Tonight on Close Up ` changing the world through social media ` the viral video that wants to bring down the world's most wanted war criminal. Rob Hamill retraces his brother's final moments at the hands of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge. Do you hate him? I hate what he did; I don't know if I hate him. And Jo Nesbo ` a rock star who is the next big name in Scandinavian crime writing. Due to the live nature of Close Up, captions for some items may be incomplete. ONE News captions by Angela Alice and Desney Thorogood. Close Up captions by Faith Hamblyn and Pippa Jefferies. How do you overthrow the most wanted war criminal in the world? You log on to Facebook. It might sound ridiculous, but a campaign against Ugandan despot Joseph Kony is spreading like wildfire. How far? Well, the campaign video has been watched 12 million times in the last 48 hours, and its content is revolting. Be warned ` you are going to see some of this shortly. The video's aim ` to bring Joseph Kony to justice after years of mass killing. Gill Higgins takes a look at the Kony 12 phenomenon. You might not recognise this face yet, but you soon will if the Invisible Children charity has its way. It wants to make Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony famous. We are going to make Joseph Kony a household name, We are going to make Joseph Kony a household name, not to celebrate him, but to bring his crimes to the light. They are shocking. He's hunted down tens of thousands of children for his army, ordered soldiers to hack off limbs and lips. Terrified children take shelter together. If that happened one night in America, it'd be on cover of Newsweek. Kids like Jacob. He was running for his life. It was his story, his torment... It was his story, his torment... (CRIES) ...that made film-maker Jason Russell make a promise. The idea of mobilising the masses for a good cause is quite a recent phenomenon. # Feed the world. # In 1985, music was used to amazing effect to unite people to feed Africa. Then in 2009, the Iranian protests ` the power of social media became clear, with this woman's death one of the most widely viewed in history. MEN CHANT Again in 2011, social media swiftly accelerated protest in the Arab spring. # I can't stop. # Now in 2012, it's viral marketing. The main weapon is a slick MTV-style video with its spattering of celebrity... ...and the film-maker's impossibly cute son. We should stop him. We should stop who? Him. It states the problem. 99% of the planet doesn't know who he is. It asks for money and support and explains the course of action. We're going after policy-makers. And it's on its way ` 12 million hits overnight on Facebook, the most tweeted subject on Twitter. By the end of 2012, they want Kony facing justice in the International Criminal Court. And if we succeed, we change the course of human history. But some predict danger ` a new world of viral vigilantes deciding who to target next, a world where taking out the bad guy is seen as the answer, leaving a country still in strife. Kony 2012 is a simplistic take on world affairs, but, hey, they've made a difference. We rebuilt schools, and we built an early-warning radio network on the front line of the war to protect villages from rebel attacks. And it's got young people interested in a world crisis, and it might bring the most wanted war criminal to justice. PEOPLE SHOUT Joining me now live from San Diego ` the CEO of the Invisible Children Charity, Ben Keesey; and Simon Young, a social-media consultant. Ben, is this just lobbying? Great to be with you tonight. Sort of. Yeah. Its lobbying at a worldwide scale. He's an awful person. Are you trying to put pressure on the Americans to go in and snatch him? He was the first guy to be indicted by the International criminal Court. The problem is now that he's operating in such a remote part of central Africa but the people he's victimising don't have any power. You say a body to go in. Who was it you are wanting to do the dirty work? It's not easy. The world has many mechanisms to deal with rogue individuals. The ideal circumstances is through dialogue and a mediated solution. That's tried and failed. The Americans, the Europeans or any country with a sophisticated military to assist the Ugandan military. Given that he has left Uganda, the United Nations said today that his last actions were a last gasp of a dying organisation. It's not a money spinner. We were told many times they are on their last legs. We were told that over six years ago. It's true they are at a weak point right now. The international partners coming together and saying this isn't a political issue, it's a human issue. We need to follow all the way through. We need to see the leader of the group apprehended. Then peace can be achieved. Simon, have you seen this before? Why did it work? The criticisms that have been levelled at this campaign is why it has worked so well. It is very relatable. It has American people talking, not Ugandan people. Just because people get involved in that, does that automatically translate into action? Tweeting, liking, sharing as an action. I asked my friends and connections on twitter ` even those that disagreed were acting on this. Online communities ` we call it the 9% rule. They still contribute to the general groundswell. Ben, people are saying you're simplifying politics and Africa. How do you answer that? The question about simplifying the message is a good one. It's appropriate in this case for the merit to be simple. As of now, it's pretty simple for him to be stopped. It's just creating the political will. It's absolutely a role of our mission. You guys are not getting rich on this? No. When I started Invisible Children, I move in with my parents. What happens at the end of 2012? 