NORTHEAST CHINA STUDENTS REACT TO BEIJING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SHENYANG 1301 BEIJING PASS CHENGDU DEPARTMENT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USTR E.O. 12356: NA TAGS: PGOV SOCI PHUM CH SUBJECT: NORTHEAST CHINA STUDENTS REACT TO BEIJING MASSACRES REF: SHENYANG 1286 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. SUMMARY: NORTHEAST STUDENTS TODAY RESPONDED TO NEWS OF THE PEOPLES LIBERATION ARMYS FIRING ON PRO- DEMOCRACY DEMONSTRATORS IN BEIJING BY ORGANIZING ORDERLY FUNERAL PROCESSIONS AND PROTEST MARCHES TO SPREAD THE WORD TO STUNNED AND SYMPATHETIC CITIZENS. THE STUDENTS ATTACKED THE USE OF BRUTAL FORCE, MOURNED THE DEAD, AND CARRIED BANNERS DEMANDING THE STRANGLING OF LI PENG. SOME SHENYANG STUDENTS PARADED THROUGH AN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, BUT NO WORKERS JOINED IN THE MARCHES. END SUMMARY. ¶2. OVER FIVE THOUSAND SHENYANG STUDENTS FROM THE AVIATION COLLEGE, LIAONING UNIVERSITY, POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, AND NORTHEAST UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY PARADED IN FUNERAL PROCESSIONS AND PROTEST MARCHES TODAY TO INFORM CITIZENS OF THE BEIJING MASSACRES. THE ORGANIZED AND ORDERLY MARCHES COVERED A LARGE SECTION OF THE CITY, INCLUDING THE INDUSTRIAL TIEXI DISTRICT. THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT TO INCITE CITY RESIDENTS. ONLOOKERS APPEARED SADDENED AND SYMPATHETIC. THEY APPLAUDED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS CALLS FOR OPPOSING THE USE OF VIOLENCE AND FOR OVERTHROWING AND STRANGLING LI PENG. STUDENTS AND WORKERS DO NOT EXPECT ANY PROTEST ACTIVITY OTHER THAN CONTINUED STUDENT DEMONSTRATIONS. ¶3. DESIGNATED STUDENTS WALKED NEXT TO ONLOOKERS PASSING ON THE CHIEF MESSAGE THAT THE PLA OPENED FIRE ON STUDENTS AND BEIJING RESIDENTS TODAY RESULTING IN MANY CASUALTIES. CHANTS AND BANNERS CALLED FOR OPPOSING THE BRUTAL SLAUGHTERS AND WHAT THEY TERM FASCISM. THEY ARE PROFOUNDLY AFRAID THAT THE LOSS OF LIVES WAS IN VAIN AND CALL FOR REPAYMENT IN BLOOD. SLOGANS TARGETED LI PENG FOR OVERTHROW AND DEATH BY STRANGULATION. BANNERS ALSO ATTACKED DENG XIAOPING AS THE "TRUE POISON" BEHIND THE SHOOTINGS. IN BETWEEN SHOUTINGS OF SLOGANS, MARCHERS MOURNFULLY SANG "INTERNATIONALE." LIAONING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS HAD A BANNER THAT READ, "FIRE YOUR GUNS AT US, WERE GUILTY OF PATRIOTISM." THE STUDENTS ARE STUNNED AND INDIGNANT ABOUT THE BEIJING TRAGEDY. ¶4. ELSEWHERE IN THE NORTHEAST, STUDENTS FROM THE AREAS KEY UNIVERSITIES LED MOCK FUNERAL MARCHES (IN DALIAN AND HARBIN) TO PROTEST THE GOVERNMENTS POLICY OF VIOLENCE. IN HARBIN, TWO THOUSAND STUDENTS FROM THE HARBIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MARCHED IN PROTEST SUNDAY AFTERNOON. IN DALIAN, DALIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (DUT) STUDENTS HAD BEGUN THEIR PROTEST ON SATURDAY NIGHT UPON RECEIVING THE NEWS THAT TROOPS HAD BEGUN TO MOVE IN BEIJING. FROM 11:00 P.M. ON SATURDAY UNTIL 2:00 A.M. ON SUNDAY, MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND DUT STUDENTS PARADED THROUGHOUT THE DUT CAMPUS CALLING ON TEACHERS TO JOIN THEM IN CONDEMNING GOVERNMENT ACTIONS. ON SUNDAY, WHILE DUT STUDENTS RESTED, THREE THOUSAND OTHER MARCHERS -- INCLUDING STUDENTS FROM THE DALIAN MARINE COLLEGE AND THE NORTHEAST FINANCE UNIVERSITY -- TOOK TO THE STREETS IN A MOCK FUNERAL MARCH TO MOURN THE DEATHS OF THE BEIJING STUDENTS AND TO CONDEMN GOVERNMENT ACTIONS. SUNDAY AFTERNOON, DUT STUDENTS DEBATED THE MERITS OF ABANDONING THE UNIVERSITY, NOT JUST BOYCOTTING CLASSES. ¶5. WHILE MANY IN THE NORTHEAST RECEIVED THE NEWS FROM BEIJING WITH STUNNED DISBELIEF, STUDENTS IN CHANGCHUN REACTED LESS PASSIVELY. ACCORDING TO A RELIABLE CONSULATE SOURCE, MORE THAN TEN THOUSAND ANGRY AND DEFIANT STUDENTS -- LED BY STUDENTS FROM JILIN UNIVERSITY AND NORTHEAST NORMAL UNIVERSITY -- PARADED THROUGH THE STREETS OF CHANGCHUN THIS AFTERNOON, BRANDISHING SIGNS DECLARING THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT ("WE ARE NOT AFRAID"),CONDEMNING LI PENG ("STRANGLE LI PENG"), AND MOURNING THE LOSS OF STUDENT LIVES. SEVERAL MARCHERS WORE SHIRTS EMBLAZONED WITH THE CHINESE CHARACTERS FOR "FREEDOM" SPLATTERED WITH BLOOD. ¶6. IN NONE OF THE NORTHEASTERN CITIES WERE ANY LARGE CONCENTRATIONS OF POLICE OR MILITARY NOTED, ALTHOUGH SOME OBSERVERS REPORTED SEEING SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF NON-UNIFORMED POLICE AT THE VARIOUS MARCH SITES. LEAHY