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Indonesia Fights Land Fires; Republican Set To Debate; Bashar al- Assad Blames West for Refugee Crisis; Singapore's Living Museum. Aired 8:00a-9:00p ET

Aired September 16, 2015 - 8:00   ET

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

[08:00:23] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream.

Now searching for a new route to safety. Migrants face a dangerous trek after Hungary seals its borders. And now Syria's president is now

speaking out about the migrant crisis.

Plus, Indonesia fights land fires as haze chokes its neighbors. We'll explain what's making the situation there worse.

And, showdown. It is Donald Trump versus the rest of the GOP field. Get ready for the CNN debate. Just heartbreaking images of those looking

for find refuge in Europe have focused attention on one factor that is driving them there: Syria's lengthy civil war.

Now European leaders say that the only way to solve the migration crisis is to end the conflict. But the Syrian president is now leveling

blame at Europe.

Bashar al-Assad accuses the west of supporting terrorism in Syria. He says that is the real root cause of the current refugee crisis. Now Syria

has been locked in a brutal civil war since 2011. Peaceful protesters called in President al-Assad to step down. He refused.

Now the fighting and the violence escalated involving the Free Syrian Army, the Islamic Front, Hezbollah and ISIS amongst others.

Now the UN says 220,000 Syrians have been killed, 4 million Syrians have sought refuge in neighboring countries. Almost twice that are

displaced inside Syria.

Now the west has criticized the Syrian president for creating this war. Now Washington has warned Moscow not to entrench itself in the

conflict in Syria.

Now the Syrian president spoke with Russian media a short time ago. With more on that interview and more, let's go straight to CNN's Matthew

Chance. He joins me now live from Moscow.

And Matthew, Bashar al-Assad in that interview with Russian TV, he said that the refugee crisis is all Europe's fault. What's your read in

that interview and what he said?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and the point that Bashar al-Assad was making is that not enough has been done by western

countries, particularly the Europeans, to tackle the conflict inside of the country, very much reflecting the line that the Kremlin is pushing as well

that Bashar al-Assad is the only, if not the main, force to fight ISIS in Syria right now. It's what the Kremlin has been saying of course all

along.

There was a telephone conversation as well between the Russian foreign minister and U.S. Secretary of State along similar lines.

But going back to Assad, yes, he's blaming the Europeans for this trying to say that essentially more should be done to try and end the

conflict, presumably with his cooperation inside Syria. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASHAR AL-ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA (through translator): The question is now about whether Europe is taking refugees or not, but about

the necessity to remove the prime cause of the issue. If Europeans are concerned with the fate of the refugees, they should stop supporting

terrorists. This is our opinion on the problem. This is the essence of the whole issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Well, one of the big issues is whether Assad should stay in any interim government, if there's any kind of political solution to the

conflict in Syria. It's a big difference that exists between the Russians and the United States as well. There's been this telephone call that I

mentioned, again the third one in 10 days, between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Again, both sides saying that they need to built a coalition to fight against rebel groups like ISIS. The big difference is Russia wants to see

Assad kept in power, the United States not prepare to countenance that.

LU STOUT: Now, Matthew, we know that the United States and the U.S. secretary of state, he's been warning his Russian counterpart over Russia's

role in Syria, over Russia's presence in Syria. Is Russia operating, or building an operating base there? And if so, why?

CHANCE: Well, that's certainly the allegation, although it's been denied by the Kremlin. They're simply saying that they're carrying out

maintenance work to the airbase in Latakia, which is in the heartland of President Assad's sort of powerbase.

But satellite photos have emerged -- satellite photographs have emerged showing that new facilities have been built there, a new Russian

air traffic control center, facility has been positioned there, accommodations for upwards of something like 200 military personnel

potentially as well.

And so the United States have said, look, you know, it's clear the Russians are expanding their military footprint in Syria.

Again, the Russians denying that. But there are good reasons why the Russians may be stepping up their support, and certainly they've made no

secret of the fact that they give weapons and humanitarian aid to the Syrian government. They're concerned about what would happen would Bashar

al-Assad fall. They've got their own Islamist insurgency in southern Russia in the North Caucuses. They're worried about how ISIS advances may

reverberate in their own back yard. They've also got naval facilities, other military facilities in Syria as well as well as economic interests.

