KUNMING BOMBINGS: SOME LOCAL PERSPECTIVES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CHENGDU 000171

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/CM, DS/IP/ITA, DS/IP/EAP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/1/2033
TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM ASEC CH
SUBJECT: KUNMING BOMBINGS: SOME LOCAL PERSPECTIVES

REF: A. BEIJING 2946

B. 07 CHENGDU 267

C. 07 CHENGDU 100

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CLASSIFIED BY: James A. Boughner, Consul General, U.S. Consulate
General, Chengdu.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary: Following the July 21 bombing of two buses in
Southwest China's Yunnan provincial capital of Kunming, security
forces remain on alert with a noticeable stepped up presence in
some downtown areas. Speculation in the city appears still
focused, although not exclusively, on alleged ethnic Uighur
involvement. With rumors of possible other bombings, as well as
two recent false alarms, local nerves are somewhat on edge. End
Summary.

Atmospherics
--------------


2. (SBU) During a July 29-30 visit to Kunming, CG discussed with
official and other contacts the local security situation. Post
confirmed on July 21 with the Yunnan Public Security Bureau that
two separate explosions involving buses traveling west (Route
54) along one of Kunming's principal roads had occurred during
that morning's rush hour killing two and injuring 14 people.
Chinese authorities dismissed a subsequent claim of
responsibility by the ethnic Uighur "Turkestan Islamic Party"
(TIP). Up to two other bus bombings were "rumored" to have also
occurred in Kunming that day.


3. (SBU) The British "Guardian" newspaper later reported a bus
explosion might have occurred on July 28 in Kunming, although
local officials denied it. During CG's stay in Kunming he was
told by an eyewitness that the incident referred to by the
"Guardian" was in fact a bus tire blowing out. The eyewitness
said he and everyone else in the immediate area initially
thought there had been another bombing when they heard a loud
boom and saw black smoke rising from one of the front tires of
the bus.


4. (SBU) Not surprisingly, security appeared tighter than usual
at the Kunming airport upon CG's arrival late the afternoon of
July 29. Additional baggage search/metal detector procedures
were in place for passengers and only those holding tickets were
allowed within the airport terminal. CG's local driver said all
vehicles parked at the airport had to first go through a
security inspection, including engine checks. The driver added
that motorcycle security patrols were stepped up in several
areas of the city. CG saw a motorcycle patrol of eight
uniformed "special police" (Te Jing) wearing flak vests and
combat helmets near Kunming's Green Lake district, popular with
tourists and close to where the bus bombings occurred.


5. (SBU) During the evening of July 29, a downtown area of
Kunming was closed off when bomb disposal personnel (with
remote-controlled robot) were called in to deal with a
suspicious looking brief case that was left unattended in a
public area. According to local officials, the brief case
turned out to be just a brief case. One contact described how,
when he was on a Route 54 bus on July 30, security officials
both riding the bus and stationed at bus stops inspected all
passengers who tried to board with packages. Route 54 buses
have recently had very few passengers.

Government Contacts
--------------


6. (C) On July 30, Yunnan FAO Director Zhou Hong (protect) told
CG there were not yet any specific leads on the July 21
bombings. She remarked that "all scenarios" were being
considered. Referring to possible alleged involvement by ethnic
Uighurs from Xinjiang in Northwest China, Zhou remarked that, if
"Eastern Turkestan" (Dong Tu) forces had been involved, she
doubted Kunming's local Hui (ethnic Han Muslims) residents would
try to shield them. (Note: Islam in what is now Yunnan
Province dates back to at least the 13th century; one estimate
puts Kunming's current Hui population at around 500,000. End
note). Zhou added that, although Yunnan does not have any
indigenous Uighurs, some Uighurs live in the province
"illegally." A reward of RMB 300,000 (about USD 44,000) is
being offered to anyone who can provide information that leads
to the arrest of those responsible for the bombings. Local
security officials are currently trying to track the origin of
the components used in the bombs.


