00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:23,320
A confused and
overgrown collection of ruins
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00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:24,960
in the woods of Arkansas.
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00:00:26,080 --> 00:00:30,160
There are fences
and cages everywhere.
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Obviously, this place
has been out of use
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00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:34,360
for some time.
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And that begs the question,
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00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:39,560
was whatever was being kept
here released or did it break out?
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00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,560
A Belarusian town that
fell victim to catastrophe
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and then cover-up.
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This place was
populated so briefly
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00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:53,880
that it doesn't
even leave a trace.
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It's so new that it doesn't
even appear on maps.
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And a lush Taiwanese island
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where thousands endured
unimaginable terrors.
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00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:09,560
For almost half a century,
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00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,320
this collection of
buildings struck fear
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into the hearts and minds
of every Taiwanese person.
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Decaying relics...
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..Ruins of lost worlds...
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..Sites haunted by the past...
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..Their secrets
waiting to be revealed.
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In Suffolk on the edge
of rendlesham forest
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is a facility that
would be hard to miss.
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00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:05,600
Well, it looks like
the biggest runway
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00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:07,880
I've ever seen in my life
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and it's set down in this beautiful
bucolic English countryside.
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But this is no airport,
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this looks more like
a military installation.
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Rows of uniformed bunkers
and hangers populate the site.
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But amongst them
are other structures
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whose purpose is obscured.
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Looking at this building
it's very advanced,
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jetson space age in
look and appearance.
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00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:46,280
There's this one hanger
with big doors at the front
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00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:48,800
and this strange
protrusion at the back.
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00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,720
And tucked away on the
edge of this vast installation,
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a high-security area
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00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,840
designed to keep people
out and to keep something in.
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00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:05,240
It has its own high fences
topped with barbed wire
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00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,960
and most disturbing
is the watchtower.
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Something was kept in here
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that they didn't want
people to know about.
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40 years ago on a winter's
evening, something happened
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that made this place
hit the headlines.
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00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:40,960
In December 1980 people
based here on this facility
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00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,920
saw this strange
lights in the sky.
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A squad left the compound
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and followed the lights
into rendlesham forest.
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00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,000
The reports say that
they followed the lights
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into a clearing and found...
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00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:06,680
..Well, nothing.
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00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,560
Apart from the imprints of
three evenly spaced circles
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00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:13,880
in the forest mud.
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00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:19,480
After the rendlesham incident,
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00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,360
this site came to
the public's attention,
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00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,720
this is raf bentwaters.
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00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:29,800
The raf, the royal air force
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00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:32,640
is the oldest organised
air force in the world.
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00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,000
Bentwaters was secured
with a ten-foot-high fence.
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But in one corner security
was taken to another level.
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Graham Gilbert grew
up hearing stories
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about this top-secret place.
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This area here is called
the entrapment area,
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another sliding gate
would close behind,
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00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:02,240
security personnel
from the building here
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00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:03,320
would come out,
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00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:06,800
check the security
passes of the occupants.
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00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:13,440
When a secure military base
has an extra high-security area,
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you know they've got
something big in there,
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00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:19,040
something that goes
well beyond the pay grade
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00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:20,280
of your ordinary soldier.
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00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:27,280
The British armed forces
are no stranger to covert ops.
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00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,040
But small details suggest that
someone else was in charge.
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00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:38,640
Bentwaters was under the
command of the United States air force.
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The us air force came
to bentwaters in 1951
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and they fashioned this into
one of their biggest airbases
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in the European space.
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So sinister with the
crows and the rooks
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00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:02,000
and knowing what was
stored in these bunkers here
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is really sort of
spine chilling.
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00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:13,320
Inside the compound is a row
of short bunker-like buildings.
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00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,440
At one end of that
corridor is a watchtower
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patrolled by armed soldiers.
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And at the other end is a
pillbox with holes for more guns.
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This is a killing field.
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00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,960
Clearly whatever went on in here
was supposed to be hush-hush.
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This is one of the
nuclear storage bunkers
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in the weapons storage area.
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00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:51,240
And each bunker is covered
in a layer of thick earth
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that would suppress any
accidental explosion as well.
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00:06:57,840 --> 00:07:00,680
The United States air
force came to bentwaters
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in a time when
tensions were rising
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00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,880
between NATO and Soviet
states in Eastern Europe.
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00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:12,760
The mission was to bring
bentwaters up to new NATO standards
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so the day that war
with Russia came,
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bentwaters would be ready.
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They built new infrastructure
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like the building with
the strange slanted walls
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that still stands today.
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There's nothing like it
anywhere else on the base.
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The crews at bentwaters had to
be in a constant state of readiness
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00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:37,960
for a very dangerous mission.
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The event of world war III
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00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:44,856
they were supposed
to get in their jets,
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fly their missions into Europe,
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00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,800
hit the Soviet targets
with nuclear weapons.
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Pilots were supposed
to eject near the coast
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00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:54,440
either on the European
side or the British side,
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00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,360
come down, land,
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Bury themselves
under soil for three days
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to protect themselves
from nuclear fallout.