But it's also about Russia trying to maintain its international clout on the diplomatic stage. It sees Syria very much as its last toe hold in

the Middle East. And if Syria falls, or if Assad falls, the Kremlin thinking is so, too, does Russian influence in the Middle East.

And so it's easy to see in that context why the Russians are backing their long time Syrian ally.

[08:06:05] LU STOUT: Yeah, all about influence on the international stage. Matthew Chance, we'll leave it at that. Thank you very much indeed

for your reporting.

Now the prime minister of Croatia is slamming Hungary for its, quote, dangerous and cruel policy toward migrants. Now Hungary's new razorwire

fence along the border with Serbia is leaving hundreds of refugees stranded. A government spokesman says that they also plan to extend the

fence along the border with Romania and that is prompting many refugees to pass through Croatia now where the government says all are welcome, but

they face a risk of landmines left over from the Balkan war.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders says migrants need a safe route.

Now tighter border controls in parts of Europe could force more refugees from North Africa and the Middle East to attempt the dangerous

journey by boat across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy.

Now let's head straight to the Hungarian border. Our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman joins us live. And Ben, the border

where you are may be sealed off, but scores of migrants, refugees, we see them behind you, they are still there. They're still gathering there.

Describe the scene.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we were just up at the gate right up the road from us where the fence, or rather the gate

is that divides Serbia and Hungary. And we watched as well over 100 people were chanting "open the gate."

A man climbed up on top of the gate and said that we are ready to die, 10 of us, to allow 2,000 through. In other words, they are ready to bust

that gate open.

They were shouting to the Hungarian riot police that they -- and within two hours if the gate does not open, they will break it open. And

that could be indeed a very messy scene.

People here are increasingly frustrated, angry. It's hot. There's relatively little food and water. There's not much in the way of medical

treatment available. Toilets, showers nonexistent. There's just a few faucets where people are washing themselves, cooling themselves off.

We spoke to one aid official who said they just don't have enough supplies to deal with the number of people here. It's hard to say at this

point how many people have come here.

We did speak to one group who were considering going to the Croatian border in the hopes of passing through there, but they heard that the

Croatian authorities are registering people, taking their thumb prints. And of course they don't want to do that, they simply want passage through

Croatia, just like they want passage through Hungary to get to the countries they really want to get to, which of course are Germany, Austria

and Sweden -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, CNN's Ben Wedeman reporting live from the Serbian-Hungarian border. Scores of migrants and refugees stranded on the

Serbian side of the border.

Now you're watching News Stream. And still to come, Indonesia's neighbors, they are complaining that they're getting hit by a thick,

choking haze from the country's land fires. We'll have the weather forecast for the region.

And a frantic search in the U.S. state of Utah. Several people are missing after flash floods barrel through a canyon.

Plus, get ready for the fight. Republican presidential candidates prepare to clash at a CNN sponsored debate. We'll have a preview right

after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:11:02] LU STOUT: Welcome back. You're watching News Stream and you're looking at a visual version of all the stories we have got in the

show today. Now, we have already told you about the new dangers migrants face on their journey through Europe and later, find out why El Nino may be

making haze from Indonesia even worse. But now, let's turn to the CNN Republican debate.

Now, weeks of preparation all for a night that could make or break campaigns. In a few hours from now, Republican Presidential hopefuls will

square off in a CNN sponsored debate.

Now most are expected to pounce on front runner Donald Trump. In fact a new CBS New York Time poll shows he is still in the lead but, Ben Carson

is not far behind.

Now for more of what to expect, let's bring in CNN's Politics Executive Editor, Mark Preston. He joins us live from the debate site in

Simi Valley, California.

Mark, good morning, good to see you. Is this debate all going to be about one thing, Donald Trump, and attempts to take him down?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Well, there's no question it's going to be about Donald Trump. We certainly saw that in the

first debate that was held last month. But this debate is going to be just about as much as Donald Trump as it is going to be about the candidates

that are trying to get back some of the oxygen that he has sucked out of this Presidential race.

All of the attention has been on Donald Trump for the past month or so, and the other candidates are hurting. In fact, some of them, such as

Scott Walker of Wisconsin, has dropped so far in the polls right now that there is some talk amongst Republicans that perhaps he doesn't even make it

into January.

But we'll see what happens tonight, Kristie, and I do think what we're going to see, though, is Donald Trump is going to come under attack by more

than one candidate.

