TIANANMEN ANNIVERSARY PASSES QUIETLY AMID HEAVY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 001494 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2029 TAGS: PHUM PGOV CH SUBJECT: TIANANMEN ANNIVERSARY PASSES QUIETLY AMID HEAVY SECURITY REF: A. BEIJING 1467 ¶B. BEIJING 1390 ¶C. BEIJING 1387 ¶D. BEIJING 400 ¶E. SHANGHAI 249 ¶F. SHANGHAI 245 ¶G. GUANGZHOU 338 ¶H. CHENGDU 99 Classified By: Political Internal Unit Chief Dan Kritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The 20th anniversary of the June 4, 1989 massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators passed quietly in Beijing amid the tightest security witnessed in Tiananmen Square in years. As of 17:30 Beijing time, no unrest or large-scale demonstrations were observed by PolOffs posted at Tiananmen and the university district. For the first time in recent memory, a steady stream of mourners was allowed to leave flowers and gifts at the family residence of late Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, who was sacked over the 1989 protests. Beijing university campuses were quiet. In a rare prominent mention of the Tiananmen massacre by a mainstream PRC media outlet, today's English- language edition of the foreign affairs daily Global Times included a front-page feature asserting that China's economic successes illustrates that the government chose the right course during the "turmoil" of 1989. End Summary. Tiananmen: Overwhelming Security Presence -------------- ¶2. (SBU) PolOffs posted at Tiananmen Square and key Beijing university campuses throughout the day on June 4 observed an extremely tight security posture, notably stricter than security measures during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Security included checkpoints screening all visitors at entrances to Tiananmen square, large numbers of uniformed police, conspicuous plainclothes security personnel at regular intervals, and prominently parked police paddy wagons. Security also appeared to include a large number of citizen "volunteers" who, in the guise of tour groups, were monitoring developments on the Square. For most of the day security personnel on the Square appeared to outnumber visitors. PLA facilities in the Tiananmen area were guarded by fully armed soldiers in battle fatigues. A handwritten sign on the gate of the Mao Zedong mausoleum announced it would be closed from June 3-5 for "preparations for repairs." Drink and concessions stands which normally dot the square had been removed. ¶3. (SBU) Poloffs observed no signs of large-scale organized protests, and police and plainclothes personnel were quick to break up gatherings of more than two or three people, including petitioners. Although human rights activists had urged visitors to the Square to wear white clothes as a symbol of mourning and silent protest, PolOffs did not note a particular prevalence of white clothing. One exception was a group of approximately 15 elderly women dressed entirely in white with white baseball caps who were immediately surrounded by police when they approached the Square. After arguing with police the women departed. At least one was driven away in a police vehicle, although PolOff did not witness any use of force by the police. PolOff also overheard a number of the ubiquitous petitioners who often converge on Tiananmen complaining that the police were not allowing them to congregate in groups. In the late afternoon, PolOff observed a group of approximately 10 people wearing white hats with the number "20" written on them. Security officers forced them to remove their hats before allowing them to enter the Square. Universities Quiet -------------- ¶4. (SBU) University campuses in Beijing were quiet, although Peking University required ID checks for all visitors entering the campus, with security personnel frequently refusing entry to visitors, including PolOffs, with no official business on campus. Although this policy was implemented during the 2008 Olympics, it appeared to have been enforced more stringently today. PolOffs who were able to enter the campus observed no unusual activity but noted the presence of police and plainclothes patrols on campus. An American citizen coordinator of a U.S. university program at Peking University told PolOff he had not heard of any planned student protests and that today's Chinese students were largely "apolitical." PolOffs visited other prominent universities in Beijing including Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, and Renmin University at regular intervals throughout the day. Access to these campuses, in contrast to Peking University, was unrestricted and PolOffs observed no evidence of unusual activity or heightened security. Steady Stream of Mourners at Zhao Ziyang's Home -------------- -- ¶5. (C) At the downtown Beijing home of former Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, who was sacked over the 1989 protests and remained under house arrest until his