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Time of Extraordinary Reflection in Indonesia; U.S. Aid Boost; Helping Hands
Aired December 31, 2004 - 14:00 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A call to prayer in a town devastated by the tsunamis. This hour we'll take you to Aceh, Indonesia, where it's hard to come to terms with loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was watching TV, and I saw all of the kids got swept into the ocean, and I didn't -- and I didn't care about a puppy then.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: A little girl raids her piggybank for the relief effort. We'll show you how to check on the charity before you make a donation.
Lasers beaming into airline cockpits. Is an increase in occurrences a coincidence or a sign of something sinister?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was one of the biggest moments of my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: A young man finds out he made the team. An Iraq war veteran's amazing comeback from a bullet wound to the big game.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien. Kyra Phillips off this New Year's Eve. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.
Desperation, determination, heartbreak and hope greet the new year in nations shattered by tsunamis in the last week of 2004. In some of the most desperate corners of Sri Lanka and Indonesia, the new year also brings the first glimpse of real help from abroad. Not to mention a tenfold increase in aid from the Bush administration from $35 million to $350 million, to be preced by a fact-finding mission next week by Secretary of State Colin Powell, among others.
Powell meets today with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. We expect to hear from both men an hour from now. We'll bring you their news conference live, of course.
The overall death toll took another big leap today, largely with the first reports from rebel-held parts of Sri Lanka. In all, more than 135,000 people perished, and still there are thousands whose fates are unknown.
In place of the customary revelry tonight, vigils, devotions, mourning by government decree. Celebrations are banned in the countries hurt worst. And we do know of one Sri Lankan village where refugees rang bells in hopes of a better 2005.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, still accounts for more than half the known number of dead. And today, the first Friday since the disaster struck, has been a time of extraordinary reflection as we hear from CNN's Mike Chinoy in Banda Aceh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Friday, holy day. If ever there was a time to ask god for help, this is it.
As the call to prayer rings out, Salian (ph) looks after 9-year- old Rima (ph) in a tent on the grounds of a small mosque on the outskirts of Banda Aceh. It's their home now, along with a thousand other refuges. But not for Salian's (ph) husband and four other children. They are missing, presumed dead.
"At the beginning I held my children," she says, "but the wave pulled them away." Rima (ph) was lost, too, but amazingly she was found later by police and reunited with her mother. She is still too traumatized to talk.
(on camera): Religion carries a message of solace and hope. But the events of the past week have been enough to test anyone's faith.
(voice-over): In his Friday sermon, Imam Yatin Hussein (ph) talks of the wrath of god. He recalls the story of how god parted the waters of the Red Sea to save Moses but drowned the wicked pharaoh and his army. He tells the worshippers this disaster is a lesson in humility. But he also says it's a time to rally together.
"We should not give up," he told me. "We must be good and kind to each other and not forget others' kindness to us."
Yudin (ph) says prayer is all he has now. "I feel better when I pray," he told me. "I want to pray so that nothing like this will ever happen again."
But Majid (ph), who lost 24 family members, says he just can't bring himself to pray. "After all I've seen," he says, "both physically and spiritually, I just can't find it in me to pray now."
That people have any place to pray at all is something of a miracle. Banda Aceh's main mosque, which usually sees thousands of worshippers on Friday, is in shambles. Rekindling faith in the future here isn't going to be easy.
Mike Chinoy, CNN, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
(END VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN: Once again, within the past hour, the Bush administration announced a plan to boost emergency aid by tenfold. That's to $350 million. Within this hour, Secretary of State Colin Powell is to meet with the U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan.
CNN's Richard Roth standing by in New York to report on that scheduled meeting. But first let's go to Crawford, Texas, where President Bush is spending the holiday. Elaine Quijano has the developing story of the U.S. aid boost -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Miles.
That's right, after days of criticism that the White House was not doing enough to help the tsunami victims, the Bush administration announcing, as you mentioned, just in the last hour that it will be increasing the amount of financial aid going to that region, multiplying by ten -- by tenfold the initial amount of $35 million to $350 million. Now, the White House saying that already a substantial effort is under way in the affected region. A substantial effort that includes military planes helping to deliver supplies.
The president in his statement saying he's looking forward to the report back from Secretary Powell, as well as his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who are going to be leading the U.S. delegation to the region next week. Now, the president also noted that in Thailand a support center has been set up. A support center that is now staffed and operational, according to the White House.
