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Airplane Debris Washes Up on Reunion Island; Israeli Parliament Passes Controversial Force Feeding Law; A Look at Illegal Refugee Camps in Calais, France. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired July 30, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:13] JONATHAN MANN, HOST: Debris found on a far away shore -- new hope in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370. For families,
though, another agonizing wait begins.
Coming up, we cross to Reunion where part of a wing washed ashore and where locals are searching for anything else that could be nearby.
Also ahead, desperate actions in pursuit of a better life. Our special report from Calais, France where migrants are taking huge risks to
clear the final hurdle between them and the UK.
Plus, controversy in the Knesset: Israeli lawmakers approve measures to force feed prisoners on a hunger strike. Critics call it torture.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World.
MANN: Thanks for joining us.
After months of false leads and an agonizing wait for answers, investigators could be just hours away from confirming the first trace of
MH370, an airliner that simply vanished midflight. They're analyzing a piece of wreckage that washed up on the island of Reunion.
Malaysia's prime minister says it's too soon to say whether it belongs to flight 370, but he says it is very likely debris from a Boeing 777.
MH370 is the only Boeing 777 unaccounted for.
A police helicopter is flying along the shoreline of Reunion, scouring the area where the debris was discovered. We'll have a live update from
the island in just a moment, but first Robyn Kriel shows us exactly where the wreckage washed up thousands of kilometers from the official MH370
search zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBYN KRIEL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A possible crucial clue and major lead in the 17-month-old mystery of missing
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.
WARREN TRUSS, AUSTRALIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: This is, obviously, a very significant development. It's the first real evidence that there is a
possibility that a part of the aircraft may have been found.
KRIEL: A piece of debris, possibly part of a wing of what appears to be a Boeing 777, the same model as the missing commercial airliner,
discovered washed up on a western Indian Ocean beach on the island of Reunion near Madagascar. French and Malaysian authorities dispatching teams
to Reunion Island to investigate the debris which washed up more than 2,300 miles away from the current search zone off the Australian coast in the
southern Indian Ocean.
A group of people happening upon the wreckage during a beach cleanup.
This man telling a reporter he saw a wing as he walked closer to the debris.
The debris bearing the marking BB670, which could help in the identification process.
DAVID SOUCIE, AVIATION ANALYSIS: If it is indeed part of a 777, then we're pretty clear that it would be then also part of MH370.
KRIEL: Flight MH370 vanished without a trace in March of last year with 239 souls on board shortly after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur en route to
Beijing. The Malaysin government government ultimately declaring the missing plane an accident, everyone on board presumed dead.
Now, after almost 500 days of empty leads, this may be the first piece of physical evidence, bringing authorities one step closer to unlocking the
mystery of the ill-fated flight's disappearance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Malaysian investigators are now on their way to the island of Reunion and to France.
For more, let's bring in Kristie Lu Stout who is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for us. And Kristie, we're trying to be as careful and cautious
as appropriate, but from the sounds of it, Malaysian officials seem to think they're on to something.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Malaysian officials, the prime minister of Malaysia, does say it is still too early
to speculate, but actions speak louder than words. We have a team from Malaysia leaving tonight for Toulouse to look at that piece of suspected
wreckage.
You mentioned just moments ago, the piece of suspected wreckage found on Reunion Island, it appears to be consistent with parts of a Boeing 777
plane. In fact, we've learned from an aviation source that it appears to match the schematics of a Boeing 777 plane. What I'm referring to is
pictures of the wreckage that were found in Reunion Island.
And that is what prompted the Malaysian prime minister to issue that statement earlier today, to announce that that piece of wreckage has been
sent to Toulouse for further analysis by French civil aviation authorities and that team of Malaysian investigators leaving Malaysia tonight, going to
Toulouse, a team consisting of civil aviation authority officials as well as top executives from Malaysian Airlines MH370 investigation team and
others as well at the Ministry of Transport.
A separate team from Malaysia will leave tomorrow to go to the island where this discovery was made.
Now, Prime Minister Razak in his statement he also said that it is too early to speculate, and he also added something else, a gesture to the
family members of the hundreds of people on board this plane. In a statement -- we'll bring it up for you -- he said this, "we have had many
false alarms before and suffered such heartbreaking uncertainty. I pray that we will find out the truth so that they may have closure and they may
have peace."
