From: Aftenposten
Date: 8.8.2008
S E C R E T
SECTION 01 OF 07 BEIJING 003060
NOFORN
SIPDIS
DEPT, FOR, DS/IP/EAP,
DS/DSS/DO, DS/TIA/OSAC, DS/P/MECU,
DS/TIA/ITA, DS/DO/P,
DS/ICI/CI, DS/T/ATA, DS/TIA,
DS/TIA/PII, DS/CC, EAP/CM, S/CT,
CA/OCS/ACS/EAP, PASS TO
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (TSA)
OPERATIONS CENTER, HONG KONG FOR RSO AND LEGAT AND USSS,
SHANGHAI FOR RSO, SHENYANG FOR RSO,CHENGDU FOR RSO, GUANGZHOU FOR RSO,
USSS HQS FOR INV, OPO, HNL
E.O. 12958:
DECL: 08/08/2033
TAGS: ASEC, CASC, CH, CMGT, ECON, KOLY, OVIP, PREL, PTER
SUBJECT: BEIJING 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT 8, 08/08/2008
REF: BEIJING 3049
Classified By: DCM Dan Piccuta for reason 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (SBU)
The following cable provides information on security, public
diplomacy, and consular activities related to the Beijing 2008
Summer Olympic Games as of 08/02/2008.
2. (U)
The interagency USG Joint Operations Center (JOC) can be
contacted on a 24-hour basis at the following numbers:
[TEXT REMOVED BY AFTENPOSTEN]
KEY ISSUES
----------
3. (SBU)
The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games officially commence with
the Opening Ceremony scheduled for 08/08/2008 at 08:08:08 p.m.
Chinese officials expect a full house at the National "Bird´s
Nest" Stadium for the event and authorities have begun the
implementation of security measures for the ceremony.
Residents in Beijing awakened to a hazy morning and poor air
quality on 08/08/2008. Chinese state radio reported that the
air quality was good, despite the low visibility, and was
suitable for outdoor exercise and International Olympics
Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge commented that China
has done everything "humanly possible" to combat air
pollution. China´s state media agency, Xinhua, has quoted
environmental protection officials as expressing confidence
the air quality will be good for the Games.
4. (SBU)
The USG Delegation to the Olympics Opening Ceremony, headed by
the President of the United States, arrived safely in Beijing
on 08/07/2008. Separately, the U.S. Embassy forcefully
protested to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for
failing to honor prior promises to provide expedited arrival
courtesies following a three-hour delay in allowing members of
the White House press corps to disembark from their chartered
aircraft. An MFA official privately admitted the airport
arrival was a "nightmare" and apologized for the confusing
situation.
5. (U)
President Bush inaugurated the new U.S. Embassy compound the
morning of 08/08/2008. Former President H.W. Bush, former
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Chinese State Councilor
Dai Bingguo were among the dignitaries attending the ceremony.
The USD 434 million project will house approximately 950
American and locally employed staff representing more than 20
federal agencies.
BEIJING 00003060 002 OF 007
6. (SBU)
JOC agencies continue to discuss the potential repercussions
of the proposed Beltsville Information Management Center
(BIMC) power outage scheduled for 08/16/2008 and 08/17/2008.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concerns were
highlighted in a formal memorandum to FBI Director Robert
Mueller.
SECURITY ISSUES
---------------
7. (S/NF)
Threats: Possible ETIP Threat Discussed:
According to intelligence reporting, two Norway-based East
Turkestan Islamic Party (ETIP) associates on 08/07/2008 held a
telephonic discussion about a possible threat to the Olympic
Games. In the course of the conversation, reference was made
to the number "8", the travel of an unidentified person to
Beijing on 08/08/2008, and speculation about whether "it"
would explode. This information has been passed to the Chinese
Ministry of State Security (MSS) and to the Ministry of Public
Security (MPS). Separate reporting has indicated that in July,
one of the associates made several Western Union money
transfers to China; the recipient and the reason for the
transfers are unknown. (Please see TD-314/058964-08, dated
August 8, and TD-314/058948-08, dated August 7, for
additional information.)