And we also know that a lack of clean drinking water continues to be a concern in the region. Specifically, the president's statement noting that soon military ships, U.S. military ships and personnel will be in place to help disaster teams help them generate clean drinking water.
Now, in his statement, the president also made mention of the formation of a -- of a core group of nations. The president saying, "We are leading an international coalition to help with immediate humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and long-term reconstruction efforts. India, Japan and Australia have pledged to help us coordinate these relief efforts, and I am confident many more nations will join this core group in short order."
Now, on the $350 million, where will that money come from? Unclear at this moment. White House officials saying only that that amount, $350 million, is, "affordable" and saying it will not come from money set aside to help with the rebuilding of Iraq -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Elaine Quijano.
With Washington planning that dramatic boost in aid, Secretary of State Colin Powell is to meet this hour, as we said, with the U.N. secretary-general. Richard Roth, CNN's senior U.N. correspondent, live now from New York with more on this meeting and what it's all about -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, Secretary of State Colin Powell is here also in New York to bring down the end of 2004, the new year ceremony from Times Square. But it seems likely he will be bringing up dramatically the total of money pledged to the U.N. for the tsunami relief totals.
At the U.N., where Secretary-General Kofi Annan held a press conference yesterday, and also met with humanitarian agency officials, they are certainly going to be receiving this with open arms. The people over there are not ready to officially confirm it's been added to the coffers yet. Presumably, they are waiting for Secretary Powell's personal appearance.
This was Annan yesterday meeting with his emergency relief heads. Annan breaking off a vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and flying back here.
Also at that meeting -- you see the television screen there, Miles -- they held a meeting and video teleconferencing later in the evening with the core group that Elaine Quijano mentioned. There's some debate, and they don't want to get involved in who is really leading. It seems like a parallel job here with the U.S. core group, Japan, India and Australia, working with the United Nations and its relief coordinator, Jan Egeland.
As for Secretary Powell, he'll be leaving for the region. As you mentioned, it's supposed to be a one-on-one meeting between Powell and Secretary-General Kofi Annan. And then afterward the two will meet the press.
The two are good friends. Powell stepping down shortly. Annan somewhat remaining involved and under fire for other U.N. problems and ailments. Oil-for-Food and what's the future in Iraq, they may talk about that. But likely the focus today on this disaster.
The U.N. saying now they have over $820 million so far pledged by the world. They are worried about clogging in airports and other bottlenecks there as relief flights leaving for Indonesia, specifically Aceh over the weekend from Copenhagen and Dubai -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Richard, what's the point of the trip? Is it just for him to lay his eyes on the problems, or is there a fair amount of symbolism in this?
ROTH: Well, I think there's both. I mean, there's a lot of assessment that has to go on.
We've seen in other crises aid is rushed to places and then it sits in warehouses and never gets to where it goes. There have been some complaints whether President Bush, Kofi Annan should have been more public. And I think both the U.N. and the U.S. are saying, listen, nobody wanted to come out and start saying things and offering money until they knew exactly what was happening.
Kofi Annan defiantly saying he could do just as much work on the phone from Wyoming as he could at his desk. So Secretary Powell's visit is going to happen, and Kofi Annan didn't rule out a trip himself. And there is definitely a large symbolic nature to this. But Secretary-General Annan said the U.N. is not going to let the people of these regions down. It is going to do whatever it can to provide security, safe housing, sanitation and health concerns.
O'BRIEN: Richard Roth in New York. Thank you very much, sir.
Secretary Powell and Kofi Annan have a news conference scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Eastern. CNN will have live coverage for you, of course.
For many, the most heartbreaking images from the tsunami disaster are those of the children, who are an estimated one-third of the victims. Now groups like Save the Children are overwhelmed by people offering support, from volunteers wanting to go and dig through rubble, to kids wanting to break open their piggybanks.
CNN's Mary Snow now on the outpouring of concern.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Save the Children?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Half a world away from the destruction in an affluent American suburb...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for calling Save the Children.
SNOW: ... the phones don't stop ringing. People desperate to help the smallest victims of the tsunami.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you guys have a list of things that would be useful as donations?
SNOW: People walk in the door to give. And Eileen Burke (ph) is heading out the door, destined for Indonesia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think you kind of check the emotional state at the door. This is the most dangerous time for children, as well, where they'll become victim to diarrhea, cholera, outbreaks of disease. And that's why it's incredibly important for us to get in there.
