This month CNN’s programme Mainsail – dedicated to the world of sailing arrives in Sydney. The programme features the 60th anniversary of one of the world’s most famous yachting events, the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race.
The programme airs on 16 January at 6 pm with a repeat on 19 January at 7 pm and on 30 January at 6 pm. The show's host Liz George interviews Ray Richmond, the official starter for this year’s Rolex Sydney-Hobart. He took part in the original race back in 1945 and tells CNN how and why the race began and how different it was from this year’s event.
George also looks back at the 1998 race, which was hit by a massive storm resulting in the deaths of six sailors, and tracks down survivors who are still taking part in the sailing event.
Mainsail will also investigate the repercussions for sailors who rely on accurate weather predictions, despite some boat owners losing in the race as the hurricanes tore through the Caribbean last year. Additionally, the programme gets on board for a sail with Nicorette, a brand new 90-foot yacht skippered by Ludde Ingvall, a yachtsmen who participated in the 2000 Sydney-Hobart race.
Meanwhile the channel's talk show Talk Asia will see Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra talks about the damages caused by the Tsunami that struck the country on 26 December 2004. The show airs on 15 January at 9:30am, 7 pm, 10:30 pm, on 16 January at 5 pm, 8:30 pm, and on 17 January at 9 am.
The Thai Prime Minister reveals to the show's host Lorraine Hahn how he first heard about the Tsunami, his reaction and supervision of relief aid to the hardest hit areas of the country. He also unveils to CNN his initial feelings when landing in Phuket and seeing the destruction caused by the killer waves.
I was trying to supervise the collecting of the dead bodies, I even instructed the heavy equipment to come and lift the building because I saw many people laid down underneath it with my own eyes. The smell was quite horrible, but the sadness of the tragic incident is more than the feeling of smell. I felt bad when I saw it. I feel a lot of sympathy for those who have lost their loved ones."
The Prime Minister also shares his thoughts on the quick response from the international community and discusses why Thailand declined foreign aid in cash: "I heard that some countries are even worse, for example Indonesia. So I thought we better help ourselves and let international help others that are harder hit by the Tsunami."
Additionally, he tells CNN that it will take one year for Thailand to recover from this disaster. "I never tolerate for a longer time, so I work hard and push for it. One year is quite long for me already."
When asked about his proposition of locating a warning surveillance center in Thailand, he says, "I think we are ready to be a center and we are ready to offer our services to other countries."
He concludes the interview by discussing the Tsunami's impact on Thailand's economy, the provisions the country has for hundreds of orphans, and the efforts of identifying the bodies with accurate DNA samples while continuing to search for the missing.