8. (SBU)
Release of New ETIP Video:
ETIP released a new video on 08/01/2008 stating that it has
"declared war" on "vicious China." In the video, ETIP warns
Muslims to keep their children away from the Games, and not to
"stay on the same bus, on the same train, on the same plane,
in the same buildings, or any place the Chinese are." The
video shows flames consuming a Beijing Olympics logo and an
explosion over a competition venue, as well as a masked,
turbaned speaker clutching what appears to be an assault
rifle. The group´s previous video, released in late July,
claimed responsibility for a series of explosions in China and
warned the international community to stay away from the
Olympics or risk being harmed in "violent military actions" to
be undertaken during the Games.
9. (SBU)
Anarchist Blogger Calls for Violent Action against Games: An
08/04/2008 posting in the anarchist blog
"shapeshifters.gnn.tv" advocated violent action against the
corporations that "fund the Olympic repression in China,"
according to information received by the FBI. The posting
proposed 08/08/2008 as a "day of simultaneous action and
rebellion," and named corporate Olympic sponsors, including
Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Volkswagen, as well as Olympics
offices and stores, the San Jose Airport and other "government
centers, police stations, etc." as possible targets. The blog
does not include details regarding the specific method,
timing, or location of the planned actions. The JOC has made
the U.S. Olympic Committee´s (USOC) security office aware of
the potential threat and the FBI is investigating the source
of this information. Diplomatic Security´s Overseas Security
Advisory Council (OSAC) has disseminated the report to U.S.
corporate Olympic sponsors.
10. (SB)
Chengdu Authorities Monitor Alleged Bomb Threat: According to
a Hong Kong-based human right advcacy group, the Public
Security Bureau (SB) in Chengdu is urgently circulating an
arrest warrant for four Tibetans among the city,s bus workers.
The PSB noted 200 kilograms of explosives were missing and
determined the four suspects had sneaked the explosives into
Chengdu to conduct bombings. Separately, OSAC has received
several reports from U.S. businesses with operations in
Chengdu confirming the existence of the warrant and noting the
level of Chinese concerns about terrorist activities in the
city during the Olympics. Local media reports erroneously
imply the Consulate General in Chengdu had a role in passing
the names of the four suspected terrorists to PSB officials.
11. (SBU)
Incidents:
According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post, a Beijing
city bus caught fire along the Olympic Torch route on
08/06/2008, raising speculation that a bomb had been planted
on the bus. (Bombs aboard buses in Kunming killed two people
in July and a bomb on a Shanghai bus in May killed three.)
However, Chinese authorities have reported to the Regional
Security Officer (RSO) in Beijing the fire was a result of the
ignition of the natural gas used to fuel the bus and it is not
considered a security incident by Chinese officials.
12. (SBU)
Olympic Protests:
(SBU) Three American Demonstrators Deported: Late on the
evening of 08/07/2008, Chinese officials informed the U.S.
Embassy´s American Citizen Services (ACS) staff that the three
Christian Defense Coalition members who had been removed
earlier that day from Tiananmen Square for protesting human
rights abuses in China (ref. a) had been put on a 2100 hours
Air China flight bound for Los Angeles.
13. (U)
More Pro-Tibet Demonstrations Promised:
Two British members of Students for a Free Tibet, who were
deported after unfurling Free Tibet banners near the main
Olympics Stadium 08/06/2008, promised more such protests in
Beijing during the Games. The two said they were detained for
five hours by Beijing police but otherwise not mistreated. In
an interview with French press, Philip William Bartell, the
American citizen deported to the U.S. in connection with the
same incident, also confirmed that he had not been physically
mistreated but he was "aggressively interrogated" and was
refused access to U.S. Embassy staff before police forced him
buy a ticket on the next available flight from Beijing.
SECURITY OPERATIONS
-------------------
14. (SBU)
FLO Presence at the Opening Ceremony: As reported in ref. a,
Chinese officials on 08/07/2008 denied USG Field Liaison
Officer (FLO) access to the National Stadium (the Bird´s Nest)
during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. In response,
the Olympic Security Coordinator (OSC) has purchased two
Opening Ceremony tickets for the FLOs, allowing them entry
into the stadium though they will not be allowed on the field
with the U.S. athletes. The FLOs will be equipped with cell
phones and field radios--recently licensed for use by Chinese
authorities--to provide situational awareness reports to the
JOC during the ceremony.
15. (SBU)
Deployment of Field Radios: The OSC reports that all FLO field
radios have been programmed and have received the requisite
barcodes from the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic
Games (BOCOG), allowing them to be operated within the city.
