AIT

I have written about the American Institute in Taiwain(AIT) before

 http://mikeess-trip.blogspot.tw/2011/04/ait-in-taiwan.html

It is an embassy in all but name only. It has more than 400 employees which seems excessive, but most likely some of those employees are actually monitoring other Asian countries which are not so friendly to the USA.

Some time ago, I got of the AIT mailing list. From time to time, I get a warning about an approaching typhoon or political rally. Below is the latest warning from AIT.


The Green Citizens' Action Alliance (GCAA) has announced it will hold a
mass rally from Saturday to Sunday, March 9-10, to express its
opposition to Taiwan's nuclear power policy. The organizers claim
more than 20,000 protesters will attend.

Protesters will assemble on Ketagalan Avenue at 2:00 PM and proceed
south along Zhongshan South Road, turn west on Nanhai Road and Heping
East Road, turn north toward Zhonghua Road, turn east onto Han-ko
Street, turn south to the Zhongshan South Road, and then west towards
the Presidential Palace on Ketagalan Avenue. Activity in front of the
Presidential Palace will pause at 10:00 PM on Saturday; however,
approximately 1,000 protestors will remain on Ketagalan Avenue
throughout the night for a flag raising ceremony the next morning.
Protestors will hold a flag raising ceremony in front of the
Presidential Palace on Sunday, March 10, at 8:00 AM. The rally is
scheduled to end at 10:00 AM on Sunday. Large crowds and traffic
congestion are anticipated at all points along the route and
intersections.

Demonstrations take place in Taiwan from time to time, and while
normally orderly, even peaceful demonstrations can become
confrontational. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) urges U.S.
citizens to exercise caution within the vicinity of the demonstrations
and if possible, to avoid these areas completely. Information regarding
demonstration routes and locations, as well as public transportation and
traffic concerns, can change rapidly, so all U.S. citizens considering
visiting Taipei on March 9-10, 2013 should closely monitor local media
outlets and government websites for the latest information.

U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the U.S.
Department of State's, Bureau of Consular Affairs' website
www.travel.state.gov <http://www.travel.state.gov/> , where the current
Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific
Information can be found. AIT also encourages U.S. citizens to review
to "A Safe Trip Abroad," found at
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html
<http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html> , which
includes valuable security information for those both living and
traveling abroad. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers
may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling
1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, or outside the U.S. and
Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

AIT encourages U.S. citizens living or traveling in Taiwan, to register
through the State Department's travel registration website,
https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/
<https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/> . Registration is a
voluntary way of telling us that you are in Taiwan, whether for a
long-term stay or for a short visit. In the event of an emergency, we
use registration information to communicate with you. This could
include a family emergency in which relatives in the United States
request that AIT contact you.

The Consular Section of AIT's Taipei and Kaohsiung Offices can be
reached during regular business hours (M-F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) by
telephone at (02) 2162-2000 and (07) 238-7744; by fax at (02) 2162-2239
and (07) 238-5237; and by e-mail at amcit-ait-t@state.gov
<mailto:amcit-ait-t@state.gov> . After hours, in case of emergency, a
duty officer can be reached by calling the AIT switchboard at (02)
2162-2000. The AIT Taipei office is located at No.7, Lane 134, Sec. 3,
XinYi Rd., Da-an District, Taipei City 10659. The address for AIT
Kaohsiung is: 5th Floor, No.2, ChungCheng 3rd Rd., Xin-Xing District,
Kaohsiung City 80052.

I haven't read the whole message and I doubt that anyone has except maybe the lawyer at the AIT. It is basically a "CYA" warning(Cover Your Ass) so that if anyone does get in trouble, AIT can say "I told you so."

But in Taiwan, these demonstrations are becoming more common. The present President, Ma Ying Jeou, has recently beaten George Bush with the lowest approval rating every, something like 14%.

He was elected less than a month ago, but the fall has been steep.

But there is quite a difference from demonstrations in the capital of Taiwan, Taipei and those in mainland China, Beijing. This rally in Taipei, was big with 10s of thousands of noisy demonstrators but peacefull. The last demonstration in Beijing was on June 3rd 1989 and resulted in the People's Liberation Army killing thousands of students.