BEIJING 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 BEIJING 003300 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 26, 08/26/2008 REF: A. BEIJING 3106 ¶B. BEIJING 3254 ¶C. BEIJING 3139 ¶D. BEIJING 3275 ¶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 08/26/2008. KEY ISSUES -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Conclusion of JOC Operations: This is the final situation report from the USG interagency Joint Operations Center (JOC) in Beijing, China. JOC operations in support of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games will conclude as of 1500 hours local time on 08/26/2008. In total, ten federal agencies provided personnel to the JOC. Overall, 868 USG temporary duty personnel supplemented the U.S. Embassy's staff of 1,100 employees and took part in supporting the Olympics security effort in the seven Olympic cities in China. Of these, 172 were part of the law enforcement presence agreed to by the Chinese Government in the Memorandum of Understanding, 665 traveled in support of the U.S. President and the USG Delegation to the Opening Ceremony and included representatives from the U.S. Secret Service (USSS),the White House, and White House Communications Agency (WHCA),10 were assigned to support the U.S. Embassy's American Citizens Services (ACS) office, 11 were attached to the Public Affairs Section (PAS),3 supported the Regional Medical Officer, 4 were assigned to the Financial Management Office (FMO),and 3 supported the General Services Office (GSO). In addition, 5 eligible family members, 2 summer interns, 1 summer hire, and 1 office management specialist were hired to provide additional resources for various Embassy offices, to include the Olympic Coordination Office (OCO). Finally, logistics support staff was further augmented by 1 "When Actually Employed" (WAE) employee, 23 Foreign Service National (FSN) drivers, and 1 administrative assistant. ¶3. (SBU) China Looks Forward to Paralympic Games: With the Summer Olympics concluded, China's focus now turns to hosting the 13th Paralympic Games, which will take place from 09/06/2008 to 09/17/2008 in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Qingdao. According to press reports, Chinese President Hu Jintao has promised that China will deliver a "high-standard" Paralympics in line with the motto of "Two Games, Equal Splendor." More than 4,200 athletes from 148 countries will take part in competition, supported by 30,000 Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) volunteers and 2,500 referees; 4,000 journalists are also expected to be BEIJING 00003300 002 OF 006 in Beijing for the event. In efforts to accommodate the needs of the athletes and spectators, BOCOG announced that five of the sports venues--including the National "Bird's Nest" Stadium--have been equipped with "no barrier" facilities, 16 special bus lines have been opened, and all subway stations have at least one entry and exit that can be used by passengers in wheelchairs. SECURITY ISSUES -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Threats: Despite a series of bomb hoaxes in Hong Kong, three video postings by the East Turkestan Islamic Party (ETIP) threatening terrorist operations during the Olympic Games, and Chinese claims that extremists affiliated with the Uighur militant movement intended to disrupt the Olympics, the 29th Olympiad concluded without the occurrence of a significant terrorist incident. In the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, a series of three early-August attacks ostensibly conducted by Uighur extremists against Chinese police and security personnel raised Chinese concerns of similar actions occurring in Beijing (ref. a); however, no such activity took place. ¶5. (U) Incidents: The JOC reported no security incidents took place overnight on 08/25/2008. ¶6. (SBU) Olympic Protests: Update to San Francisco Protest: On 08/24/2008, approximately 250 pro-Tibet activists demonstrated outside of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco (ref. b). According to updated information obtained by Diplomatic Security's (DS) San Francisco field office, Consulate workers attempted to discourage protesters from accessing the facility by wrapping barbed wire around several trees near the building's perimeter. The workers subsequently complied with a request by a San Francisco police officer to remove the wire, as it posed a public safety hazard. SECURITY OPERATIONS -------------- ¶7. (SBU) OCO Turns to Paralympics: With the successful closing of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the OCO in Beijing has turned its attention to providing security assistance for the upcoming Paralympic Games. There will be no interagency JOC operations during the Paralympics; U.S. security efforts will be overseen by the Olympic Security Coordinator (OSC) and a senior DS watch officer; the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) On-Scene Facilitator and his deputy