Shortly after landing in Everett, Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Seattle this afternoon and was greeted by scores of protesters, as well as supporters.

Seattle police had cordoned off the area around the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. More than 300 protesters and 200 supporters stood along downtown streets a few blocks from the hotel.

The supporters, some of whom came from as far away as New York, chanted and banged on gongs in an attempt to drown out the protesters.

The demonstrations were peaceful, according to police.

Outside the Westin Hotel, where organizers had previously believed Hu would spend the night, protesters gathered in preparation to walk toward the Fairmont. The protesters demonstrated on behalf of Taiwanese and Tibetan independence and to protest China's human-rights record.

"We are for Taiwan independence. We want China to leave Taiwan alone," said Seattle resident John Chou, a protest organizer.

Several protesters held signs, including one that read, "Hu the murderer."

Tenzin Wangyal, 32, president of the Seattle Tibetan Youth Congress, waved a Tibetan flag. He expressed frustration with China's ongoing dialog with Tibet over the latter's independence.

Pema Lhalungoa, 22, of Vancouver, B.C., criticized Hu and the Chinese for portraying China as a democratic nation while sadly lacking in human rights.

More than 250 human-rights activists from as far away as Colorado marched across downtown Seattle Monday.

Eric Huang, 56, of San Francisco, said he arrived Monday morning on a bus with 50 other protesters from Northern California. He plans to fly to Washington, D.C., later in the week to protest Hu's visit at the White House.

The Silicon Valley engineer said he wants to be the voice "of the people who have been persecuted for their religious beliefs."

City officials said the protesters did not request a permit to demonstrate outside the Fairmont, although a Seattle police spokesman said authorities may still allow groups to gather there if traffic is not disrupted.

Last year, the Vietnamese prime minister stayed at the Fairmont, and Secret Service and police confined protesters to one block across from the hotel.

Most protesting Hu's visit are from the Tibetan and the Taiwanese communities. Some who practice Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned in China, were among the protesters.

Some protesters said they plan to follow the Chinese delegation to the Microsoft campus, Boeing plant in Everett and even to Bill Gates' Medina mansion, where the president will dine tonight.

Monday afternoon, Falun Gong held the first protest, with a march through the Chinatown International District and downtown Seattle, ending with a rally at Westlake Park.

Followers believe their system of meditation and exercise brings greater mental health and inner peace. But the Chinese government considers Falun Gong a dangerous cult and banned it in 1999. Some human-rights groups have accused the government of torturing or incarcerating thousands of Falun Gong members.

"The president has the responsibility to stop the persecutions," said Allison Pan, a Falun Gong spokeswoman.

Falun Gong members re-enacted the torture tactics they claim the Communist regime has used on them.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com

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