7. (C) Yunnan Information Office Director Deng Meiying (protect)

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commented to CG that what worries government authorities most
about the bombings is that they appear to indicate a degree of
coordination and planning that can not be explained as just the
action of one angry individual. On the other hand, the
explosive devices used were "crude and unsophisticated," not the
work of a "well-financed organization." She asserted, "Uighurs
are of course dangerous," but there have not been any
significant security incidents involving Hui in Yunnan "since
the 1980's." (Note: refs b and c discuss continued
sensitivities about the killing of approximately 900 Hui by
People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops during a confrontation in
1975 in the village of Shadian about 250 kilometers southeast of
Kunming. Shadian is currently the center of a very active
madrassa that attracts students from throughout western China.
What will be China's largest mosque is currently being
constructed there. End note.)

Malaysian Consul General
--------------


8. (C) Malaysia's Kunming-based Consul General (protect) told CG
his local security contacts stressed to him "Eastern Turkestan"
forces could not have been behind the July 21 bombings. When he
asked them why not, they replied "because we already rounded up
all Uighurs (and Tibetans) in Kunming during the last several
months in preparation for the Olympics and sent them back to
their home villages;" and, "we did not pick up any suspicious
discussions between Uighurs during our monitoring of local cell
phone conversations." The Malaysian Consul General said his
security contacts really did not appear to know who was
responsible for the bombings. He has not come across any
evidence to support rumors that there were four -- not two --
bus bombings in Kunming on July 21.


9. (C) While he doubts local Hui would support Uighurs to "cause
trouble," the Malaysian CG also volunteered he has been tasked
by his government to try to keep an eye on possible
foreign-supported radicalization of young Hui in Shadian. Hui
leaders in Shadian are quite wealthy due to their control of
mining and manufacturing interests in the area, but it is
possible that recent expansion of mosques and madrassas in
Shadian has also been facilitated with overseas support. (Note:
per ref b, the head of a new madrassa near Shadian told us in
late 2007 that his school had Saudi instructors. A senior
instructor at Shadian's main madrassa studied for a number of
years in both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. End note).


10. (C) According to the Malaysian Consul General, one theory
currently being investigated by government authorities is that
the bombings could be linked to a violent confrontation that
took place just two days earlier on July 19 between ethnic Dai
and local security officers in Menglian (southern Yunnan near
the Burma border). The confrontation allegedly involved a
dispute at a rubber plantation that left at least two Dai dead
and 15 injured, as well as 41 police injured and eight police
vehicles smashed. The Malaysian Consul General speculated the
dispute could have been due to illegal land grabs by
Han-controlled firms. Menglian is also a major transiting area
for drugs smuggled in from Burma.

Two Businessmen
--------------


11. (C) One local business contact (ethnic Han; former PLA) told
CG "most people" in Kunming blame Uighurs for the bus bombings,
noting with irony that "when the Uighurs don't do anything, the
government blames them for something; when they claim to have
done something, the government says they didn't." According to
the contact, Yunnan attracts many Uighurs because they can find
work from wealthy Hui businessmen and the overall political and
security environment is far less strict than in Xinjiang.
(Note: see ref c for a discussion CG had in early 2007 with a
Saudi-trained Uighur instructor at the Najiaying mosque south of
Kunming in which he made similar points about the advantages of
living in Yunnan. End note). The contact asserted that even
before the bombings, "Chinese" in Kunming were wary of
interacting with "Muslims." He pointed to a passing van driven
by a Hui that had Koranic verses in Arabic stenciled on the back
window and noted, "you don't want to get into a traffic accident
with `those people.'"


12. (C) A longtime foreign businessman resident in Kunming told
CG most of his local staff believe Uighurs were behind the July
21 bombings and that government officials may be trying to cover
up that there were other bombings as well. He said that rumors
of possible further incidents during the Olympic period are
rampant and some of his local staff are avoiding crowded
downtown areas.

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Comments
--------------


13. (C) Whoever turns out to have been responsible for the July
21 bus bombings, there appears little question that Yunnan
authorities are taking seriously the possibility of other
incidents and putting into place added security measures. One
example? According to the general manager of a restaurant where
CG hosted a lunch on July 30 for Kunming-based Consuls Generals
(Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia),security officers
closely searched the premises ahead of time and stationed
plainclothes personnel inside and in front of the restaurant
during the event.
BOUGHNER