SNOW: Burke (ph) is heading to help fellow staff members of Save the Children in Banda Aceh, where some of the group's own aid workers were killed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You realize what little it takes to make a difference. It's extremely motivating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Save the Children?
SNOW: The group says it has seen the biggest outpouring in its 70-year history. More than $2 million in the last few days. Some of it from children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A man called in and the dollar amount was $713. So I said, "Oh, 13. Sounds like a piggy bank." And it was his kid's piggy bank.
SNOW: But it's not just money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had a truck driver call from the Midwest, Edward. He wanted to go drive a truck because that's what he could do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I took a couple calls from people who wanted to adopt children.
SNOW: With images here that some here find hauntingly familiar.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think also it has brought back maybe some memories about 9/11 with the pictures of people on the wall and looking for survivors.
SNOW: Eileen Burke (ph) considers herself fortunate to be able to help survivors firsthand. Others find comfort in witnessing the generosity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just when you think the world is rotten and it can't get any worse, something horrible happens and you find out that people are OK. And, you know, that there is good in people's hearts.
SNOW: Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Ahead on the program, a potential hidden danger amid the debris the tsunami left behind. Believe it or not, landmines are a concern as well.
And later on LIVE FROM, Baghdad, Mosul, Nashville, Los Angeles and Detroit. We'll show you why all of those cities are getting ready to cast ballots in the Iraqi election.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: As southern Asia struggles to deal with the aftereffects of the devastating tsunamis, there are new reports of landmines being pulled to the surface in war-torn Sri Lanka. Guy Willoughby is the founder of the Halo Trust. He joins us by phone from Scotland to talk about this.
Mr. Willoughby, good to have you with us.
GUY WILLOUGHBY, HALO TRUST: Yes. Good evening.
O'BRIEN: Landmines are a problem all throughout the world. Give us a sense of perspective here. How big a problem are they in Sri Lanka pre-tsunami?
WILLOUGHBY: Pre-tsunami, quite a big problem. And Halo Trust has got 300 de-miners working a lot of heavy machinery. Not too many mines have moved with the floodwater. But what Halo Trust has been able to do is use our heavy machinery for opening up the roads and getting -- getting a relief effort going through the roads and through the rubble moved by the tsunami.
O'BRIEN: And you have people on Sri Lanka, I assume, permanently doing your work. And I assume that people who live there are fairly well attuned to the dangers of landmines, correct?
WILLOUGHBY: Yes, that's right. I mean, there have been a few landmines which have moved in the last -- in the last 10 days, but not too many.
So really the problem actually is getting through -- is the access roads, which have been covered with rubble and bridges damaged. And what we're trying to use the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) heavy machinery for is for opening up these words. That's really the priority at the moment.
O'BRIEN: And I would imagine given all of the other concerns and many pressing ones that are out there, it would be easy to overlook this particular problem and as a result have an accident.
WILLOUGHBY: Yes. But people are quite aware of the danger, and the Halo teams are available if mines do turn up in strange places away from the known mined areas. We can definitely react very fast to that. But really the priority at the moment is opening up these roads.
O'BRIEN: And do you have enough people and equipment to do just that?
WILLOUGHBY: Well, we do, actually. It's one of the -- it's one of the strange things in that we've got the people and equipment in place. So unlike so much of the rest of the aid effort, Halo Trust is, in fact, not appealing for additional funds. We are able to deal with the problem as we find it, which is -- which I suppose is positive.
O'BRIEN: Guy Willoughby in the unusual position of not having to issue an appeal now. We wish you and your team well. And please let us know if you do need some help. We'll get the word out for you.
Guy Willoughby joining us from Scotland. Thank you.
WILLOUGHBY: That's very kind. Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: You're welcome.
Many of you are helping out with the relief efforts in Asia. But how can you be sure your money is actually helping people who need it and it's going to a good charity like Halo? We'll show you some places to find out just ahead on LIVE FROM.
And next, CNN's "Security Watch" for you. Laser beams in cockpits. There's some concern that someone might be deliberately targeting airlines. We'll try to determine how big a risk it is.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm David Haffenreffer at the New York Stock Exchange. A popular TV commercial claims that its credit card means no hassle. But now a lawsuit is challenging that claim. We'll have that story coming up on LIVE FROM. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: In news on CNN's "Security Watch" today, the FAA is homing in on laser lights. In the past week, at least six commercial airliners have had their cockpits apparently illuminated by laser beams during landing approach. None of the flights was affected as a result of the laser beams, but authorities are nevertheless investigating.