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The plan was
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00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,320
that a friendly submarine
would then pick them up
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00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:09,520
but the soldiers knew
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00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:11,840
that once the bombs
started dropping
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00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:16,360
the chances were very slim
that there'd be anybody left at all.
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They knew it was a one-way trip.
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00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,720
Officially the United States
neither confirms nor denies
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00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,040
that there were nuclear
weapons at bentwaters.
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00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,040
But weapons of mass
destruction weren't the only secret
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00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:36,480
kept on this site.
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00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:41,080
On the eastern edge is a hangar
with a protrusion out the back.
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00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:47,720
It's a long metal tube
that must be, like,
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00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:49,640
I don't know, ten feet high?
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00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:55,800
A funny-looking building
clearly centred around this port
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00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:56,840
for either the...
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..Expelling something
or allowing something in.
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00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,280
This building was
called the hush house.
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00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:07,480
It was integral to
bentwaters covert operations.
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00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,400
One thing that the us air
force may not have considered
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00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:18,480
when they came to rural england
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00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:20,040
was that there were limits
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on how much noise they
could make and when.
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00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,960
A law prevented the air force
testing their engines at night
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00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:31,360
or on sundays.
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00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:35,080
The hush house was designed
to let them test in secret.
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00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:39,400
So they'd bring them
into the hush house,
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00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,120
they'd work on the engines,
they'd test them here
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00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:44,840
and there would be no
sound to disturb the sleep
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00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:46,520
of the surrounding civilians.
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Inside here
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when an engine was
running full throttle
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it would be unbearable.
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There's a special control
room where the operators sat
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00:09:57,440 --> 00:09:59,120
behind thickened glass
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00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:03,040
to protect them from
the sound and the heat.
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00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,560
Today the secrets of
the hush house are known
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00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:15,960
but rumours persist
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00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,320
that some information
is still classified.
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00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,480
Graham was living in the
area when something happened
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that would go down in
history as britain's roswell.
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I was 18 at the time.
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00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:38,320
I first heard about this incident
when it was in the local newspaper.
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00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,800
Security forces went
out to investigate it
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00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:45,800
and they're reporting
strange lights and things
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00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:47,560
zooming about in the sky.
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For 40 years some
of those soldiers
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have been unable to
explain what happened
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00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,360
and they're convinced that
they had a close encounter.
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00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:03,120
However, there is another
theory that's still out of this world,
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00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,120
it's just not extra-terrestrial.
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00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:11,960
NASA's Apollo program
in the '60s and '70s,
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00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,520
they typically landed, they
splashed down in the Caribbean
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or in the pacific ocean.
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00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:20,080
There were contingencies
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00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:21,880
that if they splashed
down in the north sea
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or the mediterranean,
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they had to have facilities
to recover the astronaut
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in that case.
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So right up until 1975,
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they kept a prop capsule
on standby in Great Britain
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00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:37,240
so crews in britain could
train on recovering a capsule.
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00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,760
Now one theory is that
they used a helicopter
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to fly that capsule
over bentwaters
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00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:50,120
but they lost control of it
and had to ditch it in the forest
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00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:54,640
which might explain those
strange circular imprints
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in the ground.
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00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:02,480
A dummy Apollo capsule
might fit the evidence.
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00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,360
But there are still questions
about the rendlesham incident
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which remain unanswered.
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00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:16,400
The us air force was stationed
at bentwaters for 42 years
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with 11 squadrons
based there over that time.
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00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,880
But in 1993 the airbase
was decommissioned,
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the cold war was over.
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00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,880
Much of the airpower that
we were going to deploy
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00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:34,200
in a third world war
against the Soviet union
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00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:35,840
was based at bentwaters.
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00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,240
This was the world
we lived in for so long,
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00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:40,320
may we never live
in this world again.
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00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:49,960
In northern Arkansas is
a wholly unusual scene
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00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,680
lost in the depths
of the countryside.
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00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,520
This place is way
out in the woods,
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00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:03,800
it's overgrown.
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00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:06,800
There are vines
creeping all over the place
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00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:08,200
swallowing it up.
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00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,240
As you travel
further into the trees,
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00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:14,560
you see the
beginning of the track
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00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,520
and you start to get maybe some
clue of what was going on here.
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00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,800
At one point it goes up pretty
high about 30 feet off the ground
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00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,800
so somebody put a lot
of engineering ambition
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00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:29,840
into this project.
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00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,600
Twisted remains
are strewn all around,
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00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:37,400
and together they
paint a strange picture.
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00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:41,680
There are lots of
metal grills, bars,
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00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:43,640
fences and cages,
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00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:46,080
it's like a prison
lost in the jungle.
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00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,520
You're out in the woods, you're
miles from the nearest town,
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00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:53,200
no-one's going to hear
you scream out here.
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00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:58,560
So who or what was being
locked up in the cages?
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00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,400
And what catastrophe would
cause this site's downfall?
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00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:07,840
It all looks a little
ram shackled
217
00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,280
so it makes you think
whatever was in these cages,
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00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:11,560
did they stay in the cages?
