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O 011115Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8379
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 002592 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2033 
TAGS: PINS PHUM PGOV CH
SUBJECT: GUIZHOU RIOT: AUTHORITIES FOCUS ON STABILITY, 
CLAMP DOWN ON MEDIA 
 
REF: OSC/FBIS CPP20080630968209 
 
Classified By: Classified by Political Internal Unit Chief 
Dan Kritenbrink.  Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) The following is a joint Embassy Beijing - ConGen 
Chengdu cable. 
 
¶2. (C) Following the massive riot in Guizhou Province that 
reportedly involved 30,000 people on June 28-29 over 
allegations of a cover-up in the rape and murder of a 15 
year-old girl, Chinese authorities are moving to restore 
social stability and tighten media controls, according to an 
editor at a nationwide newspaper.  Party propaganda officials 
issued guidance on June 30 "from the top leadership" 
directing that no commentary on the Guizhou incident be 
published and that media stories emphasize social stability. 
The editor predicted that the official "lessons learned" from 
the incident would be "negative," focused on suppressing 
unrest rather than improving local governance.  He commented 
that senior leaders would be looking for "black hands" behind 
the rioting, even though the unrest was clearly a reaction to 
local abuse of power that had occurred over a long period of 
time.  Much of the Internet commentary and reporting about 
the incident has been blocked by official censors, but 
reaction to media reports that has made it onto the web has 
strongly favored the rioters and harshly criticized 
provincial media accounts of the incident.  End Summary. 
 
Authorities Emphasize Stability, Clamp Down on Media 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶3. (C) Following the massive riot in Guizhou Province that 
reportedly involved 30,000 people on June 28-29 over 
allegations of a cover-up in the rape and murder of a 15 
year-old girl, Chinese authorities are moving to restore 
social stability and tighten media controls, according to 
Wang Wen (strictly protect) an editor at the People's 
Daily-owned Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao).  The riot, which 
has received extensive coverage in both overseas and Chinese 
media, occurred in Guizhou Province's Weng'an County 
following official claims that the 15 year-old girl, who was 
found dead in a river on June 22, had "committed suicide" 
(Ref A).  Three young men, two of whom allegedly are 
relatives of local leaders, were suspected of raping and 
killing her.  The girl's aunt and uncle, who had appealed to 
the local leaders for redress, were reportedly badly beaten, 
with some accounts alleging the uncle had subsequently died. 
 
¶4. (C) In addition to causing authorities to focus on 
restoring social stability, the riot is likely to result in a 
"step backward" on media freedom, Wang told PolOff on July 1. 
 According to Wang, on the evening of June 30, Wang's 
newspaper received propaganda guidance endorsed by CCP 
General Secretary Hu Jintao and Politburo Standing Committee 
Member Zhou Yongkang directing that there be no media 
commentary on the incident, that Internet information 
regarding the incident should be "strictly controlled" and 
that news articles on the event should emphasize social 
stability.  Wang said he had written an editorial that was 
subsequently pulled at 19:00 on June 30 following receipt of 
the guidance.  Wang asserted that the "relatively relaxed 
media environment" following the March Tibet unrest and the 
May Sichuan earthquake was "now over." 
 
Focus on "Negative Lessons" 
--------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Wang predicted there would be no positive "lessons 
learned" from the incident because to the Party's Central 
leadership, "instability is the worst crime."  From the 
Center's point of view, regardless of how corrupt or unjust 
local officials are, nothing justifies such unrest, Wang 
said.  Ministry of Public Security had already sent officials 
to Guizhou to investigate the incident, Wang claimed, 
speculating that the "facts" about the case of the teenager's 
death would "slowly come out."  He also expected that some 
local officials would be made "scapegoats" for letting the 
situation get out of control.  Nevertheless, the primary 
message would not be about improving governance and stopping 
local abuse of power, but rather a "warning" to the Chinese 
people not to take to the streets to seek redress.  Along 
with the "negative" lesson learned, Wang expected the 
leadership to focus on how to prevent such riots in the 
future, such as by developing an early response system and a 
 
BEIJING 00002592  002 OF 003 
 
 
rapid reaction force. 
 