2012 will be the year if we all stand up and act. Joseph Kony needs to be stopped. So what do you think about the phenomenon of Kony 2012? We'd like to hear your views. Go to our website or email us at closeup@tvnz.co.nz and we're on Facebook too ` facebook.com/closeup Coming up ` Rob Hamill on his journey to confront the men accused of murdering his brother in Cambodia's killing fields. And Jo Nesbo ` bringing a different sort of cool to Scandinavian crime writing. What would you rather be? A rock star or a best-selling author? Well, right now I'm both. Most NZers know Rob Hamill as a champion rower who crossed the Atlantic in record time, but his life has been consumed by a far more harrowing journey. More than 30 years ago, his older brother was captured by the murderous Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Since then, Rob Hamill has been seeking the truth and justice. Today, Brother Number One, an award-winning documentary, opens across the country to tell that story. Mark Crysell reports. CAR HORN BEEPS, PEOPLE CHATTER It can be easy to ignore what happens in other countries. People know lots about the Nazis and Adolf Hitler. But what if it affects a NZer? They know very little about the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot. Or even a family member tortured and killed by a genocidal regime led by brother number one, Pol Pot. Kerry was our brother number one. Kerry Hamill was the brother of Rob, the champion rower. Kerry was captured off his yacht by the Khmer Rouge off the coast of Cambodia in 1978. His body was never found. I was the only kid at home at that time, and hearing Dad next door in the kitchen, fussing around doing the dishes, and then you're hearing weeping and realising he had been obviously like that for quite some time before it became audible and, you know, Mum just frozen, watching TV, you know, and just unable to do anything. Rob Hamill was 14 then, and the journey to seek justice for his brother's death has consumed his life. Rob's a man of courage and determination. Award-winning documentary-maker Annie Goldson has put that journey on film. He does want to confront a difficult past, but also wants to look towards a better future. The Khmer Rouge killed nearly two million people in the killing fields of Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. It has been called one of the forgotten genocides of the 20th century, but not by the Hamill family. At times I worried if he went into situations that obviously would cause him emotional distress. One of those moments was going into Tuol Sleng, the former school which was used as a torture centre and where Kerry was taken. He found it difficult actually to step over the threshold into Tuol Sleng, because he kind of knew what he would see there, but I don't know if he was really prepared. You know, this could be Kerry. Imagine the fear, the angst ` what's going on? What have I done wrong? Why am I here? The loneliness. Rob was in Cambodia to testify against Comrade Duch, the man who ran Tuol Sleng. He was asking for forgiveness, seeking remorse, and then this first meeting, here he is, cold, chilling, just staring me down and, uh,, well, trying to. Imagine there in front of you, for the first time, is the man who is more than likely responsible for your brother's death. I am trying to let go. < Do you hate him? You know, in some ways, he's nothing, he's just a figure, just a bit of flesh and blood who performed some acts that he really didn't need to perform, but what remains is his legacy, that I hate. It's a legacy which has not gone away, because the Khmer Rouge never really went away. Digging up the past can be dangerous. Rob and the film crew found and interviewed the former admiral who they believe captured Kerry Hamill off his yacht. They were followed when they left. Pol Pot was famous for being a wonderful host by day and kinda killing you in your sleep that night. And, um... < Nervous night? Very nervous. I had my little Swiss Army knife open under the pillow, ready to go. This is a harrowing subject, but one of the main aims of Brother Number One is also to educate about what happened in Cambodia through the film and study guides. In some small way, in educating the kids in the schools, that it will help. It's a lofty goal, but to contribute to stop it happening again. I think we in the West have choices. We can just either stay on YouTube and Facebook and go to the mall every weekend or we try and engage with