219
00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:13,360
What if they got out?
220
00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,000
Far from being hidden away,
the entrance to this place
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00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,160
was actually designed to
catch the eye of passers-by.
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00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,240
So if you were
just driving past,
223
00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:40,320
you see what
looks like a rest stop
224
00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:44,080
but this was a rest stop
like no other in the world.
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00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:49,000
Rick Montgomery grew up nearby
226
00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:52,200
and can imagine just how
strange a site this must have been
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00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:53,840
for unsuspected travellers.
228
00:14:56,680 --> 00:15:00,280
Well, when you would arrive
here and come around that corner,
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00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:01,960
almost a 90-degree curve
230
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,800
and the first thing you
see are these cages.
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00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:07,200
And in this cage here
I'm told was a lion.
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00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:08,640
That would get your attention.
233
00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,520
You begin to look in here
and here is a huge black bear.
234
00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,760
Everybody's now
wondering what is this place?
235
00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:23,520
For those who let their
curiosity get the better of them,
236
00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:27,480
a ride upon a miniature railway
took them through a dark tunnel,
237
00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:28,960
before all was revealed.
238
00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:33,320
We'd come out of the
tunnel and we hit this track.
239
00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:36,000
And as you make the
curve you look to your left
240
00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:37,560
and there's giraffes,
241
00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:39,400
and their heads are
looking you in the face
242
00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:41,280
because giraffes are so tall
243
00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:42,720
so they're almost
level with you.
244
00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:48,120
This strange roadside
wonderland once filled with life
245
00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,400
was Hallie's rest stop and zoo.
246
00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:55,960
When it opened this
place was a huge hit.
247
00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,880
People came in
droves, they loved it.
248
00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:00,840
People would specifically travel
249
00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:04,280
just to this site from
hundreds of miles away
250
00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,600
but what I like to imagine
is the incredible surprise
251
00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:09,520
of people who didn't
know about this.
252
00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:11,920
They just pull over the car
expecting a normal rest stop
253
00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:15,160
and ta-da, you've got
Hallie's zoo as well.
254
00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:16,720
What an experience.
255
00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:21,240
Opened in the early '70s
256
00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:24,280
and named after its
owner Hallie ormond,
257
00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:28,320
visitors would come face to face
with an exciting mix of animals,
258
00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:30,440
some more exotic than others.
259
00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,560
There was every kind of
animal local to the area,
260
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,400
foxes, wolves, deer,
261
00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:40,136
just every kind of animal
that you can think of
262
00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:42,280
that's local to Arkansas
was here in the zoo,
263
00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,800
plus elephant, giraffes,
264
00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:49,600
of course, the
orangutan, bear, lion.
265
00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,720
But today rusted,
broken and weathered
266
00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,880
it appears outdated
in more ways than one.
267
00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,160
You know, a really
state of the art zoo
268
00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,360
needs a full-time
veterinary staff,
269
00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,960
it needs people really trained
to take care of these animals.
270
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:09,800
And you see in modern zoos
271
00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:12,360
they at least make an
attempt to create habitats
272
00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,960
that are more like the habitats
of these animals living in the wild,
273
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,640
instead of just confining
them to tiny cages
274
00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:19,960
where they go wild with boredom.
275
00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,160
This was one of a
number of small zoos
276
00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:27,200
that dotted the
country at the time,
277
00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:33,040
and regulation of
them was relatively light
278
00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:37,080
so, there was a little bit
of a wild west feel to it.
279
00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:41,240
Regardless of the
approach taken, however,
280
00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:43,360
safety was always a priority.
281
00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,640
Wild animals are
exactly that, they are wild
282
00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,800
and whenever you take
them on, even a single one,
283
00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:51,920
let alone the numbers
required in a zoo,
284
00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:53,920
you're taking on a
huge responsibility.
285
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,000
This was something the
management was reminded of
286
00:17:58,040 --> 00:17:59,840
when one resident decided
287
00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:02,480
they'd had enough of
sitting alone in their cage.
288
00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:08,240
This cage is super
interesting, it's big metal
289
00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:10,400
because originally
there was a bear in here,
290
00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:12,840
then they put in
here an orangutan.
291
00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:14,960
He was real smart.
292
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,840
He knew how to undo his
cage so that he could get out.
293
00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,440
And he would get out of his
cage and go walking around,
294
00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:22,880
go walking across the street.
295
00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:25,880
That's where the manager
was and he knew him.
296
00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,560
Luckily no harm was
done by the orangutan
297
00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:33,320
masterminding his own escape.
298
00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:36,560
But what if it had been a
more dangerous animal?
299
00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:42,560
With this kind of business, if
an accident does occur on-site,
300
00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:46,320
the likelihood is it's
going to be serious.
301
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:50,560
As time would tell,
302
00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,280
the orangutan wasn't to be
the only escapee from Hallie's.
303
00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:57,760
And next time it
would be a predator
304
00:18:57,800 --> 00:18:59,960
that would have the
locals running scared.
305
00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,640
But perhaps this place should
never have been opened at all.