Now, we don't know how long it's going to take to take verification to find any confirmation of this wreckage. It could take hours. It could
take a day or two, but even if there is a direct link established between that bit of wreckage discovered on Reunion Island and the missing MH370
flight, we still don't know what happened to the plane.
And we still don't know the whereabouts of all those passengers who were onboard that flight that went missing in March of 2014.
Back to you, John.
[11:05:39] MANN: It has been an unprecedented search effort. How is this going to affect it?
LU STOUT: The search effort will continue to go on.
Just some background, April earlier this year the Australian authorities, the Australian search team that is in charge of the search
effort in the Indian Ocean announced that it was doubling the search zone to about 120,000 square kilometers and that the search would go on for an
additional year.
Now on the back of this new news coming from the island of Reunion, the Chinese family members of those missing on MH flight 370 said that they
want to make sure that the search will continue to go despite whatever is discovered next, despite what is verified or not, they want to have
assurances that the search will continue no matter what. Back to you.
MANN: Kristie Lu Stout in Kuala Lumpur. Thanks very much.
Nearly 17 months ago MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing. It disappeared from radar over the Gulf of Thailand with 239
people on board. Since then, searchers have been concentrating in an area off Australia, mapping the floor of the South Indian Ocean where the plane
was believed to have crashed.
But the wreckage investigators are looking at today was found along the coast of Reunion Island, Reunion close to Madagascar, of course
thousands of kilometers from where the crews have spent more than a year searching for MH370.
Let's get the latest now from Robyn Kriel. She is in Reunion.
What's going on there this evening?
KRIEL: Well, Jonathan, it is nighttime, so any search and recovery efforts have been stalled. There was a helicopter flying up and down the
shorelines of the beaches where this beach -- this piece of debris was pulled up on St. Andre Beach (ph). That, obviously has stopped also police
reaching out to locals, asking them if they would help with the search efforts, if they see any debris or any kind of -- anything suspicious that
looks out of the ordinary being washed out to sea, if they would report it to police.
Everyone obviously very, very interested in the fact that this is occurring on their island. This is a French Island. It's got a French air
force base attached to it. So the French really have taken control almost of this particular investigation.
We do understand, according to the Malaysian prime minister's office, Jonathan, that this piece of debris will be moved to France. The French
BEA sort of civil aviation authority equivalent have not confirmed that yet, but that is according to the prime minister's office. He sending
Malaysian authorities to France and as well as here to Reunion. They're due to land sometime tomorrow if they can find seats, we understand.
MANN: Now, just looking at it, there's no mistaking that whatever that is, it's part of a machine and probably part of an airplane. I'm
wondering if other debris a little bit more ambiguous has been washing up on the shores in recent weeks and whether anyone is having any second
thoughts about something they might have overlooked in the recent past.
KRIEL: Yes, Jonathan, I think that's what locals have been alerted of. And indeed there have been other -- some other items that CNN is
trying to verify if this could also have something to do with the MH370, if that is indeed that part of the plane that belongs to that Boeing 777 that
went missing 15 months ago, or 17 months ago, rather, or if it is just other debris that is floating to the surface at this point. A lot of stuff
does float -- obviously being a very large expanse of ocean, it does float onto the beaches, so there is constantly debris that floats up.
But is it again related to MH370 or is this part of a broken flaperon (ph)? We're just not sure.
People are being urged to be cautious and keep their eyes open.
MANN: Now, I'm curious, I don't know anything about the geography of Reunion. How long is the coast? How rocky? How inaccessible would it be?
How hard is it going to be to search now that so much attention is going to be focused on searching for debris there?
KRIEL: It's not particularly easy coastline. It is quite rocky. It's a volcanic island. In fact, that volcano has been bubbling. We're
told that it might -- that might also be a threat, that it could also erupt in the coming days, not -- it wouldn't be hugely explosive, or all that
dangerous, but they have warned locals that they may have evacuate.
So, it's not the most accessible island, say, with sandy shores that is much more rocky so it would be quite -- it might take a few days for
people to even notice. In some parts of the island, that debris has been washed up there.
However, apparently due to the signs that the currents and all of those things concerned, some of the people would be checking that out to
make sure and find out just how this debris got here would somehow perhaps be able to trace it back and somehow perhaps be able to work out if there
was going to be more washed up, or if it was going to be washed up around the island.
But people, as I said, are -- it's a very small island, less than a million people on this island, 800,000 thereabouts. They are all -- or
most of them are aware of it. And they are all on the lookout. And there has been this police helicopter flying up and down the shoreline just on
the lookout as well.
