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British Lawmakers Debate Taking Action in Syria; Chennai Drowning in Residual Monsoonal Rains; Malaysian Designers Hope Designed in Malaysia Will Become Known Worldwide; Boats Laden With Corpses Wash Up on Japan's Shores. Aired 8:00a-9:00p ET

Aired December 2, 2015 - 8:00   ET

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


[08:05:54] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: You've been watching the rather spirited parts of the live debate underway in the House of Commons in the

UK on whether to expand air strikes against ISIS into Syria.

First we heard from the Prime Minister, David Cameron. He laid out his case for expanding airstrikes there. His views were then challenged by

the opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Now, what we're seeing here, what we're watching, happening in the last couple of hours and the hours ahead, it represents just the latest

political moves to shore up the international coalition fighting against ISIS.

Meanwhile in Europe, we have in Germany, the lower house of parliament there is debating. It's debating a limited role in the fight against ISIS

in Syria.

The German cabinet in fact has already approved sending military hardware to support coalition strikes.

Now, we're going to bring you all the latest on this. We have Atika Shubert in Berlin. She'll be joining us shortly.

But first Max Foster joins us from outside the House of Commons in London.

Max, the debate is underway in the last hour or so. We just heard from David Cameron who made his case. What arguments were heard and how

will British lawmakers vote?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERANTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting. I think the feeling still is that the vote will get through but Jeremy

Corbyn there, very clearly laying out -- the leader of the opposition -- there will be members of the party voting with David Cameron, but he's

trying to get as many people behind him as possible and his argument really is that David Cameron hasn't really explained why Britain should go to war

effectively in Syria, how that will help Syria. What's the plan afterwards, surely there's other alternatives that are better here.

We'll wait and see whether he convinced any votes, but I don't think David Cameron would have brought this vote into parliament if he hadn't

done the math and worked out that he could get it.

Jay Kirkup joins us now. He's from the Daily Telegraph. He's executive political

editor there.

What's interesting there was the language on both sides really. David Cameron, very strong language. ISIS are rapists, butchers and medieval

monsters, basically laying out the fact that they'll come and attack here if he doesn't attack them there.

JAMES KIRKUP, TELEGRAPH POLITICAL EDITOR: No, it's very powerful, emotional stuff from the prime minister.

It's quite interesting, he did -- he went out of his way to address that point about the possibility of ISIS attack on Britain. Because a lot

of MPs, they may not say explicitly what they're concerned is the idea that if we do this, if Britain does this, it increases the chance of an attack

on Britain.

(inaudible) Cameron is quite ballsy decided to take that on and say, look, if it happens, if we strike in Syria, and then there's an ISIS

terrorist attack on the UK, on the UK interest, can we be clear it will not be a consequence of our action? Now, that's -- there's a good argument to

be made there, but it does slightly sound like he does sound like a man who thinks that subsequent attack, that consequent attack, that subsequent

attack, is a real possibility.

FOSTER: Is inevitable.

KIRKUP: Well, a real possibility. And that may just I think -- that may concern MPs a little bit there.

FOSTER: Let's listen to him, because his argument is essentially that this is about self-defense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAIVD CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Daesh have been trying to attack us for the last year as we know from the seven different plots that

our security services have foiled. The terrorist threat level to the UK was raised to severe last August in the light of the threat from Daesh

meaning an attack is highly likely. Two minutes, 800 people, including families and children, have been radicalized to such an extent that they've

traveled to this so-called caliphate.

The House should be under no illusion, these terrorists are plotting to kill us and radicalize our children right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: That's his argument. And Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition, was actually countering it saying that actually -- well,

raising the chance of an attack on Syria increasing the chances of an attack in the UK, increasing radicalization in the UK. So odds on that.

KIRKUP: Yeah, essentially David Cameron's argument is, we're already at war. The other side is shooting at it, not using conventional arms but

the other side is already taking hostile action against the UK, therefore it is only appropriate that we respond.

The Jeremy Corbyn argument yeah does boil down to saying really, if you -- all these votes are couched in terms of the national interest,

national security, that this is something, which will actually which will actually reduce the Britain

security, which will in the long term increase the threats both to Britain and other western countries.

FOSTER: One of the things he's going to have to try -- one of the concerns he'll have to allay, is an air campaign in itself won't work. You

have to have the ground campaign as well.

He says a British ground campaign would be a mistake, but he's arguing that this disparate group of rebels on the ground could act as a coalition

ground force but they are not attacking ISIS always, are they?