306
00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:10,080
Now there are plenty
of laws and regulations
307
00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:14,480
regarding exotic
animals in the us but...
308
00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:16,320
And this is true
of a lot of activities
309
00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:17,440
in the states,
310
00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:19,320
there's a huge
amount of variation
311
00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:22,120
and the laws vary state by state
312
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,120
and in some cases,
county by county.
313
00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:30,040
What's surprising is that
where this zoo was located,
314
00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:34,080
it was actually illegal
to own exotic animals.
315
00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,200
Whether that law was
known at the time or not,
316
00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:41,800
things would soon
be brought to a head.
317
00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,680
In the late '70s Hallie sold
the zoo to a new owner,
318
00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:50,960
and in 1979 the zoo
made the headlines
319
00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:52,280
for all the wrong reasons.
320
00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:58,680
Well, this is the cage that
got the biggest story to tell.
321
00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:02,280
This was the cage
where the lion was kept.
322
00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:06,800
The lion was sheltering
in a zoo all of its life,
323
00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:08,200
it was never been
out in the wild.
324
00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:11,880
But one day, somebody
accidentally left the cage door open
325
00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:12,920
and the lion escaped.
326
00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:18,080
With a lion on the loose,
the locals were up in arms.
327
00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:24,360
There are farms all around
this place with livestock
328
00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:28,560
and now you've got a
predator out there on the loose.
329
00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:31,760
It was spotted a
number of times.
330
00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:34,480
The people in the area
were pretty freaked out
331
00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:38,520
that there was a wild African
lion roaming their backyards.
332
00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:41,520
But luckily, in the end,
333
00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:43,840
it turned out they
needn't have worried.
334
00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:47,520
There is a kind of
comic end to all this
335
00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:51,640
because after two weeks
of wandering the countryside
336
00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:55,000
the lion just wandered
back into the zoo,
337
00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:57,080
apparently, because
he was hungry.
338
00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:01,880
I guess that lion was a
little more accustomed
339
00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:02,920
to being fed
340
00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:04,560
than having to chase
down its own food.
341
00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:08,080
The lion came back and
went back into his cage here
342
00:21:08,120 --> 00:21:09,720
and they locked
him up and fed him,
343
00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:12,240
but that was the
beginning of the end
344
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:13,880
for Hallie's zoo.
345
00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:18,480
No livestock were
attacked, no one was injured
346
00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:22,840
but suddenly a new level of
scrutiny was focused upon the zoo.
347
00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,360
I don't believe that
anybody ever knew
348
00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,480
that it was illegal to
have exotic animals
349
00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:29,560
in Van buren county.
350
00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,800
It's just that once the
lion incident happened
351
00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:35,560
that was an excuse
352
00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,680
to get rid of the exotic
animals in Van buren county.
353
00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:41,120
The law was already there,
354
00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:43,640
just no one had
ever really enforced it,
355
00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:45,040
no one had really
talked about it.
356
00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:50,040
After a decade pulling
in excited tourists
357
00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:51,400
and weary travellers,
358
00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:55,680
in 1979 Hallie's rest stop
and zoo was shut down.
359
00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,080
While the animals are long gone,
360
00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:08,320
there was still another
twist in the tale of this place.
361
00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:12,800
When Rick stumbled upon
the boarded-up site in 2011...
362
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,240
Well, we were rounding the curve
363
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:20,360
and I felt like I heard
god say, "look to your left,"
364
00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,800
and all we can see was
the corner of the building.
365
00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:24,640
We pulled over
and my wife thought
366
00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,240
that we were having
some kind of car trouble
367
00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:29,000
and I said, "no, I
think this is the place
368
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:30,040
"we're supposed to be."
369
00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:36,320
It's always nice to see old places
get turned into something new.
370
00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:38,040
But the best times
371
00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:41,360
are when there's something
so surprising like this.
372
00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,960
They turned a zoo into a church.
373
00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:49,800
The old restaurant and
gift shop has been restored
374
00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:51,720
and become the church itself.
375
00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:53,880
While the old zoo
376
00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:56,080
has been pulled into
the action once again.
377
00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:58,480
We utilised the zoo.
378
00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,600
This place has helped our church
to reach out to the community.
379
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:04,440
We have biblical
who's who at the zoo.
380
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:07,800
And we actually have people
playing biblical characters
381
00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:09,440
in the old cages.
382
00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:11,840
And then for Christmas
we decorate the zoo,
383
00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:13,560
we light up the train track.
384
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,760
It's just a good way to
minister to the community.
385
00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:20,280
In Rick's eyes as minister,
386
00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,640
they couldn't have wished for
a better spot to build a church.
387
00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:28,080
My wife and I love the
place, as a matter of fact,
388
00:23:28,120 --> 00:23:32,520
if things go as we plan,
we will be entombed here.
389
00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,240
We plan on staying
here, the zoo is us.
390
00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:43,480
In Belarus,
391
00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:46,080
seven miles from the
border with Ukraine
392
00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:49,560
is a derelict land that
was once a paradise.
393
00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:54,440
Your first impression here
394
00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:55,816
is that you're in the
middle of nowhere.