So how real is this threat? How big are the risks? Is this malicious pranks, is this terrorism? Is this just a big coincidence?
John Wiley, airline captain, today retiring, as matter of fact, and aviation analyst for CNN joining us.
Good to have you here with us, John.
JOHN WILEY, AIRLINE PILOT: Good to see you again, Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's just -- let's make clear what we're talking about here.
We have -- this is obviously not of the power that...
(CROSSTALK)
WILEY: No. That's what -- that's a...
O'BRIEN: But this is it. This is a laser pointer, and this gives you an idea. And I'm shining it right in your eyes there and you could see what happened. Now, if you had something more powerful like you'd see at a laser light show, for example...
WILEY: Right.
O'BRIEN: ... that could very well illuminate a cockpit. Not an easy thing to do, though, right.
WILEY: Exactly. Well, it wouldn't be an easy thing to do, but this has happened before. In fact, this is really not new of airplanes being illuminated by lasers.
In fact, between 1992 and 1995, in Las Vegas alone, where you have a lot of the casinos and stuff, there were more than 50 incidents. And the FAA and FDA published a report recently that said between 1999 and 1996, looking back, in the western region alone there were 150 incidents of aircraft in low flight being invaded by the lasers.
O'BRIEN: All right. So this is nothing new, but we're paying attention all of a sudden because it's the context of the post-9/11 world.
WILEY: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: And we wonder maybe if this is something else when it could just be a laser light show or some other thing.
WILEY: Well, you have to sort of question the intent. I mean, if I were going to want to heighten everyone's awareness of this, I certainly wouldn't do six or seven incidents all at one time. So you have to question exactly what the intent is.
O'BRIEN: I mean, if you were a terrorist, and you are trying to bring down an airliner, I can think of, you know -- there are other ways to do it, put it this way.
WILEY: Well, exactly. I mean, you've got two guys in the cockpit, you've got an automation system with the Airbuses, the Boeings, what's left of the McDonald Douglases are capable of doing, auto lands. So you're going to have to -- one, you're going to have to be able to temporarily or permanently blind both pilots, and you're going to have to be able to get them to the point where they can't use the automation. Unlikely.
O'BRIEN: Well, and, so far, what has happened in these cases is routine landings have resulted. Now, they ran -- in that study you were talking about, they tried this out in a simulator.
WILEY: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: And the worst case that occurred was the pilots just did what's called a missed approach. They just went around and lined back up for the runway once again. I suppose you could come up with a scenario where this thing was shining right at the pilots, right at that moment when they are touching down, that very critical moment, and that could potentially be dangerous.
WILEY: Sure, it could be dangerous. But again, you're going to have to get both guys. You're going to have to get them in exactly the same moment, which means that the laser is going to have to be positioned on or close to the airport in proximity to where these guys are going to be.
O'BRIEN: So you don't make much of this overall as a threat? Do most airline pilots agree with that assessment?
WILEY: Well, I can only speak for myself. My concern would be not necessarily of the downing of the airplane, but obviously if you are going to suffer retina damage or if you're going to suffer problems with your eyes.
There goes your medical. Without your medical you can't fly. So for the airline pilot, the concern is going to be that you are not going to be able to continue flying. Possibly permanent grounding.
O'BRIEN: What's your gut? Is this malicious kind of stuff?
WILEY: I really don't know. To me, it looks like everybody is trying to connect the dots. It's like in the movie "A Beautiful Mind" where they are connecting the dots where there's nothing there.
But in the post-9/11 environment everybody wants to see if something is there. So caution demands that we first look at the dots and see if there is anything there, if, in fact, they're dots. But like I said, the thing that I keep thinking about was, why would you heighten everybody's awareness by having whole series of incidents so that everybody is going to start looking at it, unless your intent is to scare people?
O'BRIEN: That is -- yes, that is not al Qaeda's pattern. That is a pattern of perhaps others. All right. John Wiley, airline pilot, outgoing, retired now, and aviation analyst here at CNN. Thanks for dropping in.
WILEY: Good to see you again, Miles.
O'BRIEN: And good to see you.
Be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. That is a priority for us here, of course.
