BEIJING 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BEIJING 003200 SENSITIVE 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: N/A TAGS: ASEC CASC CH CMGT ECON KOLY OVIP PREL PTER SUBJECT: BEIJING 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT 20, 08/20/2008 REF: A. BEIJING 3139 ¶B. BEIJING 3146 ¶C. BEIJING 3171 ¶1. (SBU) The following cable provides information on security, public diplomacy, political, and consular activities related to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games as of 08/20/2008. ¶2. (U) The interagency USG Joint Operations Center (JOC) can be contacted on a 24-hour basis at the following numbers: - JOC Direct Line: 011-86-010-6532-6966. - U.S. Embassy Beijing: 011-86-010-6532-3431, JOC extension ¶6200. - JOC fax: 011-86-010-6532-4763. - STE and fax: 011-86-010-6532-5163. KEY ISSUES -------------- ¶3. (SBU) White House officials publicly confirmed on 08/19/2008 that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will not attend the Olympics Closing Ceremony. The Presidential Delegation--which arrives in Beijing on 08/21/2008--will now be led by Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. The U.S. Embassy had informed the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on 08/15/2008 that Secretary Rice would be unable to attend (ref. a). SECURITY ISSUES -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Threats: There is no significant threat information to report. ¶5. (SBU) Incidents: Potential Surveillance of U.S. Women,s Indoor Volleyball Team: On 08/20/2008, the JOC was notified by the USG Field Liaison Officer (FLO) assigned to the U.S. Women,s Indoor Volleyball team that a young Asian male had observed the team,s bus as it departed the Olympic Sports Center, the site of the team,s quarterfinal match against Italy. As the bus departed, the subject ran to a waiting vehicle and spoke to a male passenger in the car. The FLO noted the make, model, and license number of the vehicle; the Olympic Security Coordinator (OSC) has passed this information to the Beijing Public Security Bureau (PSB) for follow-up on the ownership of the car and the identity of the passengers. ¶6. (SBU) Possible Monitoring Device Found in Olympic Vehicle: The UK Embassy on 08/19/2008 advised the JOC that on 08/16/2008, two press officers traveling in a Beijing BEIJING 00003200 002 OF 005 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) vehicle discovered what appeared to be an electronic monitoring device in the car. The press officers photographed the device--which was found flashing on the floor behind the front passenger seat--but left it in the vehicle while they attended an Olympic event. When they returned to the vehicle two hours later, the device was gone. The car was described as being part of the BOCOG motor pool and had previously been used by UK Olympics Committee officials as well as by a number of British athletes. ¶7. (SBU) Unconfirmed Report of Truck Explosion in Beijing: According to unsubstantiated information available to the Hong Kong Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, on 08/17/2008, an unidentified truck exploded while driving through the Baimiao Public Security Checkpoint in Beijing, allegedly injuring at least 20 people. The report indicates that the truck burst into flames as police tried to conduct a security check; the Center suggests that the incident was possibly terrorism-related. The JOC is unable to corroborate this report; the OSC has contacted Chinese security officials for confirmation of the incident but has not yet received a response. The Hong Kong Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy has previously provided details of alleged bomb scares in Shanghai, including a claim denied by Shanghai PSB officials that an explosives-laden vehicle was discovered outside of PSB headquarters on 08/09/2008 (ref. b). ¶8. (SBU) Olympic Protests: Americans Detained in Pro-Tibet Protest: A "Students for a Free Tibet" (SFT) contact in the United States who has previously notified the U.S. Embassy of the detention of U.S. citizens for protest activity contacted American Citizens Services (ACS) on 08/20/2008 to report that five Americans were detained by Chinese police late in the evening on 08/19/2008 after displaying a blue LED "Free Tibet" banner on the Olympic Green in front of the National Stadium (Bird's Nest). Separately, press reports indicate that a sixth American--described as a famous New York City graffiti artist--and two additional protesters of unknown nationality were detained on 08/19/2008 for planning to use a handheld green laser to project "Free Tibet" messages on the sides of prominent Beijing landmarks. ACS has approached the Beijing PSB regarding the detentions to determine the whereabouts of the American; the PSB has not yet responded to the ACS request for confirmation of the detentions. SECURITY OPERATIONS -------------- ¶9. (SBU) MPS Meeting with OSC and RSO: On 08/19/2008, the OSC and Regional Security Officer (RSO)--accompanied by members of the security advance team for the USG Delegation to the Olympics Closing Ceremony--had a successful meeting BEIJING 00003200 003 OF 005 with Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) counterparts regarding security arrangements for the Delegation's upcoming visit. VIPS -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Please refer to the Key Issues section for updated VIP