[11:10:52] MANN: Robyn Kriel on the island of Reunion. Thanks very much.
All of this has families of those on board the flight hoping to finally get news about what happened to their loved ones. You may remember
scenes like this one last year -- prayer services, vigils in Beijing following the disappearances.
Coming up, we're live in the Chinese capital to hear what families there are saying now. We'll examine what investigators will determine as
they try to figure out if the wreckage is even from the doomed flight and of course how all of this is reviving theories about just what happened to
MH370.
It's England or death, those words from a migrant quoted in The Independent newspaper, a migrant who is among thousands desperate to reach
Britain from France.
Wednesday night, large crowds again fought to reach the UK from the continent. In recent days, more than 3,500 have stormed the channel
tunnel. Britain is now stepping up its response, threatening to ramp up deportations for illegal migrants as a deterrent. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen
has this report on the crisis from Calais.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: French police have increased their presence around the EuroTunnel entrance, but sometimes
the weaves of migrants are overwhelming.
Europe's refugee crisis has escalated here in recent days.
Ali Tamimi (ph) from Syria attempted to breach the fences and get on a truck Tuesday night, but then he says he saw another man get killed.
"We tried to go through the tunnel with a group of Sudanese men," he says, "but some of them jumped on the track and were hit. One man died."
Ali Tamimi (ph) is with a group of men from Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria. He says he was forced to flee when ISIS took control of the town.
They stay here, an illegal refugee camp, called The Jungle, a couple of miles from the tunnel.
He shows me the tents they stay in, seven sleep in this one, no electricity and very little food.
"We want to go to the UK to get some relief," he says. "We've struggled so much on our journey. We've tried to push through the tunnel
and some had their hands and feet broken. It's so bad."
Thousands squat in this area from Sudan, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Pakistan and many other regions in crisis waiting for their chance to make
it to the United Kingdom.
A surge in attempts has disrupted traffic through the tunnel this past week.
Most of these people have made treacherous journeys just to get here to the north of France. They've escaped conflict and famine in their home
countries and now the last thing that separates them from the United Kingdom is the EuroTunnel.
So many of them will try and get through the fence and then jump on a train or a truck to get there.
Some have been here in the jungle for more than a year, but when the evening comes, many of the migrants are back on the road leading to the
EuroTunnel, waiting and hoping for an open hatch on a truck or a chance to jump a train to take them to the UK.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Calais, France.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Still to come tonight, is it a clue at last into the mystery of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. We ask an expert what investigators need to
see before they know for sure. That's next.
And later, Israel passes a law that critics say legalizes torture.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:16:36] MANN: An island in the western India Ocean now the focus of an international investigation as debris washed up on Reunion is hailed
as a major lead. Could events here be crucial for the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370?
You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann. Welcome back.
It has been more than a year now now since MH370 vanished, but the search has continued. Ships armed with high tech search and sonar
equipment have been mapping the ocean floor along a predetermined arc in the South Indian Ocean where the plane is believed to have crashed. The
process has been painstaking and expensive and slow.
As of last week, Fugro and Go Phoenix undersea vessels have mapped more than 55,000 square kilometers of the sea floor on the southern end of
that arc. Authorities also expanded the original search area to up to 120,000 square kilometers.
To make sense of just how big this find on Reunion Island could be, we bring in aviation expert David Gleave once again in London.
Thanks so much for being with us. You have been cautious and skeptical from the outset and there are other possibilities.
Some people say this could be part of a Yemeni Airline AirBus A310 that crashed off the Comoros in 2009.
Let me ask you about that possibility. Just looking at what has been found, someone should be able to distinguish between part of an AirBus and
part of a Boeing jetliner, I presume.
DAVID GLEAVE, AVIATION EXPERT: Yes, indeed. And it very much looks as if it's come from -- it's consistent with a Boeing airliner. But we
haven't had any officials on site to confirm that it realistically is that particular part. They will be very cautious, because we've seen problems
before with information which has turned out to be erroneous leaking out. We thought we found an airplane before with blackbox pings and things like
that. So the authorities are going to be very, very cautious and go through the official protocol required.
So, expect in about another two days or so the official answer to come out. But it's certainly looking very much as if it is a 777 part, but we
then have to make sure that it's not a false part that's been dumped there for some other reason. It's a billion dollar question, quite literally.
