Olympic torch in secret location

2008-04-23 14:09

Canberra, Australia - The Olympic flame reached Australia on Wednesday for the next leg of the troubled torch relay and was whisked away to a secret location to avoid trouble from anti-China protesters.

Metre-high fences were being erected along the route where 80 runners will carry the torch through the Australian capital on Thursday.

Hundreds of police will guard the torch in Canberra to prevent the type of interruptions that have plagued the relay in cities including Paris and London.

In Sydney, activists unfurled a huge banner over a prominent billboard for Coca-Cola - an Olympic sponsor - that urged China to open talks with Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.

Police said they detained four people for questioning. Earlier in the city, police stopped two people from unfurling a banner on the landmark Sydney Harbour Bridge that demanded freedom for Tibet from Chinese rule.

'Free Tibet'

In Canberra, about 150 pro-Tibet supporters attended a vigil on Wednesday evening outside the Chinese Embassy, and spelled out "Free Tibet" with candles.

Protests over China's human rights record and its crackdown on anti-government activists in Tibet have turned this year's relay into one of the most contentious in recent history. Many countries, including Australia, have responded by modifying routes and boosting security.

Police in Canberra sought to end lingering confusion about the role of Chinese security agents in the relay, with police chief Mike Phelan saying three Chinese "flame attendants" will always be near the torch, but will have no official security role.

The blue-clad Chinese officials became notorious following claims they acted like thugs during chaotic protest scenes in London earlier this month.

However, Australian officials said on Wednesday they had sorted out some communication issues between themselves and Chinese officials.

"All security will rest with us," Phelan said. "I don't know if I can be any clearer than that."

He noted that Chinese security officials have no special powers of arrest or immunity from prosecution if they were to intervene during the relay.

Threat of protests

The flame arrived at an air base in Canberra from Indonesia and was greeted by government and Olympic officials and Aboriginal elder Agnes Shea, who said she hoped the torch's stay would symbolise "goodwill for all mankind".

Officials said the flame's location was being kept secret between its arrival and the relay on Thursday because of the threat of protests.

Simon Bradshaw of the Australia Tibet Council expected about 500 supporters for what he said would be peaceful protests in Canberra.

"This is not an attempt to mar the Olympics, and it's certainly not an attack on the Chinese people. It's a message of support for Tibet," Bradshaw told The Associated Press.

The relay will thread along a 16km route that passes Parliament House and within 200m of the Chinese Embassy.

After Australia, the flame will head to Nagano, Japan.

- AP