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CNN Live Saturday

Detainees at Camp X-Ray Continue Hunger Strike

Aired March 02, 2002 - 18:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: A hunger strike continues among detainees at Camp X-Ray in Cuba.

Let's get the latest now from CNN's Bob Franken, who joins us now live.

Bob, how extensive is the strike at this point?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's pretty much at the level it's been for the last couple of days.

The commanding general here, Michael Lehnert, says there's a core of about 70 to 75 of the 300 detainees who have maintained the hunger strike since Wednesday.

They are occasionally joined by others who will skip a meal for one reason or another. There's quite a bit of peer pressure going on.

The general also said that the -- one of the motivations for this is the media. The media have, in fact, been out there. Anytime that we're out there, the detainees clearly are well aware that we are there. And the general says, some of these are very sophisticated. But he said he was even asked whether this was being seen and reported on CNN.

But the fact of the matter is, is that whatever their motivation, it is about 75 now. Of course, it had gotten quite a bit of clamor out there for a while, to the point that they had to bring security forces around the camp for about a half-hour or so.

Everything is calm other than this ongoing hunger strike. As for those who start experiencing health problems, they are going to be forced to take intravenous feedings of one sort or another.

As a matter of fact, at last report, six had taken IVs, one of them forcibly. So, no one is going to be allowed to starve, they said, for humane reasons and, of course, for security reasons -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Bob, we mentioned a moment ago this report in the "New York Times" that the government wants to take DNA samples from the detainees.

What can you tell us from that end? FRANKEN: Well, first of all, so far there's no comment on this. I would expect that what they're going to be told here is that they really haven't heard anything about it, that there's a policy discussion going on in Washington.

I will say that just about all of the detainees have been interrogated. It's not just been a few. It's in the hundreds, probably close to the 300, many of them several times.

As a matter of fact, one of the problems they're having, which has inspired officials to consider using detainee, is the fact that the detainees tell a different story each time they're interrogated.

The general has complained about that. It is so bad that it has been difficult to categorize the detainees as a member of the Taliban, al Qaeda or some other group, because the stories keep changing -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Bob Franken at Guantanamo Bay, thank you.

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