So we have to make sure there's no parties trying to interfere with it.
MANN: The crucial thing, of course, is still trying to find the plane, trying to find the black boxes, trying to find whatever remains
there might be of the people who were on board.
And one of the lead figures in the Australian investigation said that even if this was indeed from MH370, the search would continue in the same
area along what experts call the seventh arc. What is the seventh arc? And what would the focus stay there?
GLEAVE: The aircraft was flying and occasionally making transmissions from the engine management system through a satellite link up to an
Inmarsat satellite and then back down to Earth again.
These transmissions, some of them were just logging on and logging off, much like a mobile phone talks to different base stations.
So, we have a series of pings after we have no further radar trace of the airplane. And we have to use these -- what they call handshake signals
to try and work out where the aircraft is. So we have a series of arcs and locations that we think the airplane was in.
We've drawn a line through the roughly half hourly, or hourly reports. And that gives us the last known location, which is roughly about 30,000
feet. So it's possibly in descent at this stage. And from there, the Boeing engineers have modeled where they think the airplane would have
continued to fly to if it ran out of fuel. So, that's why they're still looking in that area.
It's also consistent with the oceanic drift. If any parts did drop off the airplane in the impact with the sea or a high speed dive into the
sea, then they would float, or some parts would float, anyway, and those would probably with winds and oceanic currents and tides and waves get
driven over to the west. And therefore it won't change anything in terms of the search area, it just confirms that the airplane was in the southern
Indian Ocean.
MANN: Let's take a moment, though, to remind people why this is so important. Images of an aircraft part washing up on Reunion Island in
Indian Ocean appear to match schematic drawings for the right wing flaperon from a Boeing 777.
A photo of the interior of the part shows the stenciled component number 6576 -- or rather 657BB. 657BB is a number that matches a Boeing
proprietary aircraft maintenance schematic.
So, the more we learn, the more we think that this really is from that flight. And we're looking at a closeup picture of the flaperon now. And I
want to get back to what you said a moment ago, looking at it, could we tell if the plane that originally had that part on it was intentionally
landed on the water or crashed into the water? Would that part show the stress of hitting water hard at a very steep angle?
GLEAVE: We will -- obviously there will be a lot of laboratory analysis will go on as to how the part detached from the airplane. If it's
come off at high speed in a dive, something that they may call flutter or something like that. Close to mach one the airplane can't really fly that
fast, so that some components start to vibrate and may fall off the airplane. And that's only consistent with a very high speed power dive.
We will then take a look as to whether, for example, the back end of this part seems to be fairly badly damaged, which is the type of thing we
would expect in a water landing of some form or other rather than a high speed dive. But the laboratory analysis will tell us that in time.
But certainly that part number -- we need to confirm that it's the individual part that was fitted to the airplane before we can definitely
say it was a part of Malaysia 370.
MANN: David Gleave, thanks once again or joining us once again.
You can get all the developments on our website CNN.com.
Also, we want to know what questions you have. Send them to us on Twitter using the hashtag #MH370QS, like questions, plural -- #MH370QS.
And then tune in to Your World Right Now to get the answers. That starts at 8:00 p.m. in London, 9:00 p.m. Central European Time right here on CNN.
Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, the families of those onboard MH370 have endured an agonizing wait for answers.
Here what they have to say about this latest discovery.
Also ahead, find out what one innovative Kenyan businessman is using to make this leather. African start-up is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:24:58] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the shore of Lake Victoria sits Kenya's third largest city Kisumu. The main industry here is fishing.
NEWTON OWINO, ALISAM PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN: Most of these fish actually goes outside in form of fillets. But then, their skin
initially was thrown. Now this became an eyesore. Until now I was actually thinking of what to do with this skin. And this is an idea that
actually came into my mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Newton Owino's idea led him to start a leather tannery: Alisam Product Development and Design in 2006.
OWINO: Alisam, our main business is to turn fish skin and then making fish leather articles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Owino works with local women's groups, paying them to collect discarded fish skins and turns it into leather, which he sells.
It's an alternative to traditional cow or goat leather.
Convincing people to buy fish leather is not easy.
OWINO: People still believe that it is only goat skin, the cow skin, that can be converted into leather, but not fish. So, if you actually tell
them that this fish leather, one feels like you are maybe crazy, you don't really know what you're saying.
