US embassy cable - 04TAIPEI3347

UNCLAS TAIPEI 003347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR DS/IP/ITA AND DS/IP/EAP 
DEPT ALSO FOR EAP/TC 
 
FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC, PGOV, PREL, TW, CH 
SUBJECT: KAOHSIUNG PROTESTS SECRETARY POWELL'S REMARKS 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
1.  (SBU) A candidate in Taiwan's upcoming Legislative Yuan 
(LY) elections led a group of around 20 supporters to 
protest in front of AIT Kaohsiung the morning of October 27. 
The protest was noisy, but peaceful, and dispersed within 
half an hour, after a letter of protest was read out for 
television and print reporters present and then delivered to 
AIT Kaohsiung.  The LY candidate, Huang Wan-chuan, is a 
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) candidate from Kaohsiung 
County.  In his speech and letter of protest, Huang 
expressed "anger and regret for the Secretary's comments in 
Beijing that Taiwan is not a sovereign state."  Noting that 
the U.S. "recognized Taiwan's democracy", Huang stated that 
Taiwan had its people, government and controlled its own 
territory, all of which "indisputably comprised the 
components of a sovereign county." 
 
2.  (SBU) Separately, the afternoon of October 27, Yan Wen- 
li, the chairman/owner of a popular local radio station, 
"Boss (chu-ren) Radio" notified AIT Kaohsiung that he would 
lead a group of employees to AIT Kaohsiung offices to 
deliver a protest of Secretary Powell's remarks.  The radio 
station also issued a press release on their plans to 
protest at AIT.  Yan arrived with about a dozen members of 
his reporting/editorial staff and presented AIT Kaohsiung 
with a framed letter, "thanking Secretary Powell for 
reminding the people of Taiwan that they have not yet 
achieved their independence."  Yan asserted that Secretary 
Powell's remarks would help invigorate the Taiwan 
independence movement and ensure the founding of the new 
nation named "Taiwan." 
 
3.  (SBU) In both instances, Kaohsiung City police were 
aware of the planned protests at least an hour or so before 
they occurred and provided more than sufficient extra police 
to ensure the small protests were well-controlled and 
prevented from blocking the entrance to the commercial 
building in which AIT Kaohsiung is located and/or the floor 
on which AIT Kaohsiung's office suite is located.  Both 
protests were orderly and dissipated rapidly after the 
written protests were delivered to AIT Kaohsiung. 
 
4.  (SBU) Comment: The protests, while small and brief, are 
representative of the reaction among many here in the 
heartland of Taiwan's minority "pro-independence movement" 
to media reports of the Secretary's interviews.  Popular 
political talk shows on local television and radio stations 
have also been full of similar sentiments from those 
sympathetic to Taiwan independence.  As Taiwan is also in 
the midst of an LY election season, the debate around these 
issues undoubtedly will be seized upon by candidates to gain 
attention.  For that reason, we would not be surprised to 
see further such protests in the coming days. 
 
Forden 
 
Paal