Cablegate: Northeast China Students React to Beijing

O 041500Z JUN 89
FM AMCONSUL SHENYANG
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8372
INFO AMEMBASSY BEIJING
AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
AMCONSUL HONG KONG
AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
AMEMBASSY SEOUL
AMEMBASSY TOKYO
AIT TAIPEI
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//POLAD//
USMISSION USNATO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SHENYANG 1301

BEIJING PASS CHENGDU
DEPARTMENT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USTR

E.O. 12356: NA
TAGS: PGOV SOCI PHUM CH
SUBJECT: NORTHEAST CHINA STUDENTS REACT TO BEIJING
MASSACRES

REF: SHENYANG 1286 AND PREVIOUS

1. SUMMARY: NORTHEAST STUDENTS TODAY RESPONDED TO
NEWS OF THE PEOPLES LIBERATION ARMYS FIRING ON PRO-
DEMOCRACY DEMONSTRATORS IN BEIJING BY ORGANIZING
ORDERLY FUNERAL PROCESSIONS AND PROTEST MARCHES TO
SPREAD THE WORD TO STUNNED AND SYMPATHETIC CITIZENS.
THE STUDENTS ATTACKED THE USE OF BRUTAL FORCE, MOURNED
THE DEAD, AND CARRIED BANNERS DEMANDING THE STRANGLING
OF LI PENG. SOME SHENYANG STUDENTS PARADED THROUGH AN
INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT, BUT NO WORKERS JOINED IN THE
MARCHES. END SUMMARY.

2. OVER FIVE THOUSAND SHENYANG STUDENTS FROM THE
AVIATION COLLEGE, LIAONING UNIVERSITY, POLYTECHNIC
UNIVERSITY, AND NORTHEAST UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
PARADED IN FUNERAL PROCESSIONS AND PROTEST MARCHES
TODAY TO INFORM CITIZENS OF THE BEIJING MASSACRES. THE
ORGANIZED AND ORDERLY MARCHES COVERED A LARGE SECTION
OF THE CITY, INCLUDING THE INDUSTRIAL TIEXI DISTRICT.
THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT TO INCITE CITY RESIDENTS.
ONLOOKERS APPEARED SADDENED AND SYMPATHETIC. THEY
APPLAUDED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS CALLS FOR OPPOSING THE
USE OF VIOLENCE AND FOR OVERTHROWING AND STRANGLING LI
PENG. STUDENTS AND WORKERS DO NOT EXPECT ANY PROTEST
ACTIVITY OTHER THAN CONTINUED STUDENT DEMONSTRATIONS.

3. DESIGNATED STUDENTS WALKED NEXT TO ONLOOKERS
PASSING ON THE CHIEF MESSAGE THAT THE PLA OPENED FIRE
ON STUDENTS AND BEIJING RESIDENTS TODAY RESULTING IN
MANY CASUALTIES. CHANTS AND BANNERS CALLED FOR
OPPOSING THE BRUTAL SLAUGHTERS AND WHAT THEY TERM
FASCISM. THEY ARE PROFOUNDLY AFRAID THAT THE LOSS OF
LIVES WAS IN VAIN AND CALL FOR REPAYMENT IN BLOOD.
SLOGANS TARGETED LI PENG FOR OVERTHROW AND DEATH BY
STRANGULATION. BANNERS ALSO ATTACKED DENG XIAOPING AS
THE "TRUE POISON" BEHIND THE SHOOTINGS. IN BETWEEN
SHOUTINGS OF SLOGANS, MARCHERS MOURNFULLY SANG
"INTERNATIONALE." LIAONING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS HAD A
BANNER THAT READ, "FIRE YOUR GUNS AT US, WERE GUILTY
OF PATRIOTISM." THE STUDENTS ARE STUNNED AND INDIGNANT
ABOUT THE BEIJING TRAGEDY.

4. ELSEWHERE IN THE NORTHEAST, STUDENTS FROM THE AREAS
KEY UNIVERSITIES LED MOCK FUNERAL MARCHES (IN DALIAN
AND HARBIN) TO PROTEST THE GOVERNMENTS POLICY OF
VIOLENCE. IN HARBIN, TWO THOUSAND STUDENTS FROM THE
HARBIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MARCHED IN PROTEST
SUNDAY AFTERNOON. IN DALIAN, DALIAN UNIVERSITY OF
TECHNOLOGY (DUT) STUDENTS HAD BEGUN THEIR PROTEST ON
SATURDAY NIGHT UPON RECEIVING THE NEWS THAT TROOPS HAD
BEGUN TO MOVE IN BEIJING. FROM 11:00 P.M. ON SATURDAY
UNTIL 2:00 A.M. ON SUNDAY, MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND DUT
STUDENTS PARADED THROUGHOUT THE DUT CAMPUS CALLING ON
TEACHERS TO JOIN THEM IN CONDEMNING GOVERNMENT
ACTIONS. ON SUNDAY, WHILE DUT STUDENTS RESTED, THREE
THOUSAND OTHER MARCHERS -- INCLUDING STUDENTS FROM THE
DALIAN MARINE COLLEGE AND THE NORTHEAST FINANCE
UNIVERSITY -- TOOK TO THE STREETS IN A MOCK FUNERAL
MARCH TO MOURN THE DEATHS OF THE BEIJING STUDENTS AND
TO CONDEMN GOVERNMENT ACTIONS. SUNDAY AFTERNOON, DUT
STUDENTS DEBATED THE MERITS OF ABANDONING THE
UNIVERSITY, NOT JUST BOYCOTTING CLASSES.

5. WHILE MANY IN THE NORTHEAST RECEIVED THE NEWS
FROM BEIJING WITH STUNNED DISBELIEF, STUDENTS IN
CHANGCHUN REACTED LESS PASSIVELY. ACCORDING TO A
RELIABLE CONSULATE SOURCE, MORE THAN TEN THOUSAND
ANGRY AND DEFIANT STUDENTS -- LED BY STUDENTS FROM
JILIN UNIVERSITY AND NORTHEAST NORMAL UNIVERSITY --
PARADED THROUGH THE STREETS OF CHANGCHUN THIS
AFTERNOON, BRANDISHING SIGNS DECLARING THEIR
COMMITMENT TO THE DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT ("WE ARE NOT
AFRAID"), CONDEMNING LI PENG ("STRANGLE LI PENG"),
AND MOURNING THE LOSS OF STUDENT LIVES. SEVERAL
MARCHERS WORE SHIRTS EMBLAZONED WITH THE CHINESE
CHARACTERS FOR "FREEDOM" SPLATTERED WITH BLOOD.

6. IN NONE OF THE NORTHEASTERN CITIES WERE ANY LARGE
CONCENTRATIONS OF POLICE OR MILITARY NOTED, ALTHOUGH
SOME OBSERVERS REPORTED SEEING SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF
NON-UNIFORMED POLICE AT THE VARIOUS MARCH SITES.

LEAHY

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