British Businessman Offers Help to Refugees Near Australia
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: An offer of help tonight for some of the refugees seeking political asylum after they were rescued from a sinking ship and who are now waiting aboard another in the South Pacific, near Christmas Island, near Australia. British businessman Richard Branson has offered to fly out all of the women, children and elderly among them. And he joins us now by telephone. Mr. Branson, thanks for joining us.</s>RICHARD BRANSON: Good morning or good afternoon, wherever you are.</s>FRAZIER: You are in Melbourne. Is that just coincidental or did you go there because of this crisis?</s>BRANSON: No, it's coincidental. We were celebrating the first anniversary of our Virgin Blue, which is one of our airlines down here. And I was out with all our staff last night. And a number of the stewardesses and captains said, "Look, you know, we've got the plane. We'll volunteer to fly the planes and go on the planes to Christmas Island and get the refugees as quickly as possible to New Zealand. And you know, why should they be stuck on a ship for another seven days?" And it just seemed to make sense. So we said to the Australian government, if they'd like us to do that, we've got planes standing by and we'd be willing to take off at the earliest moment possible.</s>FRAZIER: Let's back up a little bit and discuss this very generous offer. These are people who have been kept aboard this container ship. It's not a passenger ship by any means. And people are just there because they were rescued when their own freighter was sinking. But they're being kept on board, not being permitted to come ashore in Australia, because of a controversy surrounding their future?</s>BRANSON: Yes, I mean, I'm not going to get drawn into, you know, whether the Australian government is doing wrong or doing right. What we could simply believe is that there's no need for them to be kept on a ship for another week. And the complications the Australian government of putting them in a bus and taking them straight to our plane, I just don't believe red tape should get in the way of something like that. And they've been through, you know, a pretty miserable existence for some months. And at least the most needy of the people can be got to New Zealand within 24 hours.</s>FRAZIER: Indeed, now have you heard any kind of response from the Australian government, which has made it absolutely clear to this date that these people will not set foot on Australia soil? They want to send a very strong message to boat people?</s>BRANSON: Well, we know that John Howard, the prime minister, is going to make a response this afternoon. And you know, I honestly feel that setting foot, you know, by literally getting on a bus and going straight from the ship to the airplane, is not really setting foot on Australian soil. If they don't want them to set foot, they can -- I'm sure they can put a board across to the bus, so they don't actually touch the Australian soil. They just stay on the bus. So you know, we will be hopeful for a positive response. And if they don't want to do it on their Christmas Island, we'd be happy to do it in Barley or any of the other islands in the area. I mean, there are plenty of islands there are not Australian, which they could take them to, rather than letting them carry on this rather sad voyage.</s>FRAZIER: Indeed, yes, Christmas Island very close to Indonesia. Now many of these people of Afghan descent fleeing human rights atrocities, they say, in their country. Do you have any sense, Mr. Branson, how many of them might be the people you've offered to help women and children and elderly people?</s>BRANSON: Well, I mean, obviously we'd like to take all of them and I mean, initially, we've got a plane that's available, which can take about 200. And there's slightly more than 200 people. But we could always do a round-trip and you know, over two trips, take all of them there. But obviously, the priority should go to the most needy.</s>FRAZIER: And any sense of when Australia might come back with a response to your offer?</s>BRANSON: Well, they promised they'll come back early in the afternoon. We're about lunchtime here in Australia now. So you know, we would hope that within the next couple of hours, we'll have the response. And if we have a positive response, we'd hope to have the plane on the way to Christmas Island sometime this afternoon.</s>FRAZIER: Well, Mr. Branson, thank you for explaining that offer to us. Now you are known, of course, in England and in the United States for dramatic gestures in your personal, as well as your professional life. Here now the latest in that string. Thank you very much.</s>BRANSON: Thank you very much. Cheers. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com