will also remain in Beijing to provide support to the OCO. USG security operations for the Paralympics will be relocated from the U.S. Embassy to the OCO at Silver Tower. A total of BEIJING 00003300 003 OF 006 17 DS Field Liaison Officers (FLO) will be assigned to provide security assistance to U.S. Paralympic athletes at the competition venues; as they did during the Olympic Games, the FLOs will coordinate security measures for U.S. athletes and coaches with Chinese counterparts. On 08/15/2008, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) advised the Olympic Security Coordinator (OSC) that Paralympic FLOs would be issued "infinity" accreditation that will allow them unrestricted access to all Paralympic venues (ref. c). The OSC will also work to obtain Vehicle Access and Parking Passes (VAPPs) for the FLOs. ¶8. (SBU) FLO Activities Prior to Para Games: In the two week timeframe between the conclusion of the Summer Olympics and the commencement of the Paralympics, FLOs will assist the Regional Security Officer (RSO) with preparations for the move to the New Embassy Compound (NEC). ¶9. (SBU) Arrival of Paralympics Athletes and Status of Olympic Village: According to the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC),U.S. Paralympic athletes will arrive in Beijing between 08/30/2008 and 09/04/2008; a total of 300 U.S. athletes are expected to participate in the games. Chinese personnel at the Olympic Village have indicated that the Village will remain open during the break between the Olympic and the Paralympic Games, with the first Paralympic participants arriving on 08/24/2008. U.S. athletes will occupy the same buildings that were used by U.S. teams during the Olympics. In addition, BOCOG has designated 16 hotels as residences for Paralympic support personnel and has named 22 Beijing hospitals as treatment centers during the games. ¶10. (U) Beijing Lifts Traffic Restrictions: Beijing's Traffic Management Bureau has announced the lifting in some areas of the odd/even license plate restrictions imposed on 07/20/2008 to reduce pollution and to keep vehicles off the streets of Beijing during the Olympic Games. As of 08/28/2008, the restrictions will no longer apply on roads outside the 5th Ring, with the exception of the airport highway and sections of the Badaling and Beijing-Chengde expressway; however, the regulations will remain in place until 09/20/2008 for all locations within the 5th Ring Road. In addition, all Olympic travel lanes will reopen to traffic on 08/28/2008 and 24 of the 34 Olympic bus routes will be closed as of 08/31/2008. The bureau noted that eight Olympic bus routes will remain in operation through the Paralympics. ¶11. (U) Status of United Flight and Departure of Olympic Personnel: The 08/25/2008 United Airlines flight to Washington, DC, that was delayed until 0830 hours local time on 08/26/2008 (ref. c) has departed Beijing. Two hundred and forty U.S. Olympics athletes and a number of USG personnel were ticketed on the flight. The change in schedule is not BEIJING 00003300 004 OF 006 expected to affect United's other daily flights to Washington; according to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) representatives, the airline is operating at full or nearly full capacity from 08/25/2008 through 08/27/2008--the peak travel days for Olympics departures. With the exception of the DS watch officer, the two FBI on-scene personnel, and the 17 Paralympic FLOs, all USG Olympic support personnel will have departed Beijing as of 08/28/2008. The majority of U.S. Olympic athletes, coaches, and family members were scheduled to leave China prior to 08/27/2008. VIPS -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Departure of Head of USG Delegation: Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao--who led the USG Delegation to the Olympics Closing Ceremony--departed Beijing on 08/26/2008 for Shanghai. Secretary Chao will remain in Shanghai until her departure from China on 08/28/2008. ¶13. (SBU) USG Delegation to the Paralympic Games: The USG Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on 09/05/2008. The composition of the Delegation has not yet been announced. PUBLIC AFFAIRS/PUBLIC DIPLOMACY -------------- ¶14. (SBU) White House Comments on Human Rights: White House spokesperson Tony Fratto's 08/25/2008 comments on China's human rights record during the Olympics received wide coverage in the Western media. Reuters quoted Fratto as saying, "It was maybe a missed opportunity for the Chinese to demonstrate their willingness to be more open and to allow more freedom...I would say perhaps we're disappointed that they didn't take the full opportunity that was offered to them while the world was watching during these Olympics." Fratto's comments came after the 08/24/2008 U.S. Embassy statement pressing for the immediate release of eight detained American pro-Tibet protesters (ref. d) and expressed disappointment with China's failure to