VZCZCXRO5836
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHGZ #0055 0310713
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 310713Z JAN 08
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6839
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASH DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC

UNCLAS GUANGZHOU 000055 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELTN SOCI PGOV ELAB ECON CH
SUBJECT: Trains Resume, Conditions Improve for Stranded Guangzhou 
Travelers 
 
 
(U) This document is sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Conditions for Guangzhou's stranded rail 
passengers have generally improved as many trains resumed service in 
the last 24 hours and rain stopped.  Onsite police and government 
workers appeared better rested and calmer in the face of continuing 
large crowds, with no new reports of disorder.  Media reported many 
travelers returning train tickets and canceling travel plans. 
However, some migrant workers told Congenoffs they will return home 
at all costs.  Travelers and volunteer workers complained of 
ineffective instructions and inaccurate information for those who 
still plan to travel home.  End summary. 
 
Trains Start Moving; Guangzhou Weather Improves 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. (U) Trains are moving again from Guangzhou's main train station 
to northern destinations, and stranded passengers who continue to 
wait seemed generally optimistic they would be able to board a 
departing train.  One report said as many as 79 trains resumed 
service on January 30, with another report predicting as many as 120 
trains leaving today.  Despite Guangzhou Railway Group estimates of 
600,000 passengers remaining stranded in the city, the company said 
it can facilitate all departures within three days. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Media reported 60,000 stranded train passengers continued 
to wait outside Railway Station Square in the early morning of 
January 31.  Weather conditions have improved as rain stopped, but 
temperatures remained low.  People gathered in a large bus parking 
lot next to the square, waiting for information and seeking entry to 
the station.  Train station entrances are still blocked by police, 
who appeared more at ease and better rested than in the previous two 
days.  People's Armed Police (PAP) were still visible outside the 
station, but their role seemed to have diminished in the last 24 
hours compared to regular public security and traffic police forces. 
 
 
More People Change Plans; Most Still Insist On Traveling 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) One group of middle-class travelers told Congenoff they had 
stayed at inexpensive hotels for 3 days before finally giving up on 
their travel plans today.  News reports said 440,000 ticket refunds 
were issued in Guangdong Province by late yesterday, but most 
working-class travelers we spoke to said they would not be dissuaded 
from traveling home this holiday season.  Congenoffs noticed that 
police were no longer seeking to persuade crowds or individuals, 
instead focusing their efforts on single women traveling with small 
children and others who might face exceptional hardships under 
current travel conditions. 
 
Detailed, Accurate Information Non-Existent 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) General lack of accurate information caused the greatest 
frustration among travelers and volunteer workers today.  The 
government unexpectedly terminated free shuttle services from 
shelters to departing trains late yesterday, but neither travelers 
nor volunteer workers at the largest shelter seemed aware of changed 
procedures.  When asked where or how to board trains, police 
officers and volunteers all said to go directly to the station but 
were unable to provide additional details.  Outside the station, 
police were equally unhelpful, and crowds seemed to flow without 
direction between newly-erected fences and security barriers that 
police had installed overnight.  Despite frustration and the lack of 
travel information, the atmosphere was still one of increased calm 
from previous days. 
 
GOLDBERG