395
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:59,600
You don't see anyone even
looking down from the sky,
396
00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:01,200
you can't see any people.
397
00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:04,440
The people are gone
398
00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:08,440
but the forgotten pieces of a
past life have been left behind.
399
00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:14,480
Murals on the walls have
been painted for children,
400
00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:18,840
it suggests that whoever
lived here did so happily.
401
00:24:20,360 --> 00:24:21,760
You can see abandoned houses,
402
00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,920
you can see some
personal possessions
403
00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:26,200
scattered about on the ground.
404
00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:29,200
It appears that when
people did leave this place,
405
00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:30,240
they left in a hurry.
406
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:34,880
The evidence suggests
something happened here
407
00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,440
which turned this
place into a wasteland.
408
00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:43,560
But the truth may be bigger
than just one neighbourhood.
409
00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:50,640
Belarus and Ukraine
were just two provinces
410
00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:52,080
of the Soviet empire.
411
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:57,480
Used to be that Soviet
power spanned this border,
412
00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:04,160
but now something far
darker spans this border.
413
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:09,040
The town's existence
was cut so short
414
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,240
that it was never
added to local maps.
415
00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,160
So what catastrophic
event curtailed its life?
416
00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,440
And what invisible
danger was left behind?
417
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:28,000
In the 1970s, at the
height of the cold war,
418
00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,800
the west and the Soviet union
were vying for supremacy.
419
00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,400
But behind the scenes,
the union was in turmoil.
420
00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:41,800
The Soviet system
was going to pieces.
421
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:47,360
The Soviet system of
agriculture, in particular,
422
00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,560
could not feed the
Soviet population.
423
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:53,080
There was a great irony
424
00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:55,320
that the Soviets had
a world-class military
425
00:25:55,360 --> 00:25:58,400
and they were spending
billions on nuclear weapons,
426
00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,280
but they couldn't even
feed their own people.
427
00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:05,760
Piotr romaniuk grew up
in Belarus during this time.
428
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,200
Translation: "We're standing
in what used to be a shop.
429
00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:15,560
"Those are the
remains of refrigerators.
430
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,520
"This shop supplied the
whole town with groceries
431
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:20,040
"and other necessities."
432
00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:25,720
But this shop was
different to many others
433
00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:27,040
across the Soviet union...
434
00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,840
..There were no bare shelves.
435
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,880
For here, everyone
had plenty of food.
436
00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:39,280
In this part of Belarus
the Soviets set up kind of
437
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,600
a model community
to raise cattle for food.
438
00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:46,240
And they built the housing,
supermarkets, schools,
439
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,760
everything they needed
to house the workers
440
00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:49,800
and their families.
441
00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:52,760
The approach
worked so well, in fact,
442
00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,480
that the people gave this
town an unofficial name,
443
00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:56,840
'sunny'.
444
00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:00,200
Translation: "Why sunny?
445
00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,120
"Because they planned
a hay day for the region.
446
00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:05,800
"Something new,
447
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:07,920
"that the new town
would be bright,
448
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:11,560
"joyful, sunny."
449
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,000
They wanted this
to be a model town
450
00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:19,880
and so it could be used
as an example elsewhere
451
00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:21,480
in the Soviet union,
452
00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:25,800
and show that collective work and
community could be a big success
453
00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:26,840
for the future.
454
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:30,656
Translation: "It was
a place full of life,
455
00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:33,120
"a place for work
and for leisure.
456
00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,280
"Behind us is what used
to be a house of culture
457
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,840
"which was supposed
to have opened in 1986
458
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:43,120
"but it never happened."
459
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:50,760
One Sunday morning in
1986 this paradise was lost.
460
00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,080
Translation: "It was the
first time since world war ii
461
00:27:57,120 --> 00:27:58,840
"that the alarm had sounded.
462
00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:01,640
It was horrifying.
463
00:28:03,360 --> 00:28:05,360
"And people couldn't
grasp what was happening."
464
00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:12,080
On 3 may, an order was made,
465
00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:14,800
the residents of
sunny were to evacuate
466
00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:15,880
over the coming days,
467
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:18,240
few understood why.
468
00:28:22,120 --> 00:28:23,440
Translation: "It was horrible.
469
00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:25,960
"People were saying
goodbye to each other forever.
470
00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,840
"They weren't sure they'd
ever see each other again
471
00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:32,000
"because they'd never
experienced anything like this before."
472
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,400
A panic had gripped
the authorities.
473
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:39,240
Something so
disastrous had happened
474
00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:41,600
that the state tried
to keep it secret.
475
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:47,080
In the Soviet union news
was tightly controlled.
476
00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:49,840
Bad news was a state secret,
477
00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,920
and there was no news
of the nuclear disaster
478
00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:55,960
at chernobyl.
479
00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:58,520
A week earlier,
480
00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,560
a large explosion at the site had
exposed the nuclear reactor core.
481
00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,640
Two of the reactors at
the chernobyl nuclear plant
482
00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:08,960
went into meltdown,
483
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,480
they started spewing
radioactive smoke into the air.
