SMALL ANTI-AMERICAN DEMONSTRATION AT AIT-TAIPEI

UNCLAS TAIPEI 001079 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR DS/DSS/IP, DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/IP/FPO, DS/PSP/PSD AND EAP/TC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC TW SUBJECT: SMALL ANTI-AMERICAN DEMONSTRATION AT AIT-TAIPEI REF: BACIK/MALLOY-DS/IP/EAP EMAIL DATED 11 MARCH 2005 ¶1. (U) On Friday 11 March 2005, activist ZHOU Qingjun and five followers from his self-proclaimed Republic of China Patriotic Alliance staged a brief anti-American protest outside the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT-Taipei) Consular section. The demonstrators arrived around 1015 hours local time, in a brown mini-van adorned with protest slogans that read "Taiwan Needs Peace, Not War" and "Punish Independence Groups". As patriotic songs blared over a set of loudspeakers mounted on the roof of the mini-van, ZHOU gave a brief speech condemning the special arms procurement budget and proposed sale of arms to Taiwan by the U.S. ZHOU then demanded to deliver a protest letter to an AIT official, but was rebuffed by the police. Not wanting to hand over the letter to the police first, ZHOU proceeded to defiantly burn the letter in the street. ZHOU and his followers then re-boarded their mini-van and departed the area without incident at 1035 hours. ¶2. (U) The protest was not reported in either the local newspapers or on television, and AIT's Public Affairs section received no media inquiries regarding this event. ¶3. (U) Taiwan National Police Administration (NPA) notified the RSO a day in advance about the possibility of ZHOU's protest and deployed an additional twenty uniformed officers in front of AIT to maintain order. Local Guard Force personnel were also re-positioned to ensure that Consular operations were not disrupted and SDT units were put on alert. No unusual incidents, arrests or injuries were reported. PAAL