The radios have been deployed with the FLOs and are scheduled
to be tested on 08/08/2008.
16. (SBU)
Hong Kong FLO Update: The Regional Security Officer (RSO) in
Hong Kong reported that all FLOs have received their
credentials and will receive an orientation tour of the Shatin
venue from the Hong Kong VIPP Unit on 08/08/2008. FLOs will
accompany the U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team (USET) to Shatin
this evening to attend the open ceremonies for the equestrian
events.
17. (SBU)
Opening Ceremony Security Measures: Chinese authorities are
enacting numerous security measures in Beijing in advance of
tonight´s Opening Ceremony. According to information available
to the U.S. Embassy, on 08/07/2008 Chinese authorities closed
access to the Olympic Green in order to conduct bomb sweeps
and to secure the area prior to the Opening Ceremony. Only
credentialed personnel with special opening day stickers will
be allowed in the Green; access restrictions will remain in
effect until 08/09/2008. In addition, Tiananmen Square was
closed to the public the morning of 08/08/2008. A police
officer near the square indicated to a U.S. Embassy officer
that the closure might last the entire day as an Opening
Ceremony-related event would be launched from there in the
evening. A heads of state luncheon was hosted by Chinese
President Hu at the Great Hall of the People on the west side
of Tiananmen Square. The security presence near the square is
heavy with People´s Armed Police guards standing every 20
meters along the northern edge of the Square. Finally, Chinese
newspapers are reporting that numerous roads will be closed
08/08/2008 due to Olympics-related activities. The domestic
media is urging Beijing residents (most of whom have been
given the day off from work) to stay home or take public
transportation.
18. (S/NF)
Transportation Security:
U.S. Defense Attache Office (DAO) Beijing from 08/05/2008 to
08/07/2008 observed security patrols at only three bus stops
near the U.S. Embassy, despite an 08/01/2008 Chinese press
report claiming additional patrols would monitor the majority
of city buses and bus stops. DAO observed roughly two dozen
bus stops in high-traffic tourist areas and noted no security
presence at most of the stops, including those near Olympic
venues. DAO also noted that four types of civilian security
volunteers are deployed throughout Beijing, effectively acting
as monitors for the Public Security Bureau. These include:
Capital Public Security Volunteers deployed at road
intersections and apartment entrances; Public Security Patrols
located along major transportation corridors and public
gathering areas; Public Transportation Security Patrols
stationed on public buses and at bus stations; and Private
Security Guards posted at critical infrastructure, malls, and
commercial buildings.
19. (SBU)
Airspace Security Measures:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representative to
the JOC reported that Chinese officials have extended the
scope of new airspace security measures to include two arrival
points in Qingdao and an area over Shanghai. As noted in ref.
a, on 08/07/2008, Chinese officials issued a Notice to Airmen
(NOTAM) requiring all flights into Beijing airspace confirm
the security status of their aircraft. FAA has coordinated
common response terminology with U.S. air carriers entering
airspace in Beijing, Shanghai, and Qingdao. FAA also noted
that the Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) will be
closed for five hours during the Olympics Opening Ceremony.
VIPS
----
20. (SBU)
The Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson, is scheduled to
arrive in Beijing on 08/08/2008, in advance of the Opening
Ceremony.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS/PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
-------------------------------
21. (SBU)
Olympic Athletes Petition Chinese President Hu: Over 40
international athletes, including U.S. Olympic track stars
Deedee Trotter, Lolo Jones and LaShawn Merritt, signed an open
letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao calling for greater
respect for human rights, a peaceful solution for Tibet, and
the end of the death penalty. The letter appeared in the
08/06/2008 edition of the "International Herald Tribune" and
was endorsed by the International Campaign for Tibet and
Amnesty International.
CONSULAR AFFAIRS
----------------
22. (SBU)
Tibetan-American Turned Around at Beijing Airport: On the
morning of 08/07/2008, a U.S.-based friend of [TEXT REMOVED BY
AFTENPOSTEN] (an American citizen born in India of Tibetan
parents) called ACS staff to report that [TEXT REMOVED BY
AFTENPOSTEN] had sent him a text message saying she had
arrived in Beijing, but that he had also received a voice mail
left by her in which he could hear Chinese voices in the
background and then [TEXT REMOVED BY AFTENPOSTEN] shouting
"Don,t touch me!" after which the phone went dead. ACS made
repeated calls to the PSB to determine if [TEXT REMOVED BY
AFTENPOSTEN] was in detention, but received no information.