information. PUBLIC AFFAIRS/PUBLIC DIPLOMACY -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Radio Broadcasts Jammed: According to a 08/19/2008 Reporters Without Borders report, the Chinese Government continues to block Chinese-language broadcasts by the BBC, Voice of America (VOA),Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Sound of Hope (a station linked to Falun Gong)--as well as Tibetan and Uighur-language broadcasts by RFA and Voice of Tibet--during the Olympic Games. The jamming of Tibetan-language programs has increased in recent months, the report says. Although such actions were routine prior to the Olympics, Chinese authorities had pledged unfettered access to news for all journalists covering the Olympics. With the exception of one reporter with RFA,s Tibetan service, journalists with the BBC, VOA and RFA have been able to get visas to go to China during the Olympics, but their potential listeners have not been able to receive their broadcasts. In addition, the BOCOG office for satellite uplink services did not approve a VOA request to import uplink equipment to transmit live broadcasts during the Olympics. CONSULAR AFFAIRS -------------- ¶12. (SBU) False Media Report of Tour Guide's Death: According to a single Hong Kong media report dated 08/19/2008, the Chinese tour guide wounded during the 08/09/2008 Drum Tower stabbing attack against U.S. citizens Todd and Barbara Bachman died from her injuries on 08/12/2008. This report, however, is contradicted by the 08/14/2008 visit by the U.S. Ambassador and Embassy officers to the tour guide in her room at the Sino-Japanese Hospital. During the visit, which was attended by senior hospital officials and photographers, the tour guide appeared alert and animated when speaking with the Ambassador. In addition, ACS staff spoke to the manager of the tour company by phone on 08/20/2008, who stated the tour guide was discharged from the hospital on 08/19/2008 and would soon return to work. ¶13. (SBU) American Detained: On 08/20/2008, ACS was notified by the father of a U.S. citizen that his son and another U.S. citizen had been detained by police in Beijing BEIJING 00003200 004 OF 005 while having dinner with friends. According to the father, a friend who observed the incident told him his son and the other American had been taken into custody approximately 19 hours earlier; the friend did not provide any further information nor did she provide her full name or contact information. In a follow-up call, the father of the named U.S. citizen said his son told him on 08/16/2008 that he thought he was being followed; he also told ACS that his son was a union organizer in Philadelphia. Further, a call made by ACS the morning of 08/20/2008 to the American's hotel revealed that he checked out at 0100 hours local time on 08/20/2008. The PSB has not yet responded to ACS requests for confirmation of the detention. POLITICAL AFFAIRS -------------- ¶14. (SBU) Uighur Pilots Continue to Fly During Olympics: The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CACC) dismissed reports that ethnic Uighur pilots have been grounded until after the Olympics as previously reported (ref. c). The Xinhua article noted that all three Uighur pilots continue to fly routes to and from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and quoted two of the pilots, who described their specific flight hours and domestic and international flight routes during the period in question. ¶15. (SBU) Two Protest Zone Applicants Sentenced to Reeducation-Through-Labor: Human Rights in China reports that two Beijing protest petitioners, Wu Dianyuan and Wang Xiuying, were sentenced to one year of reeducation-through-labor (RTL) on 08/17/2008 by the Beijing Municipal Government for "disturbing the public order." Wu and Wang, who claim to have been forcibly evicted from their homes in Beijing in 2001, made five attempts to apply for permission to demonstrate in the city's designated "protest zones" between 08/05/2008 and 08/18/2008; their applications were neither granted nor denied. Similar to a suspended sentence in a criminal proceeding, Wu and Wang will serve their sentence outside of a RTL camp. The decision also places restrictions on movement and stipulates that if provisions of the decision or other regulations are violated, they will be sent to a RTL camp. The two petitioners were told by PSB officials on 08/18/2008 that they no longer had the right to apply to protest. ¶16. (U) Hong Kong Protesters Frustrated by Application Process: According to a Hong Kong daily online news source, Chinese officials have thwarted attempts by members of the Hong Kong Rights and Privilege Concern Group to conduct a protest in one of the designated Olympics "protest zones" in Beijing. The group initially submitted its application to demonstrate on 08/05/2008 but was rejected, allegedly because BEIJING 00003200 005 OF 005 the group was not a legal organization on the mainland; they were advised by officials to file individually instead. The five members arrived in Beijing on 08/18/2008 to reapply but were told by the PSB that the earliest date they could demonstrate is 08/26/2008--two days after the conclusion of the Games. On 08/19/2008, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) spokesman expressed concern that public statements by Chinese authorities on the function of the "protest zones" do not match the reality of their use (ref. c). RANDT