That first year we did not actually make any profit. Second year, we're still (inaudible), there wasn't much profit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eventually, local sales picked up, and through online marketing, Owino says he started selling his leather
internationally. During high season the company says it produces up to five tons of fish leather a week.
His company recently expanded from just tanning and selling leather to making leather products, which he sells in the local market.
OWINO: In 2014, we made an income turnover of $130,000. Now we are looking forward to this year we are actually expecting to have it close to
$300,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Financial success aside, Owino has another reason to be happy.
OWINO: Our business has been shortlisted to participate during the global entrepreneurship summit in Nairobi where the president of America is
going to visit Kenya.
Obama's roots are actually from Kisumu. Being part of this summit together with him is going to mean a lot to us, especially in terms of
business.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:30:15] MANN: This is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann with the top stories this hour.
Authorities are trying to determine whether a piece of aircraft debris that washed ashore east of Madagascar came from MH370. Images of that
debris appear to match drawings for the right wing flaperon of a Boeing 777. A photo of the interior of the parts shows the stenciled component
number 657BB, that number matches a Boeing proprietary aircraft maintenance schematic.
A U.S. dentist who killed a prized lion in Zimbabwe appears to have gone into hiding. Walter Palmer has faced a barrage of criticism online
and outside his practice in Minnesota, authorities say Cecil the Lion was lured out of an animal sanctuary and shot with a crossbow and then later a
gun.
India has executed the mastermind behind a series of bomb attacks in 1993. Yakub Memon was hanged after a last-ditch appeal in the country's
supreme court was rejected. 257 people were killed when 12 bombs exploded around the city of Mumbai.
A former police officer in the U.S. has pleaded not guilty to murder involuntary manslaughter after the shooting of an unarmed black man during
a traffic stop. A driver -- or rather a judge in Cincinnati, Ohio Ray Tensing's bond at $1 million. A prosecutor described the shooting of
Samuel DuBose as, quote, "asinine and totally unwarranted."
Back now to MH370 investigation, authorities are fully aware of the heartbreak that countless false leads have caused victim's families. So
they want to be entirely certain before making any announcement about the plane debris found on reunion Island. CNN spoke with one woman whose
partner was on that flight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH BAJIC, PARTNER OF MH370 PASSENGER: If ultimately this is the piece of the wing, then that little thread of hope that I've been holding
on to will have to break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: She went on to say that on the other hand, we're all pretty exhausted and need a little closure.
More than half of the victims on 370 were from China. A group of Chinese families issued a statement today. We turn to Will Ripley live in
Beijing. And Will, you can be sure they need closure as well. What are they saying?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Many of them are hanging on to hope as well, Jonathan. And even since they have no official information being
funneled to them from Malaysian airlines or from the Chinese government, they are communicating via social media in many cases and they've been
sharing their thoughts with each other and some are still hopeful and believe in their hearts that their families are still alive and have said
that even if this debris turns out to be from MH370, from that Boeing 777, they are still not convinced, that until they see proof that their loved
ones are dead that they're not perhaps out there somewhere.
This is reality for many of the families, 153 people were on the plane from here in China, 239 people on board altogether, Jonathan. And so this
just continues to go on more than 500 days on. And they don't have closure. And they may not for quite some time even if this piece of debris
is confirmed to be from the plane.
MANN: What do they say? How is it that they don't believe that their loved ones are lost?
RIPLEY: You know, I was talking to Steve Wong who still has not been able to say his mother's name outloud, since the plane disappeared, because
he can't believe that she is dead. And he feels that if he were to speak her name as a victim, in other words saying that she is a victim, then
therefore he would be letting her go, and he doesn't think that's fair to her if she is, if there's some hope that she may still be alive out there.
And that is what you find from some of these families.
Sure, some of them do believe that the plane is lost and have gone through the grieving process or still going through the grieving process,
but there are others who simply can't until they see remains, until they see proof, proof that they still don't have, and may not even still feel
that they have even with this new discovery, however it turns out.
MANN: And what's the Chinese government saying?
RIPLEY: Not much, other than that they're monitoring the situation.
The Chinese government has not encouraged these families to get together. The families have been trying to keep this issue alive. They've
attempted to protest here in Beijing throughout the past year. Those protests have been -- aside from early on when the government allowed it to
happen, which is very rare here -- they've been broken up. There have been actually group interviews with the families that the police broke up. So
they're not encouraging these people to band together. And so they don't have the information center, they don't have a hotline. They're not
getting information from Malaysian Airlines. Their own government doesn't want them communicating with each other.
