Inserts:

00:03 Report / Mohamad Chreyteh
00:40 Osama Bahlawan / Boat builder
01:18 Nazem Taleb / Director of Arwad Port
01:51 Ahmed Khafaja / Shop owner in Arwad

Script:

This is the island of Arward. It’s not far from the coastal city of Tartous.
That was a stronghold of support for President Bashar Assad,
and the location of a Russian naval base.
The island looks pristine, untouched by the long civil war
But people here did not escape its effects 
Osama’s family has been running this boat building workshop for generations
Before the war, the boat builders of Arwad
sold their handmade wooden vessels to countries all along the mediterranean coast

+++ Osama Bahlawan, boat builder
In the past, the trade was much better, and now we hope it will improve with the country opening up.
Have you been through hardships?
Yes, we went through a period where it was very difficult to secure wood, nails, and other materials.
It was a hard time, but now the situation is better, God willing. Material is beginning to become more available.

Most of the 10-thousand or so people on Arwad are fishermen or sailors.
Others own restaurants, relying on tourism to make a living
During the civil war barely anyone came. 
But now the Island authorities are starting to see a little surge of visitors

+++ Nazem Taleb, Director of Arwad Port
In previous years, the activity was very low, but this year the start of the season is promising,
Are you expecting any Tourists?
Yes, we anticipate a tourist boom and a promising season.
What services are available to the people on the island? Hotels? Restaurants?
There are restaurants across the island, but unfortunately, there are no hotels.

Bombs and fighting that ruined much of the mainland didn’t reach Arwad. But the regime did. 

+++ Ahmed Khafaja, shop owner in Arwad.
The regime forces arrested many young men. They were accused of supporting the revolution and smuggling weapons, so they were taken away, and we haven't seen them since 2011 or 2012, that is, at the beginning of the events.

Ahmad’s three nephews are among the tens of thousands of Syrians whose fate remains unknown. They were taken by regime forces from their home in 2011. The family hasn’t heard from them since.

+++ Ahmed Khafaja, shop owner in Arwad.
Their mothers say that they will be back, they believe they might come back, but I think that’s impossible.

He is resigned to the idea that Syria’s missing people will be an open wound that may never heal. He channels his energies into trying to revive his island home.