Olympic torch arrives in Australia

The Beijing Olympic flame arrived in Canberra Wednesday for the Australian leg of the troubled global torch relay which has been beset by protests.

An Air China A330 Airbus carrying the flame touched down at a military airfield in Canberra after a six-hour flight from Jakarta and was met by Australian and Chinese officials.

The flame, which has become the focus of international demonstrations against Olympics host China's rule in Tibet and its human rights record, arrived at about 7:50 am (2150 GMT Tuesday), amid tight security.

Thousands of Chinese supporters and pro-Tibet protesters are expected to descend on Canberra for its journey around the capital on Thursday.

Barriers have been erected along the 16-kilometer (10-mile) route and more than half of the city's police force will be patrolling the spectacle after violent incidents in Europe and the United States.

The flame was carried off the plane by Chinese officials and greeted on the airport tarmac by Aboriginal community leaders.

source: http://sports.inquirer.net

Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the torch provided an opportunity to reflect on the uniting spirit of sport.

"Participation in this relay is important and it is important for those who care about human rights as well as those who care about the ideals of sport," he said.

"Participation is a way of allowing our differences in a clear and clarion voice even as we celebrate our similarities and our shared humanity.

"In a robust and mature democracy such as ours there is no particular danger in mixed messages."

International Olympic Committee deputy president Kevan Gosper, in Canberra to welcome the flame, said security would be provided by Australian officials.

"People are free to protest as long as it's peaceful," he said.

"We just don't buy violence. I don't think any Australian citizen buys violence."

Ahead of the torch's arrival in Australia, China's ambassador in Canberra Zhang Junsai said he had been angered by the attacks on the torch in Paris and London and he hoped the Canberra leg would be trouble free.

Zhang said the image of a young wheelchair-bound athlete, "holding the torch with both arms close to her chest to protect the flame as violent 'protesters' tried repeatedly to grab it from her, has infuriated me."

The torch, symbol of the Beijing Games, is on the Asian stretch of a world tour that began with protests in Greece when the flame was lit in late March.

At protests in London and Paris demonstrators tried to wrest the torch from bearers while in the US protesters complained about China's rule in Tibet and its human rights record.

The outrage, which followed China's crackdown in Tibet, has prompted officials around the world to shorten the flame's journey and enforce greater security measures.

In Indonesia, the torch was paraded on Tuesday at an invitation-only event around a sprawling national stadium complex in Jakarta.

source: http://sports.inquirer.net