So they really do feel alone. They feel left out of the loop. And they're having to rely, like everyone else, on the media for information.
They're not getting information from the officials. And obviously it's infuriating for them and it's heartbreaking for them.
MANN: Will Ripley, live in Beijing, thanks very much.
Australian officials leaving the search for 370 say they hope to know in 24 to 48 hours if the debris really does belong to the missing plane.
Our Tom Foreman has looked now at how investigators are trying to make that determination.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:35:24] TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This piece of debris is about seven feet long, maybe three or four feet wide. And we're now told it
is consistent with what you would find on a 777 made by Boeing.
So, let's bring up a model of the missing plane and talk about where you would find it on the plane. Our aviation analysts say it would likely
be on the back side of the left wing right in here, a controlling flaperon as they call it. So, it meets the first part of the test for a match. It is
the right type of piece to find.
It is also the right color and it's in the right condition. It has barnacles all over it. That's consistent with something that's been on the
water for 500 days roughly. Now, you have to check out the identifiers, the serial numbers on this piece.
Almost every part of a big aircraft like this has serial numbers on it, like this seat cushion from a different plane. If they find the serial
number on this other part, this thing they've just found and it matches the Malaysia Air flight, then that's the deal. They will know they absolutely
have evidence of what happened to that plane.
It doesn't answer the question how did it wind up where it is. Remember, all of the search areas for this plane were over near the coast
of Australia over here. How did this get all the way over there some 2,300 miles or more away. That's where they have to look at the currents and see
if, in fact, ocean currents here were strong enough to push it over there to Reunion Island and give us maybe the first physical piece of proof about
what happened to the Malaysia Air flight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: That was our Tom Foreman.
And I want to follow up now on what he just mentioned, the possibility that the current could have shifted the debris from 370 thousands of
kilometers from the search zone.
Our guest is Captain John Noble, a marine salvage expert in our London studios.
Thanks so much for being with us.
If, indeed, this is a flap or flaperon from MH370, how much would its location on the island of Reunion, how much would the known behavior of
ocean currents help experts find the plane itself?
JOHN NOBLE, MARINE SALVAGE EXPERT: Well, the oceanographers and other scientists will be trying to plot backwards from where the piece landed on
Reunion and using their knowledge of the wind, because that will have an effect as well, but more importantly the currents, that will give them
something to work on.
But of course the further away you go from Reunion, the wider the area becomes. So, it will be helpful, but I'm not sure it will actually draw
any immediate answers.
MANN: Well, the behavior of the currents is relatively known and routing. The behavior of the winds known, maybe a little less routing, but
there's also the matter of weather. And there's nothing routine about the weather in that part of the world. How much would extraordinary weather
events, really bad big storms have confused the path of anything that was floating around on the water?
NOBLE: Well, that's indeed the case. I have been through tropical storms in my area in my younger days. And yes you do get some very violent
weather there. And that, of course, will throw the scientific calculations possibly out the window. So, we'd still have a relatively uncertain
picture of where the plane might be.
MANN: Now, can I throw something out here? And I'm not an oceanographer or an expert of any kind, but we heard our Tom Foreman
talking about barnacles lodged on this piece of debris. There are an awful lot of barnacles, there are people who know about different species of
them. Could they track the barnacles or any kind of sea life lodged in this piece of debris back to a place of origin?
NOBLE: Well, two things there. The first is the size of the barnacles should confirm how long the piece has been in the water. The
question of the species is a matter for the marine biologists. I don't know if they have sufficient information to identify the barnacles from a
specific spot.
So, yes, they're a very good clue, but it will need scientific analysis to try and identify where they grew.
And if this bit of wing has been in the water for 15, 16 months, the barnacles could have attached anywhere.
MANN: You would think. I mean, that seems like an obvious problem.
So, where do they start using this piece of debris as a starting point? What is the next step?
NOBLE: Well, I think the next step is to identify that it is from the plane itself. And I think everyone is now pointing to that direction.
Once they have established that with certainty, they can then refocus on the sea bed search, because that's where most of the debris will be. It
will be on the seabed. If they are going to look in the right area, the equipment they are using will find it.
MANN: Now the aviation industry, and those of us who take commercial aircraft, want to know why the plane went down. We want to be sure the
next aircraft we're on is safe. But the passengers had family, and those people most want to know what happened to their loved ones. Will we see
any evidence, do you think, of the people who were on board? Any of their possessions, any of their luggage, anything of their remains now?
