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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BEIJING 003200 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT, FOR, DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS/DO, DS/TIA/OSAC, DS/P/MECU, 
DS/TIA/ITA, DS/DO/P, DS/ICI/CI, DS/T/ATA, DS/TIA, 
DS/TIA/PII, DS/CC, EAP/CM, S/CT, CA/OCS/ACS/EAP, PASS TO 
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (TSA) OPERATIONS 
CENTER, HONG KONG FOR RSO AND LEGAT AND USSS, SHANGHAI FOR 
RSO, SHENYANG FOR RSO,CHENGDU FOR RSO, GUANGZHOU FOR RSO, 
USSS HQS FOR INV, OPO, HNL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CASC CH CMGT ECON KOLY OVIP PREL PTER
SUBJECT: BEIJING 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT 
20, 08/20/2008 
 
REF: A. BEIJING 3139 
     ¶B. BEIJING 3146 
     ¶C. BEIJING 3171 
 
¶1. (SBU) The following cable provides information on 
security, public diplomacy, political, and consular 
activities related to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games 
as of 08/20/2008. 
 
¶2. (U) The interagency USG Joint Operations Center (JOC) can 
be contacted on a 24-hour basis at the following numbers: 
 
- JOC Direct Line: 011-86-010-6532-6966. 
- U.S. Embassy Beijing: 011-86-010-6532-3431, JOC extension 
¶6200. 
- JOC fax: 011-86-010-6532-4763. 
- STE and fax: 011-86-010-6532-5163. 
 
 
KEY ISSUES 
---------- 
¶3.  (SBU)  White House officials publicly confirmed on 
08/19/2008 that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will not 
attend the Olympics Closing Ceremony.  The Presidential 
Delegation--which arrives in Beijing on 08/21/2008--will now 
be led by Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao.  The U.S. Embassy 
had informed the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on 
08/15/2008 that Secretary Rice would be unable to attend 
(ref. a). 
 
 
SECURITY ISSUES 
--------------- 
¶4.  (SBU)  Threats:  There is no significant threat 
information to report. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Incidents:  Potential Surveillance of U.S. 
Women,s Indoor Volleyball Team:  On 08/20/2008, the JOC was 
notified by the USG Field Liaison Officer (FLO) assigned to 
the U.S. Women,s Indoor Volleyball team that a young Asian 
male had observed the team,s bus as it departed the Olympic 
Sports Center, the site of the team,s quarterfinal match 
against Italy.  As the bus departed, the subject ran to a 
waiting vehicle and spoke to a male passenger in the car. 
The FLO noted the make, model, and license number of the 
vehicle; the Olympic Security Coordinator (OSC) has passed 
this information to the Beijing Public Security Bureau (PSB) 
for follow-up on the ownership of the car and the identity of 
the passengers. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Possible Monitoring Device Found in Olympic 
Vehicle:  The UK Embassy on 08/19/2008 advised the JOC that 
on 08/16/2008, two press officers traveling in a Beijing 
 
BEIJING 00003200  002 OF 005 
 
 
Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) vehicle 
discovered what appeared to be an electronic monitoring 
device in the car.  The press officers photographed the 
device--which was found flashing on the floor behind the 
front passenger seat--but left it in the vehicle while they 
attended an Olympic event.  When they returned to the vehicle 
two hours later, the device was gone.  The car was described 
as being part of the BOCOG motor pool and had previously been 
used by UK Olympics Committee officials as well as by a 
number of British athletes. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)   Unconfirmed Report of Truck Explosion in Beijing: 
 According to unsubstantiated information available to the 
Hong Kong Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, 
on 08/17/2008, an unidentified truck exploded while driving 
through the Baimiao Public Security Checkpoint in Beijing, 
allegedly injuring at least 20 people.  The report indicates 
that the truck burst into flames as police tried to conduct a 
security check; the Center suggests that the incident was 
possibly terrorism-related.  The JOC is unable to corroborate 
this report; the OSC has contacted Chinese security officials 
for confirmation of the incident but has not yet received a 
response.  The Hong Kong Information Center for Human Rights 
and Democracy has previously provided details of alleged bomb 
scares in Shanghai, including a claim denied by Shanghai PSB 
officials that an explosives-laden vehicle was discovered 
outside of PSB headquarters on 08/09/2008 (ref. b). 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Olympic Protests:  Americans Detained in Pro-Tibet 
Protest:  A "Students for a Free Tibet" (SFT) contact in the 
United States who has previously notified the U.S. Embassy of 
the detention of U.S. citizens for protest activity contacted 
American Citizens Services (ACS) on 08/20/2008 to report that 
five Americans were detained by Chinese police late in the 
evening on 08/19/2008 after displaying a blue LED "Free 
Tibet" banner on the Olympic Green in front of the National 
Stadium (Bird's Nest).  Separately, press reports indicate 
that a sixth American--described as a famous New York City 
graffiti artist--and two additional protesters of unknown 
nationality were detained on 08/19/2008 for planning to use a 
handheld green laser to project "Free Tibet" messages on the 
sides of prominent Beijing landmarks.  ACS has approached the 
Beijing PSB regarding the detentions to determine the 
whereabouts of the American; the PSB has not yet responded to 
the ACS request for confirmation of the detentions. 
 
 
SECURITY OPERATIONS 
------------------- 
¶9.  (SBU)  MPS Meeting with OSC and RSO:  On 08/19/2008, the 
OSC and Regional Security Officer (RSO)--accompanied by 
members of the security advance team for the USG Delegation 
to the Olympics Closing Ceremony--had a successful meeting 
 
BEIJING 00003200  003 OF 005 
 
 
with Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) counterparts 
regarding security arrangements for the Delegation's upcoming 
visit. 
 
