DPP 20th Anniversary -- Many Depart Before Chen Speaks

UNCLAS TAIPEI 003390 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AIT/W, EAP/TC, INR/EAP FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL TW SUBJECT: DPP 20th Anniversary -- Many Depart Before Chen Speaks REF: TAIPEI 3377 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY ¶1. (SBU) On September 30, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held a march and a rally in Kaohsiung City to celebrate the party's twentieth anniversary. Although the parade route was shortened to one kilometer from the original plan of holding the parade throughout Kaohsiung City kilometers (reftel),it was the activity that drew the largest crowds. Buses began arriving in Kaohsiung from Ilan, Taitung, Pingtung and other points around the island at mid-afternoon. Kaohsiung police announced 105,000 people participated in the parade, though an AIT/K observer estimated the number as high as 200,000 and event organizers claimed 350,000. Almost 90% of participants appeared to AIT/K to be senior citizens who had been bused in to the site. Only two isolated instances of an anti-Chen nature perpetrated by lone individuals were televised during the more than three hours of live press coverage of the anniversary activities. ¶2. (SBU) Following the short, but lively, march, buses began loading and departing Kaohsiung about six p.m., more than a full hour before the speech by President Chen Shui-bian. By the time the president took the stage to speak, the crowds had dwindled significantly to an estimated 20,000 (gauged by AIT/K staff). Even a few Kaohsiung DPP city council members departed the site prior to the President's speech. One later told AIT/K that she had to attend Moon Festival activities in her district. ¶3. (SBU) President Chen's speech held no surprises, but reiterated his earlier stated pledges to work toward a new constitution that "corresponds to the current situation," to join the United Nations under the name of "Taiwan," and to hold a referendum calling for recovery of the KMT's "stolen assets." He also expressed his strong hope that the DPP would win the December 2006 Kaohsiung and Taipei mayoral elections, elect fifty legislators (out of 113) in the December 2007 legislative elections, and win the presidential election in March 2008. AIT/K staff heard rally attendees express surprise that, although all top DPP leaders, including Premier Su Tseng-chang, Chairman Yu Shy-kun, and Taipei mayoral candidate Frank SIPDIS Hsieh spoke at the rally, Vice-President Annette Lu offered no comments at the event. Almost all speeches were given exclusively in Taiwanese, except for a few slogans rendered in Mandarin. Of the top leaders who spoke, only Chairman Yu mentioned the need to support the current DPP administration. Others never even alluded to the presidential office or its incumbent. ¶4. (SBU) As reported in the October 1 Taipei Times (English edition),Kaohsiung police said more than 2,700 police were stationed along the parade route and at the rally and that 200 barbed-wire barricades were erected. An AIT/K staff member learned from police at the events, that Tainan police had joined with Kaohsiung city and county police to cover the event. In addition, some police from Taichung (central Taiwan) were also present to lend assistance. THIELE WANG