NOBLE: Well, it's a very difficult subject to talk about, but yes, I would think they -- once they find the site -- I'm surprised they haven't
found other floating debris like seat cushions, like personal effects, beforehand.
However, if the fuselage went to the bottom of the seabed, the remains will still be there. But they have to find them first before they can
actually give the families the closure that they are looking for.
MANN: They have to find them.
Captain John Noble, thanks so much for talking with us.
NOBLE: Not at all.
MANN: Ever since MH370 vanished nearly 17 months ago, loved ones of those on board have been waiting for answers. There are any number of
theories about exactly what happened to the plane. Sara Sidner has a look at them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good night. Malaysian 370.
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Good night, Malaysian 370," the last words anyone would ever hear from the ill-fated flight,
causing unimaginable grief and unleashing theories from the technical to the sinister.
Among them, the pilot crashed the plane on purpose. Investigators looked into whether suicide could have been a reason. Ultimately, the
International Independent Investigation Committee said it found no indications that would cast suspicion on him or the crew.
Terrorism. Did someone commandeer or hijack the plane to crash it? Experts are divided on this issue, but hijackers usually have clear
demands. That never materialized.
And no terrorist group claimed responsibility, which led investigators to believe those options are not viable.
The plane landed somewhere. As the months ticked by and no pieces of the plane were discovered, some speculated whether it was possible the
plane had landed. But no communications from the people on board or hijack demands made that seem less possible.
Mechanical failure. A theory that a catastrophic electrical or mechanical failure brought the aircraft down is still being considered.
Rapid decompression. The plane suddenly loses cabin pressure and the passengers and crew become unconscious. The plane, on autopilot, flies
until it runs out of fuel and crashes.
But without more evidence, they are all just theories, leaving grieving families in limbo, wondering what happened to those they lost.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. After the break, an anti-terror measure or a license to torture? We'll talk with the
chairman of the Israeli Medical Association about a new law on the force feeding of prisoners.
Also, we'll take a closer look at the growing danger at the UK/French border where migrants are showing the lengths they'll go to to reach
British soil.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:46:36] MANN: Updating our top story, Boeing investigators are confident that debris found on Reunion Island is from a 777 plane after
they analyzed photos, that according to a source who say a component number corresponds to a part on a 777.
Australia's deputy prime minister said earlier it's too soon to say whether the part belongs to Malaysia Airlines flight 370, however. Stay
with CNN for all the latest on the developing story.
You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann. Welcome back.
We turn to a controversial decision by Israeli lawmakers. The Knesset approving a measure that allows prisoners in Israeli jails to be force fed.
The vote was close, 46 to 40. The Israeli government says it needs the law to prevent Palestinian prisoners from using hunger strikes to pressure
Israel. Critics say it simply amounts to torture.
CNN's Erin McLaughlin is in Jerusalem and joins us now.
Erin, tell us what exactly is in the law?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jonathan.
Well, this law is extremely controversial. There are those who say it's cruel, dangerous and unnecessary. And then there are those who say
it's important for Israel's security.
Now under the terms of the law, it would allow prisoners who go on hunger strike to be force fed against their will. But let me take you
through some of the caveats to that, some of the finer points of this law.
The law requires for force feeding to happen the permission of a district court. It also requires a doctor recommendation, proof that
according to a doctor there is imminent danger of severe deterioration of the prisoner's health, officials will be able to administer only the
minimum amount of nutrition necessary to keep the prison alive. And officials are required to use, quote, all means at their disposal to
persuade prisoners to willingly end their hunger strike. Force feeding must be done in, quote, as dignified a manner as possible.
But, you know, human rights groups say there's little if any dignity in this. And they're planning on challenging the law with Israel's high
court -- Jonathan.
MANN: Well, let me ask you more about it. I mean, people have strong feelings. I can't imagine Palestinians like this law. What are they
saying? What are Israelis saying?
MCLAUGHLIN: Yeah, well those who drafted the law say that it's meant to save lives. They also say that it's meant to stop prisoners who go on
hunger strike from being able to exert pressure on Israel to secure their release, which brings us to another very controversial area of Israeli law,
something called administrative detention.
Right now, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are being held in Israeli jails without charge and without trial and many of those prisoners choose
to go on hunger strike in an effort to put pressure on Israel to release them.