KIRKUP: This is a real -- this is another problem for Cameron, the argument he's making. I mean, you're right, your introduction (inaudible)

-- he will -- this vote will carry I think fairly comfortably. But one of the concerns -- actually it's pronounced among conservative MPs is about

this point on ground troops.

Now last week, he used a figure -- he said there are 70,000 troops on the ground who could fight ISIL in various ways. Now, that figure has come

under a lot of scrutiny in the last week or so.

People have been asking, well, who are they and where are they? And over time we've seen the government, politicians and officials admitting

that 70,000, that number is made up...

FOSTER: Yeah, he said, an army effectively of 70,000.

KIRKUP: But it's not army. They're not in formed brigades, they're not waiting -- they don't have a signal command structure. Some of them,

according to the British National Security...

FOSTER: They are not trained.

KIRKUP: They are not trained. Who will -- whose orders will they follow?

Also, there's a question raised actually by Britain's own national security

adviser this week, essentially frankly whose side are they on? What do they believe?

I mean, there's an estimate that around 30,000 of the 70,000 may have a degree of sympathy for the more combative forms of Islam, the ISIL itself

espouse. So that's -- for some MPs in there now think that, 30,000 of the 70,000 are actually just other Islamic radicals.

So, that question ground forces really causing a degree of difficulty for Cameron.

FOSTER: And the type of language that he's using as well. Last night here he had a private meeting, met to be a private meeting and described

basically people voting against action in Syria as terrorists sympathizers. That wasn't meant to leak out. It did leak out. He's under a huge amount

of pressure there.

And actually that works against the tone of his campaign so far. So that was damaging.

KIRKUP: That was a mistake. I mean, he directed that remark was what Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party leader, some of whose allies certainly have

a certain -- well, certainly have some questions to answer about their sympathies.

But, yeah, up until that point, David Cameron had been pursuing a very bipartisan sort of politics stops at the water's edge approach to this vote

to say let's go point and try and win votes. Let's act in the national interests.

And the problem is that now allows people on the other side in Labour Party to respond in kind and so we've seen the first hour of the debate,

quite a lot of partisan point scoring there where David Cameron that's not what he said he wanted to do. I think it's not his want of interest, it

may mean he doesn't get quite as many Labour votes as he wanted and so his majority won't quite be as big and so he won't be able to say he his quite as broad a consensus as he

wanted for this action.

FOSTER: And just explain why he's bothering with this at all, because he can make the decision unilaterally, can't he? Why is he going through

this long winded process to get approval for parliament at all?

KIRKUP: Iraq and Tony Blair is the short answer.

You're right, he doesn't need to do this. He still has the prerogative

power to -- as the invasion in Iraq started to go wrong, David Cameron in opposition said if I'm prime minister, I will give the decision, I will

give a decision on war and peace to parliament, because I do not want to ever myself in the position of Tony Blair found himself in, having ordered

military action and then having being accused of taking Britain to war on some false premise or not having legitimacy action.

So, yes, I mean, he doesn't need to do it in contempt of the constitution. In political reality, he has to do it because whatever flows

from this decision, he wants to share responsibility for the consequences with members of parliament and all sides.

FOSTER: The foreign secretary told me earlier that action could begin almost immediately after the vote has been made, just sort of activate the

resources that are there. But just describe the scale of the operation we're talking about, It is less than new ten jets?

KIRKUP: No -- I mean, again, it's not, this is not a big operation. I think -- well, when a reinforcement arrives, Britain will have I think 16

tornadoes deployed in the region, doesn't mean there will ever be 16 in the air. You know, we might ultimately be adding single digits to daily

sorties to what the U.S. will be doing.

So, to be honest, this debate you could argue it's a little bit more about

Britain, its self-esteem, its self-image than it is about the military reality on the ground. Diplomatically very important, of course, you know,

to have a country like Britain not taking part in this sort of big western- led military operations, sends a certain signal.

So -- but yeah, we have to -- we have to come to acknowledge that Britain's intervention is not going to be militarily decisive.

[08:15:45] FOSTER: James Kirkup, thank you very much indeed for joining us from the Telegraph.

Kristie, we expect the vote in about ten hours' time, and we do think it will go through, but lots of debate to go through first.

LU STOUT: Yeah, very interesting discussion and analysis there from of your guest there Kirkup of the Telegraph on why this is going through a

vote, why this debate is under way and also how David Cameron is framing this as a matter of

self-defense.