demonstrate greater tolerance during the Olympic Games. ¶15. (U) Embassy Statement Receives Coverage: The Embassy,s 08/24/2008 statement on the eight detained U.S. citizens--whom the Chinese deported to the U.S. the same evening--also received wide media coverage. A front page article in the 08/25/2008 Financial Times observed, "On the day of the Closing Ceremony of the Games, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing issued an unusually strong statement criticizing Chinese authorities for their handling of protests and dissent during the fortnight.... The tough language employed BEIJING 00003300 005 OF 006 by the U.S. underlines the way the Beijing Games have at times been overshadowed by accusations of human rights abuses." An 08/25/2008 article in the Washington Post read, "Before Sunday, the United States had made few public statements while China rounded up and deported foreigners who participated in unauthorized demonstrations." The New York Times on 08/25/2008 quoted a "Students for a Free Tibet" activist as saying that "pressure from Western governments and attention from the foreign news media might have prompted the early release of some of the detainees." CONSULAR AFFAIRS -------------- ¶16. (SBU) Summary of Detentions: During the period 08/06/2008 to 08/24/2008, 44 U.S. citizens were detained by Chinese authorities for various violations of Chinese law. Thirty-four Americans--28 of which were affiliated with the "Students for a Free Tibet" (SFT) and six of which belonged to "Free Tibet Reporters"--were detained while staging or planning pro-Tibet protests; five were detained for ticket-scalping; four were Christian activists protesting Chinese policies on abortion and religious freedom; and one was detained following an altercation with a taxi driver. Separately, another pro-Tibet activist was denied entry into China upon arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport on 08/07/2008 and was returned to the U.S. on a returning flight on 08/08/2008. Of the 44 detained Americans, all but one was deported to the United States; the remaining individual is currently on bail awaiting possible trial for assaulting a taxi driver. ¶17. (SBU) Rights Activist Deported: According to family members and later confirmed by Beijing's Public Security Bureau, U.S. citizen Edward Romero was deported from China on 08/26/2008. Romero is a rights activist whose protest involved defacing of hotel rooms; he was detained by Chinese police on 08/24/2008 while staging a protest at Tiananmen Square (ref. d). ¶18. (U) Tibet Earthquake: According to Chinese state-run media, an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale struck Zhongba County in the southern region of Tibet at 2122 hours local time on 08/25/2008. A U.S. Consulate General Chengdu consular officer who is currently in Lhasa felt no tremors in the Tibetan capital. There are no reports of injured or missing American citizens. POLITICAL AFFAIRS -------------- ¶19. (SBU) MFA Urges Respect for Chinese Law: According to media reports, in the wake of the numerous pro-Tibet BEIJING 00003300 006 OF 006 independence protests and deportations of activists that took place during the Olympics, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a statement on 08/25/2008 noting that engaging in "Tibet independence" activities violates Chinese law. "We hope the relevant countries will educate their nationals in respecting Chinese law when they come to China," the MFA statement added. ¶20. (SBU) Reported Detention of Underground Catholic Bishop Jia: The U.S. Embassy is seeking further information and registering concern with the Chinese Government over 08/26/2008 media reports that Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo--already under house arrest as a leading figure in the underground Catholic Church in China--was detained on 08/24/2008. The Chinese Government has detained Jia on numerous occasions for his underground church activities. ¶21. (SBU) Chinese Media Lavish Praise on Olympics Achievement: Chinese national media outlets have effusively praised China's hosting of the Olympic Games and the Games' positive impact on China's image in the world. "An image of an entirely new great country appeared before the world," read the Beijing Youth Daily. The English-language China Daily declared: "The Games were a historic climax of three decades of China opening to the world." The People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece, claimed that "never before has the Olympic spirit been shared as today, building a bridge of unity and friendship." Chinese media also reported extensively on positive comments from foreign governments and media. Absent from Chinese media coverage is any mention of controversies surrounding the Olympics, such as suppression of internal dissent, limitations on press freedoms and other human rights, and unrest in Tibet and the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. RANDT