For instance, just this month a Palestinian prisoner by the name of Qudeir Adnan (ph) ended his 55 day hunger strike after being released from
an Israeli jail. He was being held on administrative detention. It was the second time that he had successfully ended a detention following a
hunger strike. And those who drafted this law say that this is an effort to prevent that.
There are of course those who say that administrative detention is wrong, and there are those who say that force feeding amounts to torture, a
violation of international law. And there's also those who say that it also puts pressure on Israel's medical community to violate their own
medical ethics for a political end -- Jonathan.
[11:50:10] MANN: And just to be clear, I want to return quickly back to something you said a moment ago, these are prisoners who haven't been
convicted or even charged with any crime necessarily?
MCLAUGHLIN: Yeah, it's a controversial practice called administrative detention.
Now the law that was passed today doesn't specifically apply to those prisoners, but those who are being held under administrative detention are
typically Palestinian and they're typically the ones who do choose to go on hunger strike.
MANN: Erin McLaughlin live in Jerusalem, thanks very much.
This is Connect the World. We'll be back with more right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MANN: Welcome back.
There has been no trial. They aren't innocent. They aren't guilty. And they aren't eating. Just a moment ago, we were telling you about a new
Israeli law that would mandate the force feeding of Palestinian prisoners, many of them held in administrative detention without the benefit of a
trial.
The Israeli medical association is opposed to the new law. And joining us now to talk about it is Dr. Leonid Edelman, chairman of the
Israeli Medical Association.
Thanks so much for being with us.
Some people are calling it torture. You could, in a sense, see it as a well meaning effort to keep people alive at risk of death. What do your
members think about it?
DR. LEONID EDELMAN CHAIRMAN, ISRAELI MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: Our position is quite clear. And we are sure that it's torture. Force feeding
is torture. And one who is conscious and who resists feeding should not be force fed.
And we are quite clear about this. And we strongly oppose this bill. And for the last two years, we have tried to persuade our government and
our parliament, our Knesset, that this bill is unnecessary and actually Israeli doctors will implement this bill.
I'd like mention that Israeli doctors have a great experience taking care of fasting prisoners, detainees, hunger strike for the last maybe two
years, three years was quite frequent in Israeli prisons. And in our hospitals, we took care of about 2,000 -- more than 1,000 prisoners and
detainees hunger strikers. And no one died. And Israeli doctors were always very successful in keeping hunger strikers alive.
So, we don't need this bill. And we believe that this bill can destroy the relations between doctors and hunger strikers...
MANN: If your members, if the doctors of Israel refuse to force feed prisoners, will the government simply turn to others with less medical
training to do it?
[11:55:04] EDELMAN: Actually, what should be said that this bill is not about demanding doctors to do this. In case of prison authorities ask
the district judge to allow force feeding, doctor can do it and doctor can not do it. And we actually published some letters to our doctors
explaining that doctors should not to do it, not to force feed, not to imply (ph) actually this permission.
And I believe that no one will do it.
MANN: It sounds like a stalemate, then.
Leonid Edelman, chairman of the Israeli Medical Association, thanks so much for talking with us.
In tonight's Parting Shots, we bring you stunning images from the French town of Calais where thousands of people are still trying to make
their way to the UK. In the past two days alone, at least 3,500 migrants have left their makeshift homes to risk their lives once more in an attempt
to make it through the Channel Tunnel.
These remarkable scenes show them making a break for the tunnel as authorities struggle to control them.
Both France and the UK say they are focusing on a solution. But as these pictures show, many of these people have come from around the world
and seem determined to make that final push. They're willing to make an sacrifice.
Some striking images highlighting the human impact of events in Calais.
You can follow the stories the team is working on throughout the day by going to our Facebook page, Facebook.com/CNNConnect. And you can tweet
me @JonathanMannCNN.
But a recap now on some of the latest details we're getting on that piece of airplane debris found on Reunion Island east of Madagascar.
Images of that debris appear to match drawings for the right wing flaperon of a Boeing 777. A photo of the interior shows the stenciled component
number 657BB, a number that matches a Boeing Aircraft maintenance schematic. Officials are trying to determine if the debris is from
Malaysia Airlines flight 370, which vanished nearly 17 months ago with 239 people on board.
Stay with us, we'll have the latest details on the story as we get them.
I'm Jonathan Mann. You've been watching Connect the World. Thanks for joining us.
END
