AMERICAN INSTITUTE IN TAIWAN REPORTS PEACEFUL

UNCLAS TAIPEI 001176 SIPDIS DS/DSS/IP, DS/IP/EAP, DS/IP/ITA, DS/IP/FPO, DS/PSP/PSD, EAP/TC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC TW SUBJECT: AMERICAN INSTITUTE IN TAIWAN REPORTS PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION ¶1. (U) On Wednesday 16 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 1500 hours local time, in a brown mini-van adorned with protest slogans that read, "Support the Anti-Secession Law". Escorted by police, ZHOU then delivered a protest letter to an AIT FSN Investigator. The one-page statement in Chinese was address to President Bush and asked for U.S. support to aid in a peaceful unification between China and Taiwan. ZHOU and his followers then re-boarded their mini-van and departed the area without incident at 1525 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 fifteen 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