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American Morning

Prisoners at Camp X-Ray Will Soon Have New Home

Aired April 11, 2002 - 08:32   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.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: ... Camp X-Ray down at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba will soon have a new home in a permanent prison that's being constructed just down the road. While the new home is not far away, getting them there will be no small feat.

CNN's Bob Franken reports on the move being a difficult one for security reasons.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 299 who have been imprisoned as long as three months here since they were moved from Afghanistan are about to be moved again, from X to D, from these outdoor cages at camp x-ray -- to the indoor cages here at Camp Delta, about three miles down the road. This is still a work in progress. A modular construction, maximum security penitentary with 408 cells. It should be ready in a week, but it will take some time after that to prepare for the big move.

GEN. RICK BACCUS, TASK FORCE COMMANDER: We will take a few days to review the new facility. We want to make sure that military policemen are completely familiarized with the facility and make sure we've worked the bugs out on how it's going to work, and then we will practice our procedures on moving detainees and then we'll actually conduct the moves.

FRANKEN: Security is the watch word, secrecy about exactly when the transfer will take place to prevent anyone from planning an attack, and the larger concern, escape.

BACCUS: Protecting against any of them getting away, any of them getting hurt or any of my MPs getting hurt.

FRANKEN: Here in their new home away from home, the detainees will be held in cells slightly smaller than the cages at Camp X-Ray. There is no air-conditioning, but a ventilation system will circulates stiff breezes off the ocean just a few yards away. There's indoor plumbing, and much tighter security.

The 408 cells will be ready this month, another 204 due by the end of May.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FRANKEN: And that means that there are plenty of cells for new detainees. The question that, of course, is on the mind of all the prisoners is how long they'll stay here. Jack, all they can tell us about that is that this new prison is designed to last for up to five years -- Jack.

CAFFERTY: What do you know, if anything, Bob, about the chance that more prisoners may wind up being sent there once the construction is completed?

FRANKEN: Well, bet on that. There is a backlog starting to build up in Afghanistan because of Operation Anaconda and others that may occur. They've made it quite clear there are going to be me here. Now we'll have a potential for several hundred more, and remember, Camp X-Ray still exists. They're blaning to shut it down now, but they could always, if necessary, reopen it -- Jack.

CAFFERTY: All right, thanks a lot, Bob.

Bob Franken, live from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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