death in 2005, PolOff witnessed a steady stream of mourners visit the home, some of whom were bearing flowers and gifts. This marked the first time in at least the past three years that mourners have been observed at Zhao's home on June 4. The security presence at Zhao's house was also more high-profile than in past years, with very visible plainclothes police present, which one passerby identified as "special police" ("tewu"). Two mourners who PolOff witnessed bringing gifts to Zhao's home were allowed by the plainclothes police to approach the door. A young man who appeared to be Zhao's grandson answered the door, after which he firmly told a mourner bearing flowers that the family did not want people coming to the house and insisted that they take away the flowers the mourner had brought to honor Zhao. After police began moving toward the door, the grandson accepted the flowers. A second mourner who knocked on the door in PolOff's presence was also greeted by the grandson, who immediately accept a bag of gifts. After police told PolOff to depart the scene, a man approached PolOff and said, "We Chinese pay our debts, and we are paying our debt to Zhao Ziyang for what he did for China. People have been paying their respects all day by bringing gifts and mementos." Global Times Breaks Media Silence -------------- ¶6. (SBU) China's domestic media generally maintained its silence about the events of 1989, though one notable exception was a story in the English- language edition of Global Times, published by the Communist Party's flagship newspaper People's Daily. The article, which appeared on the bottom of the front page, hews closely to the party line that China's economic success of the past 20 years demonstrates that the regime's decision to crack down on the demonstrators was correct. Though the article gives few details of the actual events of June 3-4, 1989, it does mention that the topic remains "sensitive" in China and that Chinese search engines block searches related to the "June 4 incident." The English-language story also draws on an earlier article that appeared in the June 1 edition of the Global Times' Chinese version that asserted the China Democracy Party and other U.S.- based dissident organizations lack support or influence. The June 1 article also criticized Tiananmen dissidents, including Wang Dan, for allegedly accepting money from the Taiwan government, and detailed supposed womanizing by exiled dissident Wei Jingsheng. ¶7. (C) Wang Wen (protect),the opinion editor at Global Times, told Poloff that the paper had come under heat for their June 1 story, not for the line they took but for mentioning June 4 at all. He said the propaganda effort to cover up the incident has been successful because most Chinese under 30 "don't know anything" about the 1989 events. Wang said that his paper showed "guts" by running the article on June 4, if only in the English version, stating that he was writing an editorial for the June 5 edition, also on the Tiananmen anniversary. Activists Under Lockdown -------------- ¶8. (C) Meanwhile, activists continued to report being placed under lockdown by Chinese security forces. Zeng Jinyan (protect),wife of jailed dissident Hu Jia, told PolOff today that she was prevented from leaving her apartment on June 3 by PRC security. Security minders told her she will be confined to her apartment until at least June 5. Zeng said the agents told her they would allow her to leave soon after June 4 "if she cooperated." Zeng's fixed phone line and Internet have been cut off, but she is still able to use her mobile. Security officials warned Zeng not to accept foreign media interviews, but she told PolOff she was doing so anyway. Zeng was subject to similar restrictions during the U.S.-China human rights dialogue last year and during Secretary Clinton's visit in February. Separately, on the morning of June 3, Public Security officers in Beijing's Haidian District detained human rights lawyer Tang Jitian, according to an associate of Tang's. PolOff attempted to phone Tang the evening of June 4, but his cell phone remained turned off. Final Reflections -------------- ¶9. (C) Xue Fukang (protect),Vice Chairman of the Central Party School-affiliated think tank China Reform Forum on June 4 told PolOffs he did not expect to see any large-scale Tiananmen-related activity in Beijing. Perhaps in 20 or 30 years, Xue said, Chinese society will be able to look back and "evaluate" June 4, 1989 as a "historical question." In the meantime, Xue claimed, "most" Chinese citizens believe that the economic growth and prosperity of the last 20 years prove that the government's actions two decades ago were "correct." Xue nevertheless conceded that the violent crackdown had come with certain "costs" for China, and even today, the topic remains "too sensitive" for honest, open reflection, given the "divisions" that still exist over the crackdown, both within the Party and society at large. PICCUTA