OLYMPIC "PROTEST ZONES" -- SECURITY AUTHORITIES'

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 003428

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2033
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL PROP KOLY CH
SUBJECT: OLYMPIC "PROTEST ZONES" -- SECURITY AUTHORITIES'
FEAR OF CRITICISM TRUMPED PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSIDERATIONS

REF: A. BEIJING 2865

B. BEIJING 2009

C. OSC CPP20080725704002

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson
for reasons 1.4 (B/D).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) A lack of coordination between the Beijing
Olympics organizing committee and security forces led
to the poor implementation of the Olympics "protest
zones," according to several Embassy contacts. While
academics we spoke with felt the Games improved
China's international image overall, the designation
of three Beijing parks as protest zones turned into a
major public relations misstep when the Beijing Public
Security Bureau (PSB) failed to approve even a single
demonstration. The Beijing PSB, one contact told us,
simply had no incentive to allow even a small protest
given the extremely tense security atmosphere
surrounding the Games. Another contact speculated
that the fatal stabbing of an American tourist coupled
with terror attacks in Xinjiang made security
officials even more reluctant to risk problems by
implementing the protest zone concept. Despite the
lack of real protests, the protest zones were reported
in China's domestic media, with one major news
magazine printing a thinly veiled criticism of the
tight controls on free expression. End summary.

Apply at Your Own Risk
--------------


2. (SBU) Liu Shaowu, head of security for the Beijing
Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th
Olympiad (BOCOG),announced to the domestic and
international media July 23 that Beijing would
designate "demonstration zones" in three city parks,
World Park (Fengtai District),Zizhuyuan (or Purple
Bamboo) Park (Haidian District) and Ritan (or Temple
of the Sun) Park (Chaoyang District) (ref A). PolOffs
visited at least one of the three parks during each
day of the Olympic Games and never witnessed any
protest activity. Discussions with park staff and
local security officials revealedthat, at best, they
had only vague familiarit with the protest zone
policy, and none of the parks had made preparations to
actually host a demonstration. On August 18, the
Xinhua News Agency reported that 77 people, including
three foreigners, had applied to the Beijing Public
Security Bureau to hold protests. According to
Xinhua, 74 would-be demonstrators withdrew their
applications after their grievances were "resolved,"
and no protests were actually approved. At least six
Chinese were reportedly detained after applying to use
the protest zones, including two elderly women who
were administratively sentenced to one year of
reeducation through labor, though authorities later
reportedly rescinded this punishment.

Protest Zones Blemish PR Effort
--------------


3. (C) Li Xiguang (protect),Executive Dean of
Tsinghua University's School of Journalism and
Communication, told PolOff August 26 that overall the
Olympics represented a remarkable turnaround for
China's international image after months of negative
press related to Tibet and human rights. Li said an
analysis of international news coverage that he
conducted in cooperation with colleagues overseas
revealed that only 22 percent of the Olympics news
stories in the American and the European press were
"negative" toward China. Li said the lavish opening
ceremony was "money well spent," as the international
reaction was overwhelmingly positive. From the point
of view of the Chinese Government, Li explained, the
fatal attack on American Olympic team-related tourists
at Beijing's Drum Tower August 9 was, in addition to
being a tragedy, the major public relations crisis of
the Olympics. Li agreed, however, that the stillborn
"protest zones" actually generated more negative
Western press attention than the tragic stabbing. Li
took credit for convincing BOCOG to designate the
protest zones, noting that he had floated the idea at
a May 10 conference attended by high-level State
Council Information Office and Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA) officials (ref B). However, Li was at a

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loss to explain why the Government did not allow even
a single protest.

Lack of Coordination Doomed Protest Zones
--------------


4. (C) Most contacts we spoke with expressed belief
that a lack of coordination between BOCOG and China's
public security apparatus was to blame for the protest
zone fiasco. Liu Libin (protect),Deputy Secretary
General of Tsinghua University's International Center
for Communication Studies, told PolOff that while
BOCOG and MFA officials understood the public
diplomacy benefits of allowing at least some
demonstrations, the Beijing Public Security Bureau
(PSB),which was responsible for vetting protest
applications, never accepted the idea. As the opening
ceremony grew closer, Liu said, and top leaders
increasingly emphasized security as the sole criteria
for the success of the Games, the Beijing PSB felt the
risk of approving even a small, relatively
uncontroversial demonstration was too great. From the
PSB perspective, Liu said, approving a protest brought
"many risks and zero rewards."

Zhou Yongkang Himself Vetoed Protests
--------------


5. (C) Yang Ziyun (protect),a senior editor of
Zhongguo Gaige ("China Reforms"),the journal of the
National Development and Reform Commission, offered a
similar analysis to PolOff August 29. Yang
characterized the protest zone debacle as a clash
between "BOCOG and the State Council" on the one hand
and Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang,
who is in charge of China's domestic security
apparatus, on the other. Yang said Zhou vetoed the
idea of allowing any protests in the designated zones.
Ding Kuisong (protect),the Vice Chairman of the China
Reform Forum, speculated that the Drum Tower attack
and incidents of violence in Xinjiang boosted the hand
of security forces and made them even more reluctant
to implement the protest zone concept.


6. (C) Guangming Ribao editor Dong Yuyu (protect) told
PolOff that BOCOG agreed to create the protest zones
as a show of respect for the International Olympic
Committee and to comply with IOC rules. At most, Dong
argued, Chinese authorities were prepared to allow
foreigners to use the zones. Dong said BOCOG then
"spilled the beans" by announcing the establishment of
the zones to the domestic and international press.
BOCOG's high-profile announcement of the zones was "a
mistake," as there was never any intention to allow
"real protests" by Chinese to take place.

Praise, then Disappointment in Chinese Press
--------------


7. (SBU) In general, the domestic press has treated
the protest zone story with caution and has rarely
ventured beyond Xinhua News Agency copy. The China
Youth Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Youth
League, praised the protest zone idea in a July 24
editorial (ref C),saying the zone offered an
opportunity for "democratic training." There is
nothing to fear from allowing the expression of
"wrong" opinions in the parks, the commentary said, as
"erroneous ideas will naturally fail in the battle
between points of view." Internet chat room
commentary, however, was generally skeptical, with one
late-July posting on the Caijing magazine website
calling the protest zone plan "a joke" and another
predicting authorities would "release the hounds" on
any demonstrators that "get out of hand." Since the
closing ceremony, the Chinese press has been largely
silent on the protest zones with the notable exception
of a critical article in the September 1 edition of
China Newsweek (Zhongguo Xinwen Zhoukan). The article
describes an August 9 incident during which a man
reportedly unfurled a banner in Ritan Park that called
for a reduction in the gap between rich and poor and
expressed support for President Hu Jintao's
"scientific development" theory. Though the sign
largely mimicked Government slogans, the man was still
whisked away by police in a matter of minutes. The
China Newsweek piece goes on to describe, with thinly
veiled sarcasm, how the "protest parks" were otherwise
devoid of demonstrations during the Games.
RANDT