You would think most people know by now they can't trust credit cards that claim to have low fixed rates and no penalties. But for some reason, they keep signing up. Now one lawsuit is trying to crack down on those misleading ads. David Haffenreffer joining us at the New York Stock Exchange.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired December 31, 2004 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A call to prayer in a town devastated by the tsunamis. This hour we'll take you to Aceh, Indonesia, where it's hard to come to terms with loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was watching TV, and I saw all of the kids got swept into the ocean, and I didn't -- and I didn't care about a puppy then.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: A little girl raids her piggybank for the relief effort. We'll show you how to check on the charity before you make a donation.
Lasers beaming into airline cockpits. Is an increase in occurrences a coincidence or a sign of something sinister?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was one of the biggest moments of my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: A young man finds out he made the team. An Iraq war veteran's amazing comeback from a bullet wound to the big game.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien. Kyra Phillips off this New Year's Eve. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.
Desperation, determination, heartbreak and hope greet the new year in nations shattered by tsunamis in the last week of 2004. In some of the most desperate corners of Sri Lanka and Indonesia, the new year also brings the first glimpse of real help from abroad. Not to mention a tenfold increase in aid from the Bush administration from $35 million to $350 million, to be preced by a fact-finding mission next week by Secretary of State Colin Powell, among others.
Powell meets today with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. We expect to hear from both men an hour from now. We'll bring you their news conference live, of course.
The overall death toll took another big leap today, largely with the first reports from rebel-held parts of Sri Lanka. In all, more than 135,000 people perished, and still there are thousands whose fates are unknown.
In place of the customary revelry tonight, vigils, devotions, mourning by government decree. Celebrations are banned in the countries hurt worst. And we do know of one Sri Lankan village where refugees rang bells in hopes of a better 2005.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, still accounts for more than half the known number of dead. And today, the first Friday since the disaster struck, has been a time of extraordinary reflection as we hear from CNN's Mike Chinoy in Banda Aceh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Friday, holy day. If ever there was a time to ask god for help, this is it.
As the call to prayer rings out, Salian (ph) looks after 9-year- old Rima (ph) in a tent on the grounds of a small mosque on the outskirts of Banda Aceh. It's their home now, along with a thousand other refuges. But not for Salian's (ph) husband and four other children. They are missing, presumed dead.
"At the beginning I held my children," she says, "but the wave pulled them away." Rima (ph) was lost, too, but amazingly she was found later by police and reunited with her mother. She is still too traumatized to talk.
(on camera): Religion carries a message of solace and hope. But the events of the past week have been enough to test anyone's faith.
(voice-over): In his Friday sermon, Imam Yatin Hussein (ph) talks of the wrath of god. He recalls the story of how god parted the waters of the Red Sea to save Moses but drowned the wicked pharaoh and his army. He tells the worshippers this disaster is a lesson in humility. But he also says it's a time to rally together.
"We should not give up," he told me. "We must be good and kind to each other and not forget others' kindness to us."
Yudin (ph) says prayer is all he has now. "I feel better when I pray," he told me. "I want to pray so that nothing like this will ever happen again."
But Majid (ph), who lost 24 family members, says he just can't bring himself to pray. "After all I've seen," he says, "both physically and spiritually, I just can't find it in me to pray now."
That people have any place to pray at all is something of a miracle. Banda Aceh's main mosque, which usually sees thousands of worshippers on Friday, is in shambles. Rekindling faith in the future here isn't going to be easy.
Mike Chinoy, CNN, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
(END VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN: Once again, within the past hour, the Bush administration announced a plan to boost emergency aid by tenfold. That's to $350 million. Within this hour, Secretary of State Colin Powell is to meet with the U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan.
CNN's Richard Roth standing by in New York to report on that scheduled meeting. But first let's go to Crawford, Texas, where President Bush is spending the holiday. Elaine Quijano has the developing story of the U.S. aid boost -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Miles.
That's right, after days of criticism that the White House was not doing enough to help the tsunami victims, the Bush administration announcing, as you mentioned, just in the last hour that it will be increasing the amount of financial aid going to that region, multiplying by ten -- by tenfold the initial amount of $35 million to $350 million. Now, the White House saying that already a substantial effort is under way in the affected region. A substantial effort that includes military planes helping to deliver supplies.
The president in his statement saying he's looking forward to the report back from Secretary Powell, as well as his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who are going to be leading the U.S. delegation to the region next week. Now, the president also noted that in Thailand a support center has been set up. A support center that is now staffed and operational, according to the White House.
And we also know that a lack of clean drinking water continues to be a concern in the region. Specifically, the president's statement noting that soon military ships, U.S. military ships and personnel will be in place to help disaster teams help them generate clean drinking water.
