SITREP NO. 31: TIANANMEN AT 0245 ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 15411

NIACT IMMEDIATE FOR CHINA WATCH

NSC FOR DOUG PAAL

E.O.12356:DECL:OADR
TAGS: PGOV PHU SOCI CH
SUBJECT: SITREP NO. 31: TIANANMEN AT 0245 ON
- JUNE 4: GUNFIRE ON THE SQUARE, TWO APC'S
- BURNING ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SQUARE
CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 BEIJIN 15411 01 OF 02 031821Z


REF: BEIJING (##)


1. CONFIDENTIAL ENTIRE TEXT.


2. SUMMARY: AS OF 0145, ABC NEWS REPORTERS ON THE
SQUARE REPORTED THE PRESENCE OF TROOPS AND RIOT
POLICE ON THE SOUTHERN END OF TIANANMEN. TEAR GAS
AND GUNFIRE WERE REPORTED ON THE SQUARE. EMBOFF SAW
TRACERS BEING FIRED OVER THE SQUARE. ABC JOURNALISTS
SAID THAT TWO ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIERS WERE ON FIRE
AT THE NORTHEAST AND NORTHWEST CORNERS OF THE
SQUARE. A BARRICADE NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF
FUXINGMEN AND THE SECOND RING ROAD WAS BREACHED AS
TROOPS ADVANCED ON THE SQUARE FROM THE WEST. AS OF
0250, THE SITUATION IN THE CENTER OF THE CITY WAS
VERY CONFUSED. TROOPS APPEAR TO BE ATTEMPTING TO
CLEAR THE SQUARE FROM WEST TO EAST. WE HAVE NO
ACCURATE COUNT OF DEAD AND WOUNDED, BUT CASUALTIES NO
DOUBT WILL BE HIGH (##)
DEMONSTRATOR WHO LAID DOWN IN FRONT OF AN
ADVANCING APC AND WAS RUN OVER. UNCONFIRMED ACCOUNTS
CITE SEVENTY DEAD AND MANY WOUNDED. GIVEN THE
AGGRESIVE PLA MOVES REPORTED BY ABC NEWS REPORTERS,
WE EXPECT FINAL COUNTS OF DEAD AND INJURED TO BE VERY
HIGH. END SUMMARY.


3. STUDENTS SET DEBRIS THROWN ATOP AT LEAST ONE
ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER AND LIT THE DEBRIS,
ACCORDING TO EMBOFF NEAR THE SCENE. ABC REPORTED
THAT ONE OTHER ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER IS AFLAME.
AT LEAST ONE BUS WAS ALSO BURNING, ACCORDING TO ABC
NEWS REPORTERS ON THE SQUARE AT 0120. THE
EYEWITNESSES REPORTED THAT TROOPS AND RIOT POLICE
WERE ON THE SOUTHERN END OF THE SQUARE AND TROOPS
WERE MOVING TO THE SQUARE FROM THE WESTERN SIDE OF
THE CITY. THEY REPORTEDLY BROKE THROUGH A BARRICADE
NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF FUXINGMEN AND THE SECOND
RING ROAD. DEMONSTRATORS' BARRICADES HAVE SLOWED BUT
NOT STOPPED THE TROOPS' ADVANCE. THERE HAS
REPORTEDLY BEEN INDISCRIMINATE GUNFIRE BY THE TROOPS
ON THE SQUARE. WE CAN HEAR GUNFIRE FROM THE EMBASSY
AND JIANGUOMENWAI DIPLOMATIC COMPOUND. EYEWITNESSES
REPORT TEAR GAS ON THE SQUARE, FLARES BEING FIRED
ABOVE IT, AND TRACERS BEING FIRED OVER IT.


4. ACCORDING TO UNCONFIRMED REPORTS, SEVENTY HAVE
BEEN KILLED AND LARGE NUMBERS WOUNDED. ANOTHER
REPORT CITED NINE DEAD AND OVER ONE-HUNDRED WOUNDED
AT THE FUXING HOSPITAL. THE CHILDRENS' HOSPITAL
INDICATED THAT IT HAD 11 DEAD. WE HAVE A FIRM REPORT
THAT AT LEAST ONE HAS DIED, HAVING BEEN RUN OVER BY
AN APC. EYEWITNESSES SAID THAT AN APC MOVING TOWARD
THE SQUARE FROM THE EAST CRASHED THROUGH A BARRICADE
AND PLOWED RIGHT THROUGH A CROWD ON CHANGAN STREET.
FINAL NUMBERS OF DEAD AND WOUNDED COULD BE VERY HIGH,
BASED ON EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF THE ARMY'S ACTION
THUS FAR.


5. THE SITUATION IN THE CENTER OF THE CITY IS VERY
CONFUSED. POLOFFS AT THE BEIJING HOTEL REPORTED THAT
TROOPS ARE PUSHING A LARGE CROWD OF DEMONSTRATORS
EAST ON CHANGANJIE. ALTHOUGH THESE TROOPS APPEAR NOT
TO BE FIRING ON THE CROWD, POLOFFS REPORT FIRING
BEHIND THE TROOPS COMING FROM THE SQUARE.


6. A LARGE CONVOY OF MILITARY VEHICLES IS COMING
TOWARD THE CITY FROM THE WESTERN SIDE OF BEIJING.


7. SOME UNITS HAVE NOT ADOPTED SUCH AGGRESIVE
MOVES. AT 0124, AN EMBASSY SPOUSE SAW TROOPS AT THE
JIANGUOMENWAI OVERPASS NEXT TO THE DIPLOMATIC HOUSING
COMPOUND TALKING CALMLY WITH THE CITY RESIDENTS
BLOCKING THEIR PATH. CONVERSELY, PANIC REPORTEDLY
SET IN AMONG PEOPLE ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE CITY
WHERE THE VIOLENCE HAS BEEN WORST THUS FAR.


LILLEY