484
00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:16,440
Firefighters came in to
try to put out the Blaze
485
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,680
but, of course, they were subjected
to even more intense radiation.
486
00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:26,600
Translation: "Yes, we
knew of the accident
487
00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:28,720
"but nobody
recognised its scale.
488
00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:31,480
"We thought it would
all be over soon.
489
00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:33,560
"They'd put the fire out
490
00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,000
"and we would resume living
as if nothing had happened.
491
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:40,400
"When the word radiation
was said for the first time,
492
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,520
"the older locals
couldn't even repeat it.
493
00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:45,560
"They kept saying 'radio'
494
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,600
"and didn't understand why they
were being forced to move out
495
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:50,640
"of this beautiful
place of our country
496
00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:53,200
"because of something
that nobody could see."
497
00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:00,480
The town of sunny
sits near the border
498
00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:03,240
between what is now
Belarus and Ukraine,
499
00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:07,160
chernobyl lies just
20 miles to the south.
500
00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:11,760
Airborne radiation was omitted
from the fire at the power plant
501
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:13,520
for ten straight days.
502
00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:16,040
It spread across Europe,
503
00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:19,680
but around 70% is
estimated to have settled
504
00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:21,440
on the ground in Belarus.
505
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:27,136
It must have been terrifying.
506
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:28,920
They'd been living
in the fall out zone
507
00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:30,160
for almost a week.
508
00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:33,000
But no one really knew
how bad the fallout was
509
00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:35,120
and no one really
trusted the government
510
00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:36,160
to tell them the truth.
511
00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,000
At the time, piotr was
working as a teacher
512
00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:43,440
and was assigned to
help with the evacuation.
513
00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:48,976
Translation: "We were
summoned to the district committee
514
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:50,880
"so that they could
assign party members
515
00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:53,840
"to be in charge of resettlement
of different organisations.
516
00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:58,160
"I was sent to kolivan village
517
00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:00,840
"where my main duty was
to ensure the resettlement
518
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:01,880
"of the school."
519
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:08,680
Within 24 hours,
520
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:10,880
the town of sunny
had been abandoned...
521
00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:15,600
..But the residents
of this former paradise
522
00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:18,200
would face one final injustice.
523
00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:23,440
Years later, when
scientists went back
524
00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:25,480
to study the soil and
to study the people
525
00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:27,560
and look for the
effects of the radiation,
526
00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,040
they found that the
radiation levels were far lower
527
00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,280
than they had suspected
at first and, in fact,
528
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:34,720
the residents of this area
529
00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:36,960
probably didn't need
to be evacuated.
530
00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:43,160
As the town sat empty
from 1986 onwards,
531
00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:47,120
few outsiders heard the
stories of places such as this.
532
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:51,320
What happened in Belarus
533
00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,240
is a really overlooked
story of chernobyl,
534
00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,640
everybody talks about the
immediate area around the plant
535
00:31:57,680 --> 00:31:58,800
and about pripyat.
536
00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:00,280
A lot of people don't realise
537
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:04,280
that much of the dislocation
happened in Belarus next door.
538
00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:06,320
Huge areas evacuated,
539
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,440
lives uprooted,
disrupted forever.
540
00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:17,320
Life, however, has
returned to sunny.
541
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,880
Today it's classed
as a nature reserve
542
00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:24,120
and has been reclaimed
by wild elk and wolves.
543
00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:29,600
And piotr now looks for the positives
in what lies ahead for this region.
544
00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:35,960
Translation: "I suppose
I've made my peace with it.
545
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:38,360
"The reserve employs
many of our people.
546
00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:41,960
"It provides workspaces
547
00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:44,600
"so we treat it like a facility.
548
00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:47,720
"You know, it's our facility."
549
00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:53,720
Over 30 years after
residents were forced
550
00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:57,120
from their homes, sunny
remains a restricted area,
551
00:32:57,800 --> 00:32:59,840
but change may lie ahead.
552
00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:08,840
Translation: "Today
we are rebuilding it
553
00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:10,280
"and everything is growing.
554
00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,440
"We are developing very quickly.
555
00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:21,120
"It makes me happy
as a citizen of this area
556
00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:24,320
"and as someone who is
responsible for socio-economic growth
557
00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:26,440
"of this area. It's great."
558
00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:40,640
Off the coast of Taiwan
in the pacific ocean
559
00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:43,040
lies a small volcanic island.
560
00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:52,000
Much of the island is
covered in a thick carpet
561
00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:53,720
of emerald green grass,
562
00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:56,400
hence its name green island.
563
00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:01,680
It's a place of towering rocks
surrounded by coral reefs.
564
00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:05,000
It's not easy to get to.
565
00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:08,360
Fading clues suggest
566
00:34:08,400 --> 00:34:11,520
this island was more than
just a tropical paradise.
567
00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:15,040
Something that
really strikes you
568
00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:18,520
is you see all these
propaganda slogans
569
00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:22,560
and messages daubed,
painted, scrawled, engraved.
570
00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:27,440
So clearly the island was
of some political importance
571
00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,160
but to whom and why?