People Pushed "Beyond Breaking Point" 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Wang strongly suspected that the cause of the riot was 
abuse of power at the local level, most likely over a long 
period of time, which reached a "tipping point" following the 
death of the teenage girl.  The quality of rural governance 
in Northwest and Southwest China is notoriously poor, Wang 
asserted, with "extensive ties" between officials and 
criminal societies.  Various unfair practices, abuses and 
even murders happen on a "daily basis."  The Chinese people 
generally have a "great capacity" to endure such injustices, 
and it normally takes a great deal to get them to react, Wang 
argued.  That is why most Chinese people have responded to 
the news with sympathy for the rioters, as it is assumed that 
they would not have massed in such numbers and with such 
fervor unless pushed beyond the breaking point, Wang 
explained.  In cases of unrest, however, the leadership is 
always trying to find the "black hands" or instigators behind 
the violence, sometimes involving a "criminal group, foreign 
influence or an official with a score to settle." 
 
Most Web Commentary Blocked 
--------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) While there are extensive links on the Web to 
stories about the Weng'an incident, access to most of them 
has been blocked over the past day.  For example, there were 
over 4,000 comments on a Xinhua news article about the 
incident posted on the Sohu.com portal, but all comments were 
suddenly deleted without warning at about 11:00 a.m. on July 
¶1.  Initially there were numerous photos and YouTube videos 
posted on-line about the incident, but those are now 
difficult to access within China.  In one case, a blogger 
reportedly evaded censors by putting spaces between the 
characters for Weng'an County and Guizhou Province.  The 
comment boards on Xinhua.net and the People's Daily-sponsored 
"Strong Country Forum" were, however, were still allowing 
postings as of the afternoon of July 1.  Many posters on the 
latter website addressed their comments directly to President 
Hu Jintao, perhaps in reaction to his web-chat on Strong 
Country Forum on June 20, in which he said that he welcomes 
"suggestions and ideas" over the Internet and that the 
leadership "pays extremely close attention" to what netizens 
have to say. 
 
Sample Internet Commentary Supports Rioters, Victim 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) Of the comments PolOffs were able to access online, 
most suggested that netizens are strongly siding with the 
rioters and the victim.  Most were also strongly critical of 
the initial story put out by the Guizhou Daily, the 
province's official newspaper, which used extremely sharp 
rhetoric to condemn the unrest.  Sample comments: 
 
-- This incident definitely has a cause.  I hope that it will 
be investigated clearly. 
 
-- I also have a child.  I recommend that the Central 
Government investigate this matter. 
 
-- The people won't be deceived forever. 
 
-- Demand Facts!  Why is it so hard to get the facts? 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Sohu.com site also has a feature that allows 
netizens to vote in favor or against a particular comment. 
Some examples: 
 
-- Chairman Hu!!!  Premier Wen!!!  Our good leaders!!! Please 
order an investigation.  I believe the common people would 
not make trouble for no reason.  Please General Secretary and 
Premier, investigate this matter!  (76 in favor, 13 against.) 
 
-- One can tell from the techniques used in this report that 
the officials are hiding the truth.  (106 in favor, 6 
against.) 
 
-- I trust that the Government and the Central authorities 
will reveal the facts to the entire country.  (16 in favor, 
52 against.) 
 
-- Who is the illegitimate one?  (69 in favor, 0 against.) 
 
-- I trust the masses and I don't trust the Government in the 
 
BEIJING 00002592  003 OF 003 
 
 
least.  Maybe I am being extreme, but it is always this way. 
(115 in favor, 2 against.) 
 
-- Everybody must trust the Party, trust the Government.  The 
party has the wisdom and ability to resolve this type of 
conflict. ( 10 in favor, 143 against.) 
 
Background on Weng'an and Local Media 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Although located in the Qiannan Buyi/Miao 
Autonomous Prefecture, Weng'an County is about 95 percent Han 
and is heavily agricultural, with over 80 percent of its 
population of 460,000 registered as rural residents.  Like 
many other areas of Guizhou (supposedly China's poorest 
province on a per capita income basis), it has seen heavy 
out-migration for cash jobs in China's coastal provinces. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Reports in Guizhou media indicated that 
participants in the June 28 disturbance had been ordered to 
surrender to the police.  In addition, Guizhou media 
highlightd the official attention that the incident had 
received and indicated that CCP Politburo Staning Committee 
member Zhou Yongkang and State ouncilor and Minister of 
Public Security Meng Jianzhu had been involved in directing 
the official response to the disturbance. 
RANDT