LU STOUT: Ben Carson, he's been rising in the polls. Truly remarkable performance there. He will be center stage in this prime time debate

tonight with Donald Trump. Explain to our international viewers, what is Ben Carson's appeal and what does he need to do at this debate tonight?

PRESTON: You know, so Ben Carson is this famed neurosurgeon who just retired a couple years ago. He -- when you look at politics you look at

lanes, and he plays in the social conservative lane, where he talks about pro life issues. He is against same sex marriage. He's somebody who has

risen in the polls in part because there's no other social conservative that has been able to match up against Donald Trump.

Now, unlike Donald Trump who's very boisterous, very loud, Ben Carson is very quiet, very tempered, very moderate. In fact, the last debate, he

didn't really have any break out moments when it came to policy. But at the very end, he was very colloquial, very funny, and that's what appealed to

voters.

So, when you're looking at these two candidates, you are seeing them rise in the polls, but for two very different reasons.

LU STOUT: And, Carly Fiorina? Like the last debate, she is prime time tonight. She is on the main stage at the CNN debate. We know that Donald

Trump recently made some pretty harsh statements about her and her appearance. Will she be able to do what has been impossible so far, to take

on and actually upstage Donald Trump?

PRESTON: Well, Carly Fiorina is uniquely positioned, and for our viewers around the world, Carly Fiorina is a former executive Hewlett

Packard. She's a longtime Republican. She's the only woman right now that is running for the Republican Presidential nomination.

She did so well in what is described as the Undercard debates -- folks who were not polling so well back in August that she made it on the main

stage. And, she will be matched up against Donald Trump.

Now, they've been trading barbs back and forth including Donald Trump making his comments about her appearance.

But as we talk about Carly Fiorina and Donald Trump, for our viewers that are around the world and certainly world leaders, they're going to be

paying attention to this debate because Carly Fiorina has been very tough on foreign policy. Donald Trump has said so many things, as has many of

these Republicans, so while we'll have viewers here in the United States really focusing on this, I do think you're going to see world leaders

focusing to see what these Presidential candidates are going to say, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah. Looking forward to hear what they have to say about China, and also the Iran nuclear deal, as well as a host of other foreign

policy issues.

Mark Preston joining us live. Thank you. We'll talk again soon.

Now, some have compared Donald Trump to another American celebrity turned politician, President Ronald Reagan. Head to our website to hear

what Reagan's son thinks about that. You can also check our list of things to watch for during the debate. It's all at CNN.com/politics.

Now, during the debate we will likely hear candidates, as we heard from Mark just then, bring up foreign policy issues. Perhaps even attacking

the Iran nuclear deal. And to find out if Iranians are concerned CNN's Fred Pleiten headed out to the streets of Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:15:36] FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: From Donald Trump to Jeb Bush to Carly Fiorina, Republican Presidential

candidates have been talking tough of Iran. Some of them even threatening to cancel the nuclear agreement if they win.

Words that have some Iranians worried, says analyst Amad Abshenaus.

AMAD ABSHENAUS: If you live in Iran, you should be afraid -- what's going to happen? Is there a plan to attack Iran? Are they planning to

attack Iran? What will happen to us?

PLEITGEN: On Tehran streets, as you'd expect, the majority don't even know the names of the GOP candidates.

Of course the vast majority of Iranians aren't following the U.S. election campaign, especially in these early stages. But, there certainly

are some who are frustrated with the way many Republican candidates have been criticizing their country.

But those we spoke to also believe that the rhetoric coming from the candidates is just that, campaign talk.

"When they speak about the nuclear deal, they don't think about the benefits for the American people", this man says. "They just think about

their own benefit. So I think the Republicans have shown that for their benefit, they will do anything."

"As far as I know, this is the party of George Bush and Ronald Reagan", this man adds. "They were much stronger than these people, and

they could not touch us either. So, these guys can't do anything."

Contempt from Iran's hardliners. The Tehran newspaper is the voice of the countries conservatives.

Its boss (ph) Hassan Shariatmadari is an official representative of Iran's supreme leader. He picked on the last Republican President's

brother.

"Jeb Bush talk is bigger than his mouth", he said. "He should consider if he really wants to continue the failed policies of this brother. We

don't care what the Republicans say. It's a big step from talking to taking action."