what's happening and think about, you know, the world outside. Comrade Duch will spend the rest of his life in prison, but so far, he has refused any to answer any of Rob's questions about his brother. You know, our family suffered a great deal, and the people of Cambodia suffered enormously. < Do you think you found what happened to Kerry? Mm-hm. I think so. We had interviewed a guy who had witnessed a Westerner being taken out into the streets of Phnom Penh, outside the prison, tyres put over him, petrol poured over the tyres and him, and burnt alive. I felt a certainty that that was Kerry. It is closure, of sorts. It's not just a sad story; it's a story of redemption, and it's a story of historical significance. And it's a story that people can take a huge amount away with them. It is a superb documentary, but at times it was hard to watch. And that's just as a viewer, so you can imagine what Rob Hamill was going through. Coming up ` Norway's rockstar-turned-writer Jo Nesbo on giving up the big money for a life of crime. They're calling Jo Nesbo the new Stieg Larsson ` the latest Scandinavian crime writer to establish a huge international following. The difference is Nesbo is Norwegian, a former football pro, stockbroker and currently singer guitarist in a chart-topping band. But it's his gritty crime writing that brought him to NZ, writing borne out of a Scandinavian's fascination with murder. The criminal is sort of the last rebel. They are an exotic animal, and I think we are really curious why a person would kill another person. In our time, people don't` they don't kill for money any longer, so there has to be sort of a deeper motive. And so I think that the modern crime novels can maybe` crime novel are related to Henrik Ibsen's plays, you know, it was always about the truth being revealed, having been concealed for many years ` family secrets, stuff like that ` and gradually we will get to know what really happened. How, then, do the events of last year in July`? A massacre in Norway would have seemed inconceivable. I was shocked about the bomb. That was, you know, because we were all sure for those first hours that this is international terrorism finally had come to Norway too. But when we realised that this is something completely different, this is a madman who's shooting people at Utoya, then it was a totally different matter. It's the sort of event that will influence not only me as a writer, but I think most writers, not only crime writers. It'll affect our generation. We will remember this date until we die. The central character in your novels is we would say Harry Hole, but I think it's Hu-ry Hu-la. Yeah, that's quite good. Close? Yep. No, no. Not really close, but OK. BOTH LAUGH How much is he based on you? Welll, when I wrote the first two or three novels, I was pretty sure he didn't have anything to do with me. But I guess that most writers ` they write about themselves. They can't help it. And I guess it's the same thing with me, that I will put much of myself into the character ` not his life, so it's not auto... What is it? Auto... ...biographical? Autobiographical? Close. Close. Yeah, but not quite there? BOTH LAUGH But, uh... But his basic values, certainly his taste in popular culture, that's... that's me. You were a stockbroker. You had a band. Now you're a best-selling author. How do you go from being a stockbroker and a singer-guitarist to writing crime novels? The trick from being a songwriter to being a novelist ` it's not that far a stretch. That is all about storytelling. I mean, as a songwriter, I tried to tell stories in three verses and a chorus. And what I learned from that is actually that trying to tell a story in three minutes is all about trusting your readers or listeners, and you depend on their imagination and their intelligence. And it's the same thing when I write novels. You can only put so much into a novel. I think that the reader has to write, you know, 90% of my novels. I just give directions and give them hints over who the characters are and how they function. What would you rather be ` a rock star or a best-selling author? Well, right now I'm both. We still play with` You're still playing? Yeah, we're still playing. We don't record any longer, because I'm the only songwriter and I really don't have the time, and I'm not sure if I have any more songs in me. But we still tour just playing the old songs, having fun and just playing the venues that we like to play. You're not tempted to go back to stockbroking? No, I'm not. I've had many jobs in my life. I've worked as a taxi driver. I worked in factories, on fishing trawlers, and, um... Football? Yeah, well, I played soccer. They didn't pay me a whole lot of money to play soccer, but I did play. Anyway, being a stockbroker, I've never been so overpaid in my life, so, you know, it's a good job, but that was a job that paid the rent. Writing is a job of passion. Time for your feedback now, and on the Kony 2012 campaign, you had this to say. Matthew writes... Dani says... Rangi doesn't mince words. And that's NZ Close Up. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012