572
00:34:32,240 --> 00:34:35,040
A series of brutalist
concrete structures
573
00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:37,480
hint at the true
nature of this place.
574
00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,240
As we look more closely
we see a walled-off facility
575
00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:47,080
that really stands out from
the rest of the landscape.
576
00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:51,120
For almost half a century,
577
00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:54,040
this collection of
buildings struck fear
578
00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:56,960
into the hearts and minds
of every Taiwanese person.
579
00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:03,720
Green island is forever
tied to one of Taiwan's
580
00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:05,880
and humanity's darkest chapters.
581
00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:13,240
During world war ii,
582
00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,280
Taiwan and its islands
were ruled over by Japan,
583
00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:22,040
after the fallen empire's
surrender China took back control.
584
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:25,280
For the Taiwanese people,
585
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:27,840
a new age of terror
was about to unfold.
586
00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:36,080
Chiang Kai-shek became
the leader of China in 1928.
587
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:41,000
But in 1949, following
the Chinese civil war
588
00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:44,120
he and his nationalist
party were defeated
589
00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:45,920
by the communist forces
590
00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:48,280
under the leadership
of mao zedong.
591
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:52,040
And chiang Kai-shek
takes his government
592
00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:56,640
which used to govern all of China
across to the island of Taiwan,
593
00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:58,480
80 miles from the
Chinese mainland.
594
00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:01,560
Forced into exile,
595
00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:04,640
the deposed leader
plotted to reclaim China
596
00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:07,120
from the newly installed
communist government.
597
00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:11,880
And green island would
come to play a key role
598
00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:13,960
in chiang Kai-shek's plans.
599
00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:16,200
As you look around
600
00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:18,240
you see all these
propaganda messages,
601
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:19,520
one of which reads,
602
00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,600
"be firm against
communism and ready to win."
603
00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,320
All this propaganda and
the barrack-like buildings
604
00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:30,280
make you think it's some
kind of military training facility.
605
00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:35,280
However, this was not a
place to house his army,
606
00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:37,960
it was designed to
destroy his rivals.
607
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:43,200
Chiang Kai-shek is beleaguered
by political enemies inside Taiwan.
608
00:36:43,240 --> 00:36:45,560
The old locals who
resent the intrusion
609
00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:47,680
of these mainlanders
onto their island,
610
00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:51,840
but also lots of Chinese spies
inside the nationalist movement.
611
00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:56,600
In a desperate attempt
to cling to power,
612
00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:59,400
he rounded up those
believed to be a threat.
613
00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,120
Lin xiu wei lives
on green island
614
00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:07,320
and grew up hearing the
terrible stories from this time.
615
00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:12,336
Translation: "The people's
right to freedom of speech
616
00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:15,200
"and freedom to gather
together was stripped away.
617
00:37:15,240 --> 00:37:17,840
"For example, if three
people got together
618
00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:19,160
"they would be accused
619
00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:21,640
"of joining a trade
union organisation."
620
00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:27,600
This period of brutal martial law
became known as the white terror.
621
00:37:29,720 --> 00:37:31,760
Chiang Kai-shek
creates this green island
622
00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:35,840
as a place where he can send
people for interrogation and detention
623
00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:38,520
as he launches this
so-called white terror.
624
00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:43,120
This was the new
life correction centre.
625
00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:46,880
Locked inside, however,
626
00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:49,160
was not the typical
cast of criminals.
627
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:52,040
Here the ones being persecuted
628
00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:54,360
were those with the
power to influence others
629
00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:57,600
not through violence but
through art and reason.
630
00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:03,320
This wasn't a normal prison,
631
00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:05,680
full of hardened
and violent criminals,
632
00:38:05,720 --> 00:38:08,120
instead, you had
scholars and writers,
633
00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:09,280
poets and artists.
634
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,040
As we know nothing is
more dangerous than an idea.
635
00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:17,000
Those deemed to be
the most dangerous
636
00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:21,360
with the most dangerous ideas,
they were sent to green island.
637
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,200
Isolated from the
rest of the population
638
00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:26,120
where even the
power of their poetry,
639
00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:28,400
the power of their art
couldn't reach anyone.
640
00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:33,800
In time, some of these
prisoners would transform Taiwan
641
00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:35,400
into the country it is today.
642
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:40,120
But while caged, they
endured an imaginable hardship.
643
00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:44,080
The main building is a
strange hexagonal structure
644
00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:48,080
with four lines of prisoner cells
extending out from the core.
645
00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:52,600
Hard labour and torture
were daily occurrences too.
646
00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:54,760
For a start, each prisoner
had a sleeping space
647
00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:56,240
of only two-foot-wide.
648
00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:04,280
This wasn't just a prison, it
was a re-education centre,
649
00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:07,760
really an ideological
brainwashing centre as well.
650
00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:10,120
And the methods used
were very extreme,
651
00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:14,120
to the point at which some
prisoners were tattooed
652
00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:16,600
with propaganda slogans
653
00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:20,760
like, "oppose communism,
resist the Russians."