 
VIPS 
---- 
¶10.  (SBU)  Please refer to the Key Issues section for 
updated VIP information. 
 
 
PUBLIC AFFAIRS/PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 
------------------------------- 
¶11.  (SBU)  Radio Broadcasts Jammed:  According to a 
08/19/2008 Reporters Without Borders report, the Chinese 
Government continues to block Chinese-language broadcasts by 
the BBC, Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA) and 
Sound of Hope (a station linked to Falun Gong)--as well as 
Tibetan and Uighur-language broadcasts by RFA and Voice of 
Tibet--during the Olympic Games.  The jamming of 
Tibetan-language programs has increased in recent months, the 
report says.  Although such actions were routine prior to the 
Olympics, Chinese authorities had pledged unfettered access 
to news for all journalists covering the Olympics.  With the 
exception of one reporter with RFA,s Tibetan service, 
journalists with the BBC, VOA and RFA have been able to get 
visas to go to China during the Olympics, but their potential 
listeners have not been able to receive their broadcasts.  In 
addition, the BOCOG office for satellite uplink services did 
not approve a VOA request to import uplink equipment to 
transmit live broadcasts during the Olympics. 
 
 
CONSULAR AFFAIRS 
---------------- 
¶12.  (SBU) False Media Report of Tour Guide's Death: 
According to a single Hong Kong media report dated 
08/19/2008, the Chinese tour guide wounded during the 
08/09/2008 Drum Tower stabbing attack against U.S. citizens 
Todd and Barbara Bachman died from her injuries on 
08/12/2008.  This report, however, is contradicted by the 
08/14/2008 visit by the U.S. Ambassador and Embassy officers 
to the tour guide in her room at the Sino-Japanese Hospital. 
During the visit, which was attended by senior hospital 
officials and photographers, the tour guide appeared alert 
and animated when speaking with the Ambassador.  In addition, 
ACS staff spoke to the manager of the tour company by phone 
on 08/20/2008, who stated the tour guide was discharged from 
the hospital on 08/19/2008 and would soon return to work. 
 
¶13.  (SBU)  American Detained:  On 08/20/2008, ACS was 
notified by the father of a U.S. citizen that his son and 
another U.S. citizen had been detained by police in Beijing 
 
BEIJING 00003200  004 OF 005 
 
 
while having dinner with friends.  According to the father, a 
friend who observed the incident told him his son and the 
other American had been taken into custody approximately 19 
hours earlier; the friend did not provide any further 
information nor did she provide her full name or contact 
information.  In a follow-up call, the father of the named 
U.S. citizen said his son told him on 08/16/2008 that he 
thought he was being followed; he also told ACS that his son 
was a union organizer in Philadelphia.  Further, a call made 
by ACS the morning of 08/20/2008 to the American's hotel 
revealed that he checked out at 0100 hours local time on 
08/20/2008.  The PSB has not yet responded to ACS requests 
for confirmation of the detention. 
 
 
POLITICAL AFFAIRS 
----------------- 
¶14.  (SBU) Uighur Pilots Continue to Fly During Olympics: The 
Civil Aviation Administration of China (CACC) dismissed 
reports that ethnic Uighur pilots have been grounded until 
after the Olympics as previously reported (ref. c).  The 
Xinhua article noted that all three Uighur pilots continue to 
fly routes to and from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region 
and quoted two of the pilots, who described their specific 
flight hours and domestic and international flight routes 
during the period in question. 
 
¶15.  (SBU) Two Protest Zone Applicants Sentenced to 
Reeducation-Through-Labor:  Human Rights in China reports 
that two Beijing protest petitioners, Wu Dianyuan and Wang 
Xiuying, were sentenced to one year of 
reeducation-through-labor (RTL) on 08/17/2008 by the Beijing 
Municipal Government for "disturbing the public order."  Wu 
and Wang, who claim to have been forcibly evicted from their 
homes in Beijing in 2001, made five attempts to apply for 
permission to demonstrate in the city's designated "protest 
zones" between 08/05/2008 and 08/18/2008; their applications 
were neither granted nor denied.  Similar to a suspended 
sentence in a criminal proceeding, Wu and Wang will serve 
their sentence outside of a RTL camp.  The decision also 
places restrictions on movement and stipulates that if 
provisions of the decision or other regulations are violated, 
they will be sent to a RTL camp.  The two petitioners were 
told by PSB officials on 08/18/2008 that they no longer had 
the right to apply to protest. 
 
¶16.  (U)  Hong Kong Protesters Frustrated by Application 
Process:  According to a Hong Kong daily online news source, 
Chinese officials have thwarted attempts by members of the 
Hong Kong Rights and Privilege Concern Group to conduct a 
protest in one of the designated Olympics "protest zones" in 
Beijing.  The group initially submitted its application to 
demonstrate on 08/05/2008 but was rejected, allegedly because 
 
BEIJING 00003200  005 OF 005 
 
 
the group was not a legal organization on the mainland; they 
were advised by officials to file individually instead.  The 
five members arrived in Beijing on 08/18/2008 to reapply but 
were told by the PSB that the earliest date they could 
demonstrate is 08/26/2008--two days after the conclusion of 
the Games.  On 08/19/2008, the International Olympics 
Committee (IOC) spokesman expressed concern that public 
statements by Chinese authorities on the function of the 
"protest zones" do not match the reality of their use (ref. 
c). 
RANDT