Cablegate: Anti-Chen Protest Motorcade in Kaohsiung, Pingtung, And

VZCZCXRO9199
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHIN #3444/01 2770943
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 040943Z OCT 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2480
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5741
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 8092
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0420
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1431
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 5399
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 9599
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6956

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003444

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AIT/W, EAP/TC, INR/EAP

FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL TW
SUBJECT: Anti-Chen Protest Motorcade in Kaohsiung, Pingtung, and
Taitung - Smoother Sailing

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY

1. (SBU) Summary: On the evening of October 3, the anti-President
Chen motorcade led by Shih Ming-teh passed through Kaohsiung City
without stopping and held a rally in Pingtung City. Two thousand
local people joined the event, which ended peacefully without
encountering any protest from pro-Chen supporters. Police in
Taitung anticipate no problems with the anti-Chen rally there. End
Summary.

Kaohsiung City and County
-------------------------
2. (SBU) Lacking a permit to rally in Kaohsiung City, the anti-Chen
motorcade passed through Kaohsiung City peacefully without stopping.
Hundreds of local anti-Chen supporters, mobilized by City Council
candidate Wang Ling-chiao (PFP), welcomed the anti-Chen motorcade in
front of the Kaohsiung City Government building. Across the road,
stood hundreds of pro-Chen supporters, some of whom were mobilized
by an independent City council candidate Huang Wan-hung. The two
groups of people were separated by police. The anti-Chen motorcade,
escorted by Kaohsiung police cars, passed safely and without
incident through the city, though there were several altercations
and arrests involving pro-Chen counter-protesters.

3. (SBU) In the remainder of its travel through Kaohsiung County,
the anti-Chen motorcade was welcomed by few people as it headed to
Pingtung without stopping. A rumor that Shih Ming-teh might stop at
a certain point in the route near the scenic Chengqing Lake
attracted a gathering of people. A minor confrontation and pushing
match broke out between small groups of anti-Chen and pro-Chen
supporters, but was broken up quickly by police who arrived after
the confrontation began.

Pingtung County
---------------

4. (SBU) With permission from Pingtung County Magistrate Chao
Chi-hung (DPP), an anti-Chen rally was held October 3 in Pingtung
Stadium, which has a capacity of 10,000. The application for the
permit came from KMT Legislator Liao Wan-ju. AIT/K staff estimated
some 2,000 local people participated in the rally and at least 1,000
police were deployed around the site. United Daily News (October 4
Kaohsiung edition) put the number of participants at 1,500. There
were no obvious pro-DPP supporters at the site, although a few
senior citizens were standing on the other side of the police lines.
In his speech at the Pingtung rally, former DPP chairman Shih
Ming-teh called the Anti-Chen Action the "most glorious moment" of
his life and criticized acting Kaohsiung Mayor Yeh Chu-lan for her
close ties to what Shih characterized as a corrupt DPP government.

5. (SBU) Two police officers in Pingtung told AIT/K staff that
permission for the anti-Chen rally had been properly granted
according to the law and that having a legal rally made it easier
for them to do their jobs. When asked whether the police around
Taiwan tend to support the pan-Blue camp, one officer indicated that
historically pan-Blue supporters are less violent during
demonstrations compared with the pan-Green camp, making them easier
to deal with. One police officer observed that the anti-Chen
protestors are very easy to handle as long as pro-Chen supporters do
not come out to confront rally participants. After the rally, the
anti-Chen protestors stayed overnight in Kenting, a beach resort
town in the southern portion of Pingtung County, with local police
providing them with protection.

6. (SBU) Independent Pingtung Legislator Tsai Hao also joined the
Pingtung rally. Local people at the rally said that Tsai had
offered to host a dinner for the anti-Chen group, but was refused
because Shih Ming-teh did not want to be associated with any
political faction. At the rally, a much relieved participant in the
Shih motorcade told AIT/K staff that he believed the tensest moments
of the tour were over. The staff member said the group had rightly
sensed danger earlier upon their arrival in Chiayi City and County,
where they had been attacked with bricks and rocks.

7. (SBU) While the southern tour itself is nearing an end, there
will be some political aftereffects. As reported by United Daily
News on October 4, the anti-Chen action headquarters has pressed
charges of negligence and interference with freedom of expression
against Tainan County Magistrate Su Huan-Chih and Tainan County

TAIPEI 00003444 002 OF 002

Police Bureau Commissioner Huang Fu-sheng for blocking the county's
main road to stop the anti-Chen motorcade from entering Tainan
County.

Taitung County
--------------
8. (SBU) In conversations with AIT/K, Taitung police reported that
they are not worried about the possibility of conflict when Shih's
motorcade arrives. Taitung police took a proactive stance by making
advance personal visits or phone calls earlier this week to known
troublemakers, encouraging them to stay home and take no action
against the anti-Chen motorcade or rally participants. The local
DPP office also took a proactive role in preventing any conflict by
issuing a press release telling DPP members to avoid the rally site
and prohibiting party members from mobilizing DPP supporters to
visit the rally. So far, Taitung officials estimate that no more
than 2,000 persons will attend the rally, for which a permit was
issued readily by the ruling KMT Magistrate Kuang Li-zhen.

Comment
---------

9. (SBU) Thanks to active involvement and sharing of resources by
police throughout southern Taiwan, possible confrontations were
anticipated and dealt with quickly. Incidents in Chiayi showed that
DPP support there still has some passion. The general lack of
interest in the anti-Chen motorcade following the Chiayi and Tainan
legs suggests that the DPP administration's scandals over the past
year may have reduced the willingness of formerly active DPP
supporters to come out to support the DPP cause. DPP supporters who
did come out in southern Taiwan by-and-large appeared to be senior
citizens mobilized to make an appearance on behalf of local DPP
party offices. By contrast, most of the local anti-Chen supporters
who came to greet the motorcade or join rallies were younger or
middle-aged persons, suggesting that the DPP may be losing support
from the southern swing vote due to corruption allegations.

THIELE

WANG

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