Max Foster there, thank you.

Now let's go to Atika Shubert standing by in Berlin where a separate debate has been underway in Germany about expanding action against ISIS

there.

And Atika, the German plan it will go to a vote today. What does Germany propose to do? And will it be approved?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's a separate much more muted debate here in Germany in part because the under -- the

thing that must be underscored, Germany is not committing combat troops. What it is committing to is logistical support essentially for the

coalition in the fight against ISIS.

Now, the details as approved by Germany's cabinet are a one year mandate that can be extended if needed, supplying a maximum of 1,200

troops, most of the hardware that will be supplied are Tornado reconnaissance jets, these are the planes that will be flying over Syria

looking for -- taking pictures, looking for any intelligence that can be gathered on ISIS, also a mid-air fuel tanker, which will allow jets that

are striking ISIS to extend their missions as well as a navy frigate that will be added again for logistical support.

Again, none of these will be involved in direct combat. And that is perhaps one reason why it is expected that despite the debate today and on

Friday that the -- it will get voted in on Friday.

The grand coalition largely supports this, supports Chancellor Angela Merkel in this action.

There is some resistance by the left party, the Green Party in particular, saying that this could expose Germany to more terror threats to

the possibility of terror attacks but it seems more than likely at this point that it will be

passed by parliament, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Atika Shubert with the word there in Berlin. Many thanks indeed for that.

Now, in an about face, the United States is expanding its troop presence in Iraq with the ability to strike in Syria. Now that is very

different from a previous position that the U.S. would not put boots on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GUNFIRE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After frequent White House denials that U.S. troops would face combat in

Iraq and Syria, today the president is ordering dozens of U.S. Special Forces into combat roles involving direct action against ISIS.

ASH CARTER, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: These Special Operators will, over time, be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence,

and capture ISIL leaders.

SCIUTTO: The new expeditionary force will number in the dozens. Those support forces will expand its total footprint to about 200.

GEN. JOSEPH DUNFORD, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: This force and the operations this force will conduct will provide us additional

intelligence that will make our operations much more effective.

SCIUTTO: Part of their mission, raids like this one in northern Iraq in October, daring joint operations involving Kurdish commandos and the

U.S. Army`s Delta Force to free these ISIS-held prisoners.

(SHOUTING)

SCIUTTO: Demonstrating the added danger of direct action, one Delta Force Operator Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler was killed.

This new deployment to Iraq is in addition to the 50 Special Forces the U.S. is deploying on the ground in Syria.

CARTER: It puts everybody on notice in Syria that you don`t know at night who is going to be coming in the window. And that`s the sensation

that we want all of ISIL`s leadership and followers to have. So it is an important capability.

SCIUTTO: The expanded U.S. combat role comes in the aftermath of Paris. And, as progress against ISIS on the battlefield has been halting,

though President Obama declared the group contained in an interview two weeks ago.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: From the start, our goal has been first to contain, and we have contained them.

SCIUTTO: Today, however, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dunford appeared to contradict his commander-in-chief.

[08:20:06] REP. RANDY FORBES, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Have we currently contained ISIL?

DUNFORD: We have not contained ISIL.

FORBES: Have they been contained at any times since 2010?

DUNFORD: Tactically, in areas they have been, strategically they have spread since 2010.

SCIUTTO: Just as the role of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria has expanded, so have their numbers, rising from just a couple hundred troops a

little more than a year ago, largely to protect the embassy in Baghdad, the consulate in Irbil. Now growing by a factor of more than 10 and coming up

on the limit of 3,550 troops that the president said he is going to have to raise that upper bar to accommodate this latest deployment. And officials

I speak to did not believe this will be the final deployment to Iraq and Syria.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Still to come on News Stream, a gruesome mystery along Japan's coast. We look into the ghost ships that creep in carrying corpses

as cargo.

Plus, severe flooding in India is creating havoc and taking lives. A live report from Delhi straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Japan's coast guard is dealing with a haunting and perplexing problem. Boats have been drifting into its waters carrying

corpses. The decaying bodies of 22 people have turned up so far.

Paula Hancocks reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:25:07] PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An old wooden boat carrying a gruesome cargo, the latest of a dozen ghost ships

found drifting off the coast of Japan recently with badly decomposing bodies on board.

22 corpses in just four weeks, some described as skeletal having drifted on the open sea for months. Japan's coast guard assumes the boats

are from North Korea, a hand painted sign that reads Korean People's Army, the north's military, a tattered piece of cloth that may have once been the

North Korean flag.

