Irish Embassy Attacked by Chinese Protesters Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source - "Jay Dooling" News from the Wire Services Re: Ireland & the Irish PA 05/10/99 04:13 Irish Embassy Attacked By Chinese Protesters ****************************** Irish Embassy Attacked By Chinese Protesters PA 05/10/99 04:13 Copyright 1999 PA News By Chris Parkin, PA News The Irish Republic's embassy in Beijing has been hit during attacks directed against Nato country representatives by Chinese demonstrators. Although Ireland is not part of Nato - and not involved in the assault on Yugoslavia that led to the mistaken bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade - their base in China is next door to the Americans, a central target for the current Beijing protests. Joe Hayes, the Irish ambassador in the Chinese capital, said today "Protests were sanctioned, people turned up, and we just happened to be in a neighbouring building. "We never felt the embassy would be stormed. It was simply that stones and masonry were coming over the wall. "It is difficult to know what will happen over the next few days. We would anticipate the protests continuing. There is clearly a lot of public anger here at what happened to the Chinese embassy in Belgrade." Following the incidents, some members of the Irish embassy staff and their families were moved to a safer location, but everyone was today back at work. Speaking from the embassy building, though, Mr Hayes stressed "Some damage continues, but things are much calmer, and I am very glad to have this opportunity to reassure people at home that all members of our staff and members of the Irish community to whom we have spoken, are safe and well." The envoy told Irish radio: "I can well imagine why anybody seeing TV pictures of what is happening here would be concerned. "The situation remains volatile, but it is much calmer." Mr Hayes said up to 100,000 people were involved in demonstrations yesterday. "Rocks, paving slabs and bottles were pelted at the US mission, which is directly adjacent to the Irish embassy compound. "Missiles were also thrown at the Irish compound and one staff member narrowly escaped injury when piece of masonry struck her living room window." The ambassador said it was "substantially true" to say the Irish embassy was being targeted because the demonstrators did not differentiate between the Irish and other European nations. "It is difficult in these tense situations for them to distinguish between one embassy compound and another and recognise where the American compound ends and ours begins, or indeed for them to distinguish between one Westerner and another." Following representations made by the Irish to the Chinese authorities, there was now "a very significant police presence outside our front gate", Mr Hayes reported. "In the course of today we will re-assess what action we might take. Things are calmer, but the demonstrations are continuing - they are passing my windows in waves as I speak - but the numbers are much less." Jay Dooling (jdooling@worldnet.att.net) Irish Aires - 90.1FM KPFT in Houston http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Irish_Aires/homepage.htm Dooling & Mabe, CPA http://www.doolingmabe-cpa.com/ ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytire-05.12.99-09:45:33-24185