While many Iranians dismiss the tough talk from Republicans running for the White House, as the election draws closer many more will be paying

attention, eager to see what a new President will mean for U.S. Iranians relations and the nuclear agreement.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, the debates kick off in just hours from now. You can watch live here in Hong Kong, its starts pretty early, six am in the

morning on Thursday. That's seven am in Tokyo. And you can watch the whole broadcast at six pm Hong Kong time on Thursday, only on CNN.

Now, you're watching News Stream, and still to come, fires set on purpose rage across parts of Indonesia, as the country struggles to deal

with the dangerous haze that is suffocating the region.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:51] LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, in Japan, demonstrators marched in Tokyo and other cities waving anti war banners to protest new security bills. Japan's upper house of

Parliament will vote on the bills on Friday and they already cleared the lower house. If passed, the security laws will expand the powers of Japans

military beyond self defense. Opponents say the bills violate the pacifist constitution, and they fear that Japan could be dragged into U.S. lead

conflicts.

Indonesia is choking on a dangerous haze caused by what is called flash and burn, when fire is used to clear forests for farming. Now,

thousands of Indonesian troops have been sent to put out the fires said to be started by four companies that have land concessions. Now, authorities

say firms caught starting fires will be punished.

Now, the haze spreads to Singapore and elsewhere, and in Singapore its raising concern about the Grand Prix. The organizers say it will go ahead

as planned.

Now, let's find out when the air might clear. Chad Myers joins us with the full forecast and Chad, this choking haze, when is it going to end?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I think when the fires finally go out. It is really a significant situation. We are seeing 11,000 hot

spots via satellite, Kristie, in that fire slash and burn area, trying to make land for farming.

Now it's not the northern part of it, it's not southeast Asia, it's Malaysia, it's Singapore, far down to the south where we haven't seen any

significant rainfall from Jakarta all the way down south of there. This has been a dry situation.

This is what we expect, though. This is a current drought map of the area. It hasn't rained a lot. And we think we can put this a little bit

at least on El Nino. El Nino is the warm water the builds up off the western coast here of North America and South America. It will make a dry

part of the country for the Caribbean, very dry and warm for parts of the southeastern part of South America, but then very dry again and warm here

across parts of Malaysia, Singapore and all of the areas down to the south, even as far south as Australia where you'll see some wet conditions from

about Hawaii back off to the east of there.

This is what it looks like. Firefighters trying to put things out. Other people trying to burn things to get their farmland ready for crops.

And this here, Kristie, is all smoke. That is not a satellite picture of cloud cover. It is the smoke, the haze, the smog in the air. And the

air quality index in these areas significantly above what we would consider to be healthy for normal human beings.

We're at 231, Singapore 162. I mean, this is -- the Grand Prix is going to be here the next couple of days. If you get farther off to the

east we have numbers above 500.

Anything above 500 -- above 300 is completely unhealthy for everyone to breathe.

Kids are staying home from school, millions of kids not going to school because of this, because it's simply too dangerous to be outside,

Kristie.

LU STOUT: You know, really alarming to see just that satellite photo of the haze. That's a picture of the smoke from outer space, extraordinary

and disturbing. Chad Myers there, thank you.

Now, the CEO of Singapore Airlines says the company is well positioned to capitalize on Southeast Asia's fast growing aviation market. A Singapore

supply carrier is also facing a number of challenges.

Paula Newton recently sat down Gotin Peng, and she started by asking him about the impact of China's slowing economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:25:24] GOH CHOON PHONG, CEO OF SINGAPORE AIRLINES: I think if China goes slow, obviously it will impact quite a lot of this part of the

world. I mean, China is one of the kind of engine for this part of the world.

So we are obviously concerned. But like I say, you know, we are tracking it closely but we are not seeing the impact.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: But when you're highlighting challenges coming forward for Singapore Airlines, is the

Chinese economy really one of the risk factors going forward?

PHONG: We believe that even though they may be slowing down in the immediate years, we believe that Chinese economy will continue to be a good

story forward. So in a longer term, or even in a mid to longer term, we are actually optimistic about continuing to be able to grow with the market,

together, of course, with our partners.

So that part of it is not something that we are identifying as something that is systemic or going to be a long term impact.

But of course, in the immediate term, where, with the reported slow down and so forth, we watch the market closely and we will -- if there is

any adjustment required we will do so.