But were the passengers of these doomed vessels defectors fleeing an oppressive regime make a living. Kim Jong-un has been visiting fisheries

recently looking delighted with what he sees and pushing his people to catch more. In a country where the UN says over a quarter are severely

malnourished and there are a few ways to make money, fishing is key.

But some of these victims are likely defectors say experts, increased security along the border with China since Kim Jong-un took power has made

escape by land far more dangerous.

ANDREI LANKOV, PROFESSOR: Many people who a few years ago would walk across the boarder to China now have no choice but to escape by boat and

obviously, many such escapes don't end up well.

HANCOCKS: The mystery is grim but not new. 283 boats have been found over

the past five years, the coastguard has not said how many bodies were on board.

Most of these boats are basic and barely sea worthy with engines not strong enough to steer against the current and no GPS system to help them

find their way home, effectively turning them into floating coffins for desperate passengers.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now thousands in India are struggling to cope as a deluge of rain floods large areas of Chennai. We'll have an update on the relief

effort and the upcoming weather conditions next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:39] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream and these are your world headlines.

Now in London, debate is currently under way in the House of Commons about whether British forces should join air strikes against ISIS in Syria.

Live pictures of your screen there.

Now Prime Minister David Cameron, he wants to extend military action to Syrian territory saying that ISIS poses, quote, a fundamental threat to

our security. But opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn is urging MPs to vote no, saying strikes are unlikely to make a huge difference in the fight

against ISIS.

Now meanwhile, Germany's lower house of parliament is debating a supporting role in the fight against ISIS in Syria. The German cabinet has

already approved the sending of military hardware.

And it is day three of the COP21 global climate summit in Paris. Now thousands of delegates are beginning to hash out the details of an

agreement. The goal here is to get 150 nations to sign on to a legally binding deal that would keep global warming in check.

Now, weeks of monsoon storms left parts of Southern India under water. At least nine people have been killed in the severe flooding and thousands

find themselves stranded.

Sumnima Udas is monitoring the situation for us from New Delhi. She joins me now. Sumnima, do authorities there, do they have the equipment

needed to deal with the floods an especially to reach the people who need help?

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they have the inflatable boats, Kristie, and those are being used in full force. There's

also several helicopters and the military aircraft that is on stand by, but those are

not operational yet because of the weather conditions Chennai and also because as we've been seeing in those pictures all day, the airport there

is completely inundated.

So, relief operations from the air in terms of dropping water and food and other much needed supplies, that has not happened. What is happening

on the ground though, you've got the navy involved, the army, the air force personnel as

well. They are pretty much going door to door because you have to remember that there's been no power in Chennai for the past 24 hours. So, there is

that fear that people who have been stranded have not been able to charge their phones, to reach out, call out for help.

So, literally these rescue officials are going door to door to try to find as many people as possible.

Of course, it started raining again in Chennai so that's hampering the relief and rescue operations there. And it's expected to rain for the next

three or four days as well, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, that's right. I mean, authorities are responding, but as you point out more rain is ahead, more rain in the forecast.

So, as the water continues to rise where will people go?

UDAS: Well, they've set up some relief centers, about 38 of them across the state, so that's where the relief officials are telling people

to go, that's where all of these people who have been evacuated, who have been rescued are being brought, that's why there's food, there's water

there and they are being encouraged to stay there for the next three or four days because of course as I mentioned, it's supposed to be raining

heavily for the next three or four days.

However, people who have been stranded are going to get there, that's another question. We have been seeing people venturing out by themselves.

They've been using ropes, other people just sort of holding on to each other, wading through this really knee high, even neck deep water.

But for the most part what we're seeing from here, Kristie, is people have just gone to their rooftops. That's the safest place for them,

they're just waiting it out over there. But people are starting to panic, because they don't know how much further the water level is going to go up

-- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, people on rooftops just waiting to help. And as you said, helicopters still can't be deployed because of the weather conditions

there.

Sumnima Udas reporting for us. Many thanks indeed for that update.

Now, with more on the weather for tonight, let's go straight to our meteorologist Chad Myers at the CNN weather center. And Chad I mean, these

are historic and deadly floods. What's happening now? What's going to happen next?

UDAS: I don't think we can really put -- get our mind around this, 1500

millimeters of rainfall, Kristie, in just 31 days and it has just continued to rain one day after another. Now officially back in October, India said

the monsoon is over -- late October, but in fact now this isn't that unusual to still pick up heavy rain but not like this.

