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Viewing cable 08VLADIVOSTOK135, LARGER PROTESTS IN FAR EAST AGAINST INCREASED AUTO TARIFFS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08VLADIVOSTOK135 2008-12-15 06:38 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Consulate Vladivostok
VZCZCXRO5969
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHCHI RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHDT RUEHFL RUEHHM RUEHIK
RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNH RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK
RUEHSR RUEHYG
DE RUEHVK #0135 3500638
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 150638Z DEC 08
FM AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1056
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 1153
UNCLAS VLADIVOSTOK 000135 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ECON RS
SUBJECT: LARGER PROTESTS IN FAR EAST AGAINST INCREASED AUTO TARIFFS 
 
REF: VLADIVOSTOK 130 
 
1.  Ten thousand demonstrators took to the streets in Primorye 
on December 14 to protest the upcoming increase in used car 
import tariffs, blocking main roads in Vladivostok and smaller 
cities for up to eight hours.  Several thousand cars from 
Vladivostok, Ussuriisk and Nakhodka also organized a blockade of 
the airport.  This is the latest -- and largest -- in a series 
of such protests and it attracted considerably more attention 
from law enforcement and officials.  OMON special police 
detained 15 protesters in Vladivostok and 26 near the airport, 
and Vladivostok Mayor Igor Pushkaryov and Acting Governor 
Aleksandr Kostenko directly appealed to protesters to call off 
the blockades. 
 
2.  Protesters held banners calling for a boycott of Yedinaya 
Rossiya, for PM Vladimir Putin's resignation, and sardonically 
pushing for officials to stop being hypocritical and start 
driving Russian-made cars themselves.  The media, presumably 
told by authorities to abstain from covering the event, mostly 
stayed away.  Some outlets that did file reports placed the 
number of participants at around 200. 
 
3.  The following day, protest organizers passed a written 
appeal to newly-elected Primorye Senator Vyacheslav Fetisov for 
delivery to Prime Minister Putin regarding the customs fee 
increases.  Primorye deputies themselves also appealed to the 
federal government to postpone the increase. 
 
4.  The issue has shown that residents of Primorye are certainly 
capable of organizing when pressed by an issue they consider 
important, and that they can quickly stage effective 
demonstrations when needed.  Despite the inconvenience caused by 
the demonstration, public opinion is heavily in favor of the 
protesters.  Participants reported that even the militia men 
working that day to contain the crowds -- who more than likely 
own or plan to buy imported used Japanese cars -- expressed 
unofficial support for the protesters.  One positive side effect 
of the demonstration was that traffic police reported half as 
many traffic accidents than usual that day. 
 
ARMBRUSTER