NEWTON: In terms of profitability, Singapore Airlines has always been a profitable business. Profit growth has not been so good in the last few

years. Do you see that changing and how?

PHONG: Fortunately, we have a very strong balance sheet, which allow us to invest in the future. (inaudible) obviously, as you can see, is a

huge market. It's one of the two big engines of growth in Asia, and we believe that we will be able to work together with our partner,

(inaudible).

It's a difficult market but we are growing, and we believe that the future of (inaudible), and that we will be able to make it successful

together with our partner.

NEWTON: What's changed for Singapore Airlines after MH-370? So many people were shocked to learn that aircraft is not tracked 24/7, that you

cannot pinpoint where an aircraft went down.

PHONG: I think aircraft tracking is one aspect of it. And, I think the idea -- the (inaudible) for the industry -- because it's not just an

airline problem, you've got technology involved, and technology is not just aircraft technology it's also the entire tracking mechanisms, and so one of

the things that we really have got to do is to get all of the relevant players together and come up with something that is really viable. I mean,

it cannot be a solution that is good and looks nice in theory but it may not be implementable.

NEWTON: When you say that it is not implementable do you mean financially that it wouldn't be for all carriers?

PHONG: No I mean technologically -- yeah, it may not be possible. There are limitations to technology at this point in time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Interested thoughts there on the tech legacy of MH-370. Now, in it's last quarter ending June the 30th, the Singapore Airlines group

says it posted an operating profit of 111 million dollars, so that was 72 million dollars higher than the same period last year. Still, it's quarter

report sited challenging market conditions.

You're watching News Stream and still ahead, a community in California bans together after watching wildfires destroy their homes. And sadly for

Europe the current migrant and refugee crisis is really the latest it's had to cope with. We'll hear from a former Kosovo refugee who escaped to

Britain just 15 years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:04] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and you're watching News Stream and these are your world headlines. Croatia is

opening its door to migrants and slamming Hungary's policy of raising walls. At least 100 migrants crossed from Serbia into Croatia while others

remain stranded at the Hungarian border. The aid group Doctors Without Borders say a safe route through Croatia is needed so that migrants don't

stray into Balkan mine fields.

A thick haze has engulfed large parts of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. It is caused by what's called slash and burn, using fire to

clear forests for farming. Now thousands of Indonesian troops have been sent to fight the fires.

Jeremy Corbyn has just made his first appearance in British parliament since being elected leader of the opposition Labour Party. He questioned

Prime Minister David Cameron over several issues, including the UK housing crisis and programs for the mentally ill.

Now let's take a closer look at which EU member states accept the most asylum applications. In terms of sheer numbers, Germany topped the list in

2014, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland and France were in the top five.

But when you adjust the number of accepted applications to the population size of each country, Sweden, home to nearly 10 million people,

comes out on top taking in more than 300 refugees per 100,000 people, followed by Malta, Switzerland, Cyprus and Denmark.

Now Germany falls far behind in this rankings. But remember, Germany is a large country of more than 80 million people.

Now for some, Europe's refugee crisis brings back memories from 1999 when hundreds of thousands of Ethnic Albanians were forced from their homes

during the Kosovo war. Many of them fled to neighboring countries.

Now Perparim Rama was a Kosovar asylum seeker, and he looks back at how built a new life in Britain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERPARIM RAMA, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR 4H GROUP: My name is Perparim Rama. And in 1992, I claimed asylum in Britain.

Life in Kosovo was not easy at all. Well, a young men, predominately like myself, were being taken by the Serbian paramilitary and police of

that time to go and fight against Croats or Slovenians or Bosnians. So it was safer for me as a 16-year-old to be on my own in Great Britain rather

than be back home with my family under the situations that were deteriorating.

Well, during the crisis in Kosovo, I decided to sort of shift away from architecture and focus on helping the refugees. So I worked with the

International Rescue Committee. This is the time when NATO started bombing Serbian paramilitary positions in order to liberate Kosovo. This is a time

when -- for a period of about two months I lost complete contact with my family, so I did not know whether they were dead or alive.

My family was given five minutes to leave home. And if you can imagine if you only have five minutes to leave your home, what would you

do? What would you take with?

My mother decided to take a photo album of me as a child.

During their escape, basically, they were stuck in these sort of refugee cams between Kosovo and Macedonia. Fortunately, they made it

through the border to Macedonia in safety and then they were able to leave and go to the United States.