Following up on the case on 08/08/2008, a Consular Officer
called the number left by [TEXT REMOVED BY AFTENPOSTEN]s
friend and spoke with [TEXT REMOVED BY AFTENPOSTEN], who
answered the phone. [TEXT REMOVED BY AFTENPOSTEN] stated she
had been kept at the airport and questioned by airport
security personnel for about 15 hours and that she repeatedly
asked to call the U.S. Embassy, but was told it was after
hours and U.S. Embassy personnel could not be reached. She was
returned on a United Airlines flight to San Francisco.
Beijing, August 7 – A 25-year-old Tibetan-American woman was
detained in Beijing Airport yesterday at 9:35pm Beijing
Standard Time on Wednesday, August 6. Chime Dolkar, a Tibetan
exile and current resident of Minnesota, boarded a Northwest
flight to Beijing with plans to speak out for Tibetan freedom
and challenge the Chinese government to live up to its Olympic
promises. But she was detained when she arrived at the
airport, interrogated for 12 hours, and eventually deported to
the United States. As she was being deported, Dolkar spoke out
in support of Tibetan freedom, shouting, "Tibet will be free."
(phayul)
POLITICAL AFFAIRS
-----------------
23. (U)
Yao Ming to Carry China´s Flag During Opening Ceremony: The
election of NBA star Yao Ming to carry the Chinese flag is the
top headline in several Beijing newspapers. Yao also carried
the flag for China at Athens in 2004.
24. (SBU)
Olympics Visitors:
MFA contacts told us Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Gilani will
attend the President Hu-hosted leaders lunch 08/08/2008.
Xinhua News reported that Burmese PM Thein Sein arrived in
Beijing late on 08/07/2008 for the Games. North Korea´s number
two leader Kim Yong-nam is also in town, according to Xinhua,
which reported that Kim met with President Hu Jintao and his
Chinese counterpart National People´s Congress Chairman Wu
Bangguo.
25. (SBU)
Official Protest Zones Calm; Would-Be Chinese Demonstrator
Detained: No demonstrations have been observed in the three
parks designated as protest zones by Chinese authorities; the
U.S. Embassy has received no reports that Beijing police have
actually approved a protest application. The Financial Times
reports that a Beijing woman, Zhang Wei, was detained by
Beijing police after she applied to hold a demonstration
against the forced demolition of her home.
26. (U)
China Apologies to Journalists Mistakenly Barred from Press
Center: According to the China Daily, Beijing Olympics
Committee officials apologized to journalists denied entry to
the Press Center on 08/07/2008. The officials said the
incident was caused by a misunderstanding among security
guards over the type of credential needed to enter the Center.
27. (C)
Tightened Security Causes "Olympics Fatigue:" A security
officer at Chinese national airline Air China (protect) told
U.S. Embassy Beijing that the airline has increased the number
of plain-clothes air marshals on flights to and from Lhasa and
Urumqi, capitals of China´s restive Tibet and Xinjiang
autonomous regions, respectively. Security has become the
overriding concern of Chinese authorities in the lead-up to
the Olympic Games, and traffic restrictions and slow business
for some retail stores and restaurants are reportedly draining
away the excitement that once surrounded the Games. Beijing
residents are finding that even group activities with no
connection to the Olympics, such as dance classes, are being
cancelled. Authorities have resorted to blunt security
measures, Embassy interlocutors said, because the threat
facing the Games is so undefined. As a result of the
oppressive atmosphere, some Beijing residents are experiencing
"Olympics fatigue." (Please see Beijing 3057, dated August 8,
for additional information.)
28. (C)
Olympics Shut-Down Displaces Migrant Workers: The closing of
construction sites and factories in and around Beijing has
forced many of Beijing´s migrant workers to return home during
the Olympics. The loss of income caused by the
Olympics-related workplace shutdown has caused anger and
frustration. In some cases, authorities have reportedly
ordered migrants to leave Beijing, and there is evidence of an
unevenly implemented campaign to reduce the city´s Tibetan and
Uighur populations during the Olympics. (Please see Beijing
3051, dated August 7, for additional information.)
RANDT