Now, in his statement, the president also made mention of the formation of a -- of a core group of nations. The president saying, "We are leading an international coalition to help with immediate humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and long-term reconstruction efforts. India, Japan and Australia have pledged to help us coordinate these relief efforts, and I am confident many more nations will join this core group in short order."
Now, on the $350 million, where will that money come from? Unclear at this moment. White House officials saying only that that amount, $350 million, is, "affordable" and saying it will not come from money set aside to help with the rebuilding of Iraq -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Elaine Quijano.
With Washington planning that dramatic boost in aid, Secretary of State Colin Powell is to meet this hour, as we said, with the U.N. secretary-general. Richard Roth, CNN's senior U.N. correspondent, live now from New York with more on this meeting and what it's all about -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, Secretary of State Colin Powell is here also in New York to bring down the end of 2004, the new year ceremony from Times Square. But it seems likely he will be bringing up dramatically the total of money pledged to the U.N. for the tsunami relief totals.
At the U.N., where Secretary-General Kofi Annan held a press conference yesterday, and also met with humanitarian agency officials, they are certainly going to be receiving this with open arms. The people over there are not ready to officially confirm it's been added to the coffers yet. Presumably, they are waiting for Secretary Powell's personal appearance.
This was Annan yesterday meeting with his emergency relief heads. Annan breaking off a vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and flying back here.
Also at that meeting -- you see the television screen there, Miles -- they held a meeting and video teleconferencing later in the evening with the core group that Elaine Quijano mentioned. There's some debate, and they don't want to get involved in who is really leading. It seems like a parallel job here with the U.S. core group, Japan, India and Australia, working with the United Nations and its relief coordinator, Jan Egeland.
As for Secretary Powell, he'll be leaving for the region. As you mentioned, it's supposed to be a one-on-one meeting between Powell and Secretary-General Kofi Annan. And then afterward the two will meet the press.
The two are good friends. Powell stepping down shortly. Annan somewhat remaining involved and under fire for other U.N. problems and ailments. Oil-for-Food and what's the future in Iraq, they may talk about that. But likely the focus today on this disaster.
The U.N. saying now they have over $820 million so far pledged by the world. They are worried about clogging in airports and other bottlenecks there as relief flights leaving for Indonesia, specifically Aceh over the weekend from Copenhagen and Dubai -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Richard, what's the point of the trip? Is it just for him to lay his eyes on the problems, or is there a fair amount of symbolism in this?
ROTH: Well, I think there's both. I mean, there's a lot of assessment that has to go on.
We've seen in other crises aid is rushed to places and then it sits in warehouses and never gets to where it goes. There have been some complaints whether President Bush, Kofi Annan should have been more public. And I think both the U.N. and the U.S. are saying, listen, nobody wanted to come out and start saying things and offering money until they knew exactly what was happening.
Kofi Annan defiantly saying he could do just as much work on the phone from Wyoming as he could at his desk. So Secretary Powell's visit is going to happen, and Kofi Annan didn't rule out a trip himself. And there is definitely a large symbolic nature to this. But Secretary-General Annan said the U.N. is not going to let the people of these regions down. It is going to do whatever it can to provide security, safe housing, sanitation and health concerns.
O'BRIEN: Richard Roth in New York. Thank you very much, sir.
Secretary Powell and Kofi Annan have a news conference scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Eastern. CNN will have live coverage for you, of course.
For many, the most heartbreaking images from the tsunami disaster are those of the children, who are an estimated one-third of the victims. Now groups like Save the Children are overwhelmed by people offering support, from volunteers wanting to go and dig through rubble, to kids wanting to break open their piggybanks.
CNN's Mary Snow now on the outpouring of concern.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Save the Children?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Half a world away from the destruction in an affluent American suburb...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for calling Save the Children.
SNOW: ... the phones don't stop ringing. People desperate to help the smallest victims of the tsunami.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you guys have a list of things that would be useful as donations?
SNOW: People walk in the door to give. And Eileen Burke (ph) is heading out the door, destined for Indonesia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think you kind of check the emotional state at the door. This is the most dangerous time for children, as well, where they'll become victim to diarrhea, cholera, outbreaks of disease. And that's why it's incredibly important for us to get in there.
SNOW: Burke (ph) is heading to help fellow staff members of Save the Children in Banda Aceh, where some of the group's own aid workers were killed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You realize what little it takes to make a difference. It's extremely motivating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Save the Children?