The British government treated me fantastically. So I was able to get educated. I developed -- I started studying architecture. I graduated

and set up my own companies. I felt equal with everyone else. So, I'm very thankful to the British government for providing me a platform to be who I

wanted to be.

The images that you see of refugees, of people in need, of people running from their countries or people doing everything they can to reach a

place of safety, they remind me of my family. They remind me of the times during the Kosovo war, the times where people where I come from, so the

Kosovar Albanians, were undergoing very similar oppression. And at the times like these when they and their families are in great need of us to

show them some humanity I think we need to do that, we need to open up, embrace them, help them and guide them towards, you know, their future,

their better life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:35:56] LU STOUT: Wow, imagine having only five minutes to leave home. An incredible personal account there.

So, who are the refugees fleeing to Europe right now? Many are educated, working class people as Arwa Damon explains. You can find her

report and learn how you can help the refugees on our website at CNN.com.

Now more than 1,000 people are now calling a fairground home. Its flames sweep through parts of northern California. Napa County Fairgrounds

is now a tent city for those who escape the wildfires with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Now the Red Cross and neighbors are assisting families whose homes were destroyed.

Now rain is in the forecast for northern California today and that, of course, will help the firefighters as they battle the blazes that have

charred some 56,000 hectares over the past week.

Now search operations are due to resume in the U.S. state of Utah for those who are missing after flash floods. So 16 others have been confirmed

dead, most of them were in cars that were washed away as water and debris barreled down a canyon.

Now, meanwhile, officials are urging people in some areas to boil tap water before drinking it because it may have been contaminated during the

floods.

You're watching News Stream. And up next, surrounded by the concrete jungle, we take a look at an island untouched by modern landscaping.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now all this week, CNN is on the road in Singapore. Now you may think of the city skyline -- tall, futuristic skyscrapers, but there is another

side to Singapore. Paula Newton takes us on a journey back in time and into nature.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: It's about as far away as you can get in this city-state, but you're still here, still in Singapore and ready for a new state of mind.

We leave the skyscrapers and traffic behind and come here to the northeast.

You see it there? Yep, that's it, that patch of green preserved and set apart from the concrete jungle is Pulao Ubin (ph), or Granite Island.

It is less than a 10 minute ferry ride away, a sanctuary in the city, and an education for anyone who wonders what Singapore used to look like.

SERAN SUBARAJ, NATURALIST: Ubin (ph) is actually what Singapore was 40, 50 years ago, all of the old farming areas, villages, the tons and tons

of cultural influence (inaudible). And they live side by side.

NEWTON: These are the Chet Jawa (ph) wetlands. And our guide Saran Subaraj has a passion and knowledge for this place way beyond his years.

SUBARAJ: So this one mix really special. So it's very serene atmosphere, very tranquil, and it's different from the busy city life.

NEWTON: We watch the sea eagles tangle in the sky.

This island has become a real safe haven.

SUBARAJ: It has become a real safe haven or all kinds of wildlife as well.

NEWTON: Safe haven for most like this oriental whip snake. But maybe not for me.

SUBARAJ: They can grow up to about seven feet. That's about two meters. So this is a...

NEWTON: I think it's coming right for me right now.

SUBARAJ: No, no. I've got it...

NEWTON: Uh huh. See those black scales? It means it's annoyed with me. How do I know?

SUBARAJ: Tree snakes, so they have amazing, amazing muscles. So they can hold their body out in a straight line.

NEWTON: Oops. Thank you.

See, I was right.

You're his father, are you slightly worried about him right now? Or no?

Looking none too concerned is Subaraj Rajatharai (ph), Seran's father and the wise man of this island.

Raj realized decades ago that this place should be a refuge within Singapore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, this island has been just about the last bit of Singapore that wasn't touched. It was what I used to call

-- and I still do -- a living museum.

This is authentic. This wasn't put up for some tourists. This is what we really were like, living like just a couple of generations ago.

So, it's nice to have that little piece of history.

NEWTON: As Singapore grows more affluent, urban and modern, this place seems to develop in the reverse. And yet is every bit as valuable.

A pristine balance of preservation in the shadow of a great metropolis.

Paula Newton, CNN, Pulao Ubin (ph), Singapore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Wow, Pulao Ubin (ph), it is now on the to do list despite the snakes.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere. World Sport with Amanda Davies is next.

END