Here's what we had yesterday. December 1st, just one day, 350 millimeters of rain, that's 10 inches of rainfall just in one day. On top

of ground that is so super saturated from rains that we picked up in November. So, here's what

the retreat of the monsoon should look like.

October, middle October, November and then December. Officially though, the wind did blow offshore and it stopped the monsoon rain. Now

we're still seeing one more push, probably the last push of rainfall coming in. And that's good news. Because look at this, this is what it should

look like for a normal year, the green bars here, very little, very, very little rain in February, March, April,

but then we ramp on up.

And when we ram up here all the to December and November, we're talking significant rainfall, almost a half meter of rain. But we're

talking a half a meter this year. Look at November, 1.96 -- I mean, 1.96 meters of rainfall just in

30 days.

So where do we go from here I guess that's the next question. The rain continues, the rain continues to push on to Chennai and especially

points southward for now. We'll get at least six more days of heavy rainfall and it's that rainfall that kind of just makes a bull's-eye on the

weather map. Some of these dark red areas, there's a pink area, that's now again 500 additional millimeters of rainfall in a place that really can use

about 30 days worth of drying out to try to get the rain up.

I know we see a lot of water on the ground, but the real threat here is dehydration because that water on the ground is polluted water from

whatever else is in the streams that got washed out so that people there are really in need of fresh water.

If you can do anything about that, and the countries really needs to get

that water, bottled water to those people, and especially if they are sitting on a roof -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, Way too much water there. That's why we're seeing just -- the water levels literally go off the charts as you showed us just

then.

Chad Myers reporting, thank you.

Now, a proud father has taken to Facebook to share his new bundle of joy and the announcement comes with a multibillion dollar surprise. We've

got more on that next right here on News Stream.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now right now at CNN, we are focusing on the ten countries that make up ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and today we zero in

on Malaysia where some talented designers are creating a bustling new fashion scene. We recently met one woman who sees big opportunities in her

industry close to home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Accessibility and competitive pricing allowed the Southeast Asian nations that make up ASEAN to make up one of the biggest

manufacturing hubs. It is a major driving force of economic growth in Malaysia, but fashion designer Cassey Gan wants to do more than make goods

for multinational companies, she wants Malaysia to become a source of creative ideas.

CASSEY GAN, FASHION DESIGNER: There wasn't enough emphasis for a long time and I think now a lot of people are starting to realize there is value

in art and design.

LU STOUT: A rising star in the fashion scene, Gan's minimalistic yet vibrant

creations landed on the pages of Vogue Italian 2012 and while she attended fashion school in London, Malaysia is where she wanted to build her career.

[08:40:10] GAN: From the beginning I've thought that I wanted to design something that is designed in Malaysia and also made in Malaysia,

that for me is really crucial.

We don't really have to travel so far to like China, for example, to produce our clothes. So it's really good that they are manufacturers here

in Malaysia, cutting down on costs as well.

LU STOUT: And Malaysia's fashion industry is starting to agree. With this year marking the third annual Kuala Lumpur fashion week.

GAN: I think it's a really, really good platform for young designers, because a lot of us come out and start our own label and don't really know

necessarily how to reach out to public.

LU STOUT: Production is currently on a made to order basis. Gan produces an average of 70 pieces of clothing a month and as she focuses on

expanding locally in Malaysia, Gan is also seeing opportunities regionally with her biggest market in ASEAN neighbor Singapore.

GAN: I think three years ago I had an opportunity to do a trade show over there. So, that was how I started and response has been really good

and ever since then I've been just looking for more shops in Singapore to be my target.

LU STOUT: Gan says she wants to grow her business organically with hopes

of one day bringing the work and the designed in Malaysia label to the world.

GAN: I think if we are given more opportunities to show our collections overseas, if we have that support from our country, I think

that would really help us to bring our clothes out there a bit more.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A million likes and counting. Now blessings are pouring in from around the world for one special baby. Facebook founder Mark

Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan are now the proud parents of a little girl named Max. And they're celebrating by pledging to give away 99

percent of their Facebook shares over the course of their life times.

Now the couple is following the footsteps of billionaires like Bill Gates

who has promised to donate most of his fortune. And his wife Melinda congratulated Zuckerberg on Facebook saying this, quote, "as for your

decision to give back so generously, the first word that comes to mind is wow. The example you're setting today is an inspiration to us and the

world."

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

END