[PEN-L:6553] Continuing Protests in china

["Henry C.K. Liu" <hliu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

100,000 besiege US embassy

By Carmen Cheung in Beijing, Pamela Pun and agencies


UP to 100,000 angry demonstrators besieged the United States Embassy in
Beijing for a second day of rock-throwing demonstrations against Nato's
bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia.

Similar protests were staged in more than two dozen mainland cities.

In Chengdu, demonstrators set the US consulate on fire overnight on
Saturday. The consul's residence was badly damaged by fire and windows
were broken, but no Americans were injured.

In Beijing, most of the windows of the US embassy had been shattered by
protesters hurling rocks and water bottles. At one time angry students
threw Molotov cocktails into the embassy's yard.

The embassy said it had lodged a protest against the attacks and
appealed for better security.

The mission said the US embassy in Beijing and consulates across the
mainland would close on Monday and Tuesday and Americans in the country
were advised to stay home on both days, the official said.

US Ambassador James Sasser complained on CBS television that personnel
at the Beijing embassy had
been ``hostages'' for the past 48 hours as angry demonstrators vented
their anger.

The situation prompted Vice-President Hu Jintao to make a statement
vowing to protect foreign nationals on its soil and appealed to
protesters to remain calm. However, he also pledged strong support for
the student-led anti-Nato demonstrations.

``China firmly supports and protects in accordance with the law, all
legal protest activities against the US-led Nato attack on the Chinese
Embassy in Yugoslavia,'' Mr Hu said in a televised statement, on
behalf of President Jiang Zemin.

``China will protect foreign diplomatic mission and institutes, foreign
nationals in China and foreigners who come to China for economic, trade,
educational and cultural activities, according to (international and
Chinese) law.''

Mr Sasser also expressed sorrow at the ``tragic mistake'' of Nato's
bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

Ignoring such apologies, including ones from US President Bill Clinton
and other Nato leaders, up to 100,000 demonstrators besieged the US
embassy in the biggest protest seen in Beijing since the 1989
pro-democracy movement.

The mission was splattered with red, black and blue paint and rocks,
stones and water bottles littered the grounds.

Protesters set banners on fire and hurled them over the heads of the
police into the compound. They failed to set the building alight. Mr
Sasser's house was also besieged by furious demonstrators.

Security there was thinner and the police mostly stepped aside as the
crowd took aim at its windows.

Scores of military vehicles could be seen lining the streets of a main
artery _ barricaded by police _ running into the embassy district.

The protests, originally led by students, were joined by ordinary people
beginning late on Saturday, bringing traffic on main roads to the
district to a virtual standstill.

Hundreds of armed police manned every intersection in the area, often
restraining thousands of onlookers from joining the protests.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched past the US and British
embassies and ambassadors' residences, throwing stones, burning US flags
and shouting slogans like ``Down with US imperialism''.

In Chengdu, about 2,000 protesters tried to break through the consulate
gate, but police pushed them back.

Cornelis Keur, the US consul general in Chengdu, was forced to flee his
residence after midnight when flames were spotted shooting from the roof
of his two-storey residence, US embassy officials said.

Police dispersed the protesters with tear gas, and the small number of
staff members and their families were moved to another part of the city,
the spokesman said.

In Guangzhou, the US fastfood chain McDonald's became the target of
demonstrations.

The People's Liberation Army also joined in condemning the Nato bombing
of the Chinese embassy.
``The military forces were shocked and enraged by the Nato attack,''
Xinhua said. The report said the military ``are determined to strengthen
national defence and modernise the Chinese army''.