Business & Money | Monday 25 May, 2015 12:57 pm |

As part of its investigative documentary series that was rolled out in April 2015, Sky News Arabia is set to air its second film entitled ‘Death Boats: The Migration Dream and the Smuggling Nightmare’ on May 27, 10 pm UAE time (6pm GMT).

Narrating the real-life story of a group of Lebanese migrants who embarked on a journey to Australia by sea in September 2013, the film recounts how their dreams of seeking a better life in a new country was shattered and turned into a nightmare after tens of them drowned in the sea.
The documentary opens with a montage on the miserable living conditions in Lebanon that prompt people to seek hope in fresh horizons. Examples featured in the film include a man who decides to leave his family behind, and another who opts to take his family with him to Australia.

With the premise established, the film’s narrative then focuses on how the migrants conspire with smugglers to sail from Beirut to Malaysia and then to Indonesia where they will stay for some 40 days. In Indonesia, they await the second part of the journey, and look forward to arriving in the ‘promised land’ of Australia to start a new, better life.
However, their plans come to nought when the smugglers fail to keep their promise of providing a sturdy ship for the migrants’ travel to Australia. Nevertheless, the unsuspecting migrants set sail on the worn-out boat – only to be stranded soon enough in the high seas. The desperate passengers try and fend for themselves until food and other supplies run out, and the boat gives way. Of the 70 people on-board, tens drowned, including women and children - most of them Lebanese nationals.

Tracing the emotions experienced during the perilous journey, the documentary hosts survivors and eyewitnesses and draws upon the memories that haunt them to this day. From travelling to an unknown land with no clear route map to helplessly witnessing loved ones drown at sea - the film poignantly captures the outpourings of the survivors.
Through this documentary, Sky News Arabia seeks to highlight a tragedy that is still prevalent in the Arab region where poverty, unemployment and oppression drive people to seek desperate solutions. The channel also tries to expose the corruption of human traffickers who make fortunes out of the suffering of people.

Sky News Arabia rolled-out its investigative documentary series earlier this year seeking to highlight the ‘real face’ of events that unfold in the political, social and economic landscape in Arab societies. Each episode aims to unravel the plight of the victims caught in an exploitative situation. The documentaries are produced professionally using undercover investigative techniques in order to formulate a comprehensive understanding of current events. The opening film ‘Uncovering the Secrets: Marriage at Times of War’ examined the suffering of Syrian female refugees, the pressures of early age, and how they are deprived of basic rights.