654
00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:25,560
While those locked inside
these walls dreamt of escape,
655
00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:28,720
the site's position meant
this was nigh on impossible.
656
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,440
Translation: "There were
reports of political prisoners
657
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,200
"who attempted to escape,
658
00:39:35,240 --> 00:39:37,480
"but they all failed, why?
659
00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:40,800
"Because green island
is surrounded by the sea."
660
00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:45,480
Known as the black current,
661
00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:48,240
the powerful waters
that encircled the island
662
00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:50,320
pulled flotsam
back to the shore.
663
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,480
It's rumoured one desperate
prisoner swam all night
664
00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:55,920
towards the mainland
665
00:39:56,560 --> 00:39:58,840
only to find himself
back where he started
666
00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:00,360
as the sun Rose.
667
00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:04,840
Translation: "Some prisoners
crafted little wooden rafts
668
00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:06,400
"in an effort to escape.
669
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:09,560
"However, they were just rolled
back to the shores by the waves.
670
00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:12,160
"They were then beaten up
by the guards in the bunker."
671
00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:15,760
It's estimated that
over five decades
672
00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:20,280
the regime arrested up to
150,000 political opponents
673
00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:22,280
with many of them
ending up here.
674
00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:27,520
Around 20,000 were
executed without proper trial,
675
00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:31,000
most for the crime of
criticising a corrupt government.
676
00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:37,280
So chiang Kai-shek's
terror really decimated
677
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:41,560
an entire generation
of Chinese intellectuals
678
00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:46,080
and it would take Taiwanese
society a long time to recover.
679
00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:49,960
But for the people
held against their will,
680
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:53,160
their dreams of freedom
and Liberty didn't die.
681
00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:56,880
The suffering only
fuelled a desire for change.
682
00:40:57,720 --> 00:41:04,000
The seeds of Democratic Taiwan
were also sewn by this persecution.
683
00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:08,120
One prisoner was
kept here for so long
684
00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:10,760
and resisted so valiantly
685
00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:14,480
and his struggle had
such a profound effect
686
00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:16,360
on the course of
Taiwanese politics
687
00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:20,040
that he became known
as Taiwan's mandela.
688
00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:26,520
In total, shih ming-teh,
spent 25 years locked away,
689
00:41:26,560 --> 00:41:29,720
much of it was here
in solitary confinement
690
00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:33,000
and several years of
that was on hunger strike.
691
00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:37,800
So this guy endured
all of these things,
692
00:41:37,840 --> 00:41:40,120
asked for no mercy,
put up with it all
693
00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:42,960
and really became the
conscience of Taiwan.
694
00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:49,440
Martial law was
eventually lifted in 1987.
695
00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:52,320
For the first time in a century,
696
00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:55,160
opposition political parties
were allowed to form.
697
00:41:56,040 --> 00:41:59,640
And with that, many of
the prisoners still being held
698
00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:00,720
were soon released.
699
00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:04,120
And once released,
they formed this party,
700
00:42:04,160 --> 00:42:07,400
they insist on
democracy, human rights,
701
00:42:07,440 --> 00:42:09,160
they win elections,
702
00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:11,560
and shih ming-teh
is one of the guys
703
00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:13,920
who founds the Democratic
progressive party,
704
00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:16,680
the party that now
governs Taiwan.
705
00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:20,640
This site continued
to operate as a prison,
706
00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:25,280
but this time, criminals
more deserving of captivity
707
00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:26,880
occupied its cells.
708
00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:30,800
Its prisoners were now
the gangsters and mobsters
709
00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:34,360
who had helped the old regime
round up the innocent intellectuals.
710
00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:38,400
In the final years
of the 20th century,
711
00:42:38,440 --> 00:42:40,920
the prison was
closed and abandoned.
712
00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:44,160
But the trauma experienced here
713
00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:47,520
still lives long in the memory
of the island's residents.
714
00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:50,280
Translation: "We must remember
715
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:53,880
"that Taiwan once
experienced strict political rule.
716
00:42:53,920 --> 00:42:56,160
"We must learn from
the lessons of the past.
717
00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:58,440
"History might be repeated.
718
00:42:58,480 --> 00:43:01,800
"If we don't learn, the
tragedy might happen again."
719
00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:11,560
In 2002, the Taiwanese
government once again
720
00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:13,040
opened the doors of the prison.
721
00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,920
Though it now welcomes a
very different kind of visitor.
722
00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:20,720
Green island today
is a tourist destination
723
00:43:20,760 --> 00:43:23,040
with beaches,
hotels, snorkelling
724
00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:27,320
but it's really a reminder of
Taiwan's very complex past.
725
00:43:27,360 --> 00:43:30,520
Taiwan's frosty relationship
with China continues
726
00:43:30,560 --> 00:43:31,920
to this very day.
727
00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:33,840
On the one hand,
728
00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:37,560
you have Taiwan, a flourishing
free-market democracy,
729
00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:39,760
on the other hand,
you have China,
730
00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:41,880
one-party communist dictatorship
731
00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:47,360
that has never recognised
the independence of Taiwan.
732
00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:50,400
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