SNOW: The group says it has seen the biggest outpouring in its 70-year history. More than $2 million in the last few days. Some of it from children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A man called in and the dollar amount was $713. So I said, "Oh, 13. Sounds like a piggy bank." And it was his kid's piggy bank.
SNOW: But it's not just money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had a truck driver call from the Midwest, Edward. He wanted to go drive a truck because that's what he could do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I took a couple calls from people who wanted to adopt children.
SNOW: With images here that some here find hauntingly familiar.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think also it has brought back maybe some memories about 9/11 with the pictures of people on the wall and looking for survivors.
SNOW: Eileen Burke (ph) considers herself fortunate to be able to help survivors firsthand. Others find comfort in witnessing the generosity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just when you think the world is rotten and it can't get any worse, something horrible happens and you find out that people are OK. And, you know, that there is good in people's hearts.
SNOW: Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Ahead on the program, a potential hidden danger amid the debris the tsunami left behind. Believe it or not, landmines are a concern as well.
And later on LIVE FROM, Baghdad, Mosul, Nashville, Los Angeles and Detroit. We'll show you why all of those cities are getting ready to cast ballots in the Iraqi election.
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O'BRIEN: As southern Asia struggles to deal with the aftereffects of the devastating tsunamis, there are new reports of landmines being pulled to the surface in war-torn Sri Lanka. Guy Willoughby is the founder of the Halo Trust. He joins us by phone from Scotland to talk about this.
Mr. Willoughby, good to have you with us.
GUY WILLOUGHBY, HALO TRUST: Yes. Good evening.
O'BRIEN: Landmines are a problem all throughout the world. Give us a sense of perspective here. How big a problem are they in Sri Lanka pre-tsunami?
WILLOUGHBY: Pre-tsunami, quite a big problem. And Halo Trust has got 300 de-miners working a lot of heavy machinery. Not too many mines have moved with the floodwater. But what Halo Trust has been able to do is use our heavy machinery for opening up the roads and getting -- getting a relief effort going through the roads and through the rubble moved by the tsunami.
O'BRIEN: And you have people on Sri Lanka, I assume, permanently doing your work. And I assume that people who live there are fairly well attuned to the dangers of landmines, correct?
WILLOUGHBY: Yes, that's right. I mean, there have been a few landmines which have moved in the last -- in the last 10 days, but not too many.
So really the problem actually is getting through -- is the access roads, which have been covered with rubble and bridges damaged. And what we're trying to use the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) heavy machinery for is for opening up these words. That's really the priority at the moment.
O'BRIEN: And I would imagine given all of the other concerns and many pressing ones that are out there, it would be easy to overlook this particular problem and as a result have an accident.
WILLOUGHBY: Yes. But people are quite aware of the danger, and the Halo teams are available if mines do turn up in strange places away from the known mined areas. We can definitely react very fast to that. But really the priority at the moment is opening up these roads.
O'BRIEN: And do you have enough people and equipment to do just that?
WILLOUGHBY: Well, we do, actually. It's one of the -- it's one of the strange things in that we've got the people and equipment in place. So unlike so much of the rest of the aid effort, Halo Trust is, in fact, not appealing for additional funds. We are able to deal with the problem as we find it, which is -- which I suppose is positive.
O'BRIEN: Guy Willoughby in the unusual position of not having to issue an appeal now. We wish you and your team well. And please let us know if you do need some help. We'll get the word out for you.
Guy Willoughby joining us from Scotland. Thank you.
WILLOUGHBY: That's very kind. Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: You're welcome.
Many of you are helping out with the relief efforts in Asia. But how can you be sure your money is actually helping people who need it and it's going to a good charity like Halo? We'll show you some places to find out just ahead on LIVE FROM.
And next, CNN's "Security Watch" for you. Laser beams in cockpits. There's some concern that someone might be deliberately targeting airlines. We'll try to determine how big a risk it is.
DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm David Haffenreffer at the New York Stock Exchange. A popular TV commercial claims that its credit card means no hassle. But now a lawsuit is challenging that claim. We'll have that story coming up on LIVE FROM. Don't go away.
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O'BRIEN: In news on CNN's "Security Watch" today, the FAA is homing in on laser lights. In the past week, at least six commercial airliners have had their cockpits apparently illuminated by laser beams during landing approach. None of the flights was affected as a result of the laser beams, but authorities are nevertheless investigating.
So how real is this threat? How big are the risks? Is this malicious pranks, is this terrorism? Is this just a big coincidence?
John Wiley, airline captain, today retiring, as matter of fact, and aviation analyst for CNN joining us.
Good to have you here with us, John.
JOHN WILEY, AIRLINE PILOT: Good to see you again, Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's just -- let's make clear what we're talking about here.
We have -- this is obviously not of the power that...
(CROSSTALK)
WILEY: No. That's what -- that's a...
O'BRIEN: But this is it. This is a laser pointer, and this gives you an idea. And I'm shining it right in your eyes there and you could see what happened. Now, if you had something more powerful like you'd see at a laser light show, for example...
WILEY: Right.
O'BRIEN: ... that could very well illuminate a cockpit. Not an easy thing to do, though, right.
WILEY: Exactly. Well, it wouldn't be an easy thing to do, but this has happened before. In fact, this is really not new of airplanes being illuminated by lasers.
In fact, between 1992 and 1995, in Las Vegas alone, where you have a lot of the casinos and stuff, there were more than 50 incidents. And the FAA and FDA published a report recently that said between 1999 and 1996, looking back, in the western region alone there were 150 incidents of aircraft in low flight being invaded by the lasers.
O'BRIEN: All right. So this is nothing new, but we're paying attention all of a sudden because it's the context of the post-9/11 world.
WILEY: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: And we wonder maybe if this is something else when it could just be a laser light show or some other thing.
WILEY: Well, you have to sort of question the intent. I mean, if I were going to want to heighten everyone's awareness of this, I certainly wouldn't do six or seven incidents all at one time. So you have to question exactly what the intent is.
O'BRIEN: I mean, if you were a terrorist, and you are trying to bring down an airliner, I can think of, you know -- there are other ways to do it, put it this way.
WILEY: Well, exactly. I mean, you've got two guys in the cockpit, you've got an automation system with the Airbuses, the Boeings, what's left of the McDonald Douglases are capable of doing, auto lands. So you're going to have to -- one, you're going to have to be able to temporarily or permanently blind both pilots, and you're going to have to be able to get them to the point where they can't use the automation. Unlikely.
O'BRIEN: Well, and, so far, what has happened in these cases is routine landings have resulted. Now, they ran -- in that study you were talking about, they tried this out in a simulator.
WILEY: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: And the worst case that occurred was the pilots just did what's called a missed approach. They just went around and lined back up for the runway once again. I suppose you could come up with a scenario where this thing was shining right at the pilots, right at that moment when they are touching down, that very critical moment, and that could potentially be dangerous.
WILEY: Sure, it could be dangerous. But again, you're going to have to get both guys. You're going to have to get them in exactly the same moment, which means that the laser is going to have to be positioned on or close to the airport in proximity to where these guys are going to be.
O'BRIEN: So you don't make much of this overall as a threat? Do most airline pilots agree with that assessment?
WILEY: Well, I can only speak for myself. My concern would be not necessarily of the downing of the airplane, but obviously if you are going to suffer retina damage or if you're going to suffer problems with your eyes.
There goes your medical. Without your medical you can't fly. So for the airline pilot, the concern is going to be that you are not going to be able to continue flying. Possibly permanent grounding.
O'BRIEN: What's your gut? Is this malicious kind of stuff?
WILEY: I really don't know. To me, it looks like everybody is trying to connect the dots. It's like in the movie "A Beautiful Mind" where they are connecting the dots where there's nothing there.
But in the post-9/11 environment everybody wants to see if something is there. So caution demands that we first look at the dots and see if there is anything there, if, in fact, they're dots. But like I said, the thing that I keep thinking about was, why would you heighten everybody's awareness by having whole series of incidents so that everybody is going to start looking at it, unless your intent is to scare people?
O'BRIEN: That is -- yes, that is not al Qaeda's pattern. That is a pattern of perhaps others. All right. John Wiley, airline pilot, outgoing, retired now, and aviation analyst here at CNN. Thanks for dropping in.
WILEY: Good to see you again, Miles.
O'BRIEN: And good to see you.
Be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. That is a priority for us here, of course.
You would think most people know by now they can't trust credit cards that claim to have low fixed rates and no penalties. But for some reason, they keep signing up. Now one lawsuit is trying to crack down on those misleading ads. David Haffenreffer joining us at the New York Stock Exchange.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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