A pro-Tibet demonstrator displays a flag of Tibet before the beginning of the Beijing Olympic 2008 torch relay in Kuala Lumpur April 21, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The Olympic torch was paraded through Malaysia's capital under tight security on Monday as authorities sought to avoid the kind of chaos that has dogged the relay elsewhere.

Police, warning protesters they faced arrest if they tried to disrupt the run, deployed 1,000 officers along the 16.5 km (10 miles) route that began at the colonial-era Freedom Square.It was to end at Petronas Towers, the world's second-tallest buildings.

Under a blistering tropical sun, some 3,000 spectators and Chinese supporters waved Malaysian and Chinese flags as they gathered at the square to cheer the torch bearers.

The entourage of torch-bearers and anti-terrorist guards loped off the square to traditional music and a lion dance performance as police sealed off streets and deployed mounted units, helicopters and water cannons to deter protesters.

The torch relay has drawn a wave of anti-China protests during stopovers in Europe and the Americas following Beijing's crackdown last month on protests in Tibet.

Pro-China demonstrations, many involving Chinese studying overseas, are becoming increasingly common as well.

On Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy conveyed a message of sympathy to Jin Jing, a wheelchair-bound Chinese torch bearer who fended off protesters on the Paris leg of the torch, triggering off an anti-France campaign in China.

"I would like to express to you my deep feeling towards the way you were shoved in Paris on April 7 when you were holding the Olympic flame," Xinhua quoted the note from Sarkozy as saying.

VANDALISED TEMPLE

Security concerns have prompted changes to the torch route in Japan and caused sponsors to pull out of a motorcade.

The Japanese leg of the Olympic torch relay will kick off from a vacant patch of land in Nagano City after a historic Buddhist temple pulled out as host over security concerns and complaints from the faithful, a city official said on Monday.

The Zenkoji temple last week distanced itself from the April 26 event, partly because of followers' anger over China's crackdown in Tibet.

The three corporate sponsors for the Japanese leg of Saturday's relay -- Coca-Cola, Samsung Electronics, and computer-maker Lenovo Group Ltd -- have decided against taking part in the torch procession's motorcade, which Japanese media said would attract protests.

Eighty torch-bearers are expected to jog the 18.5 km (11 miles) route through the central Japan city that hosted the Winter Games in 1998.

The flame travels from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta on April 22 and then the Australian capital of Canberra on April 24.

Australian organisers on Monday said they were re-routing the flame from the heart of the capital amid fears of clashes between pro-China and pro-Tibet demonstrators.

Releasing the route of the Thursday relay, organiser Ted Quinlan said he was disappointed the torch would not now travel through major city areas and would stick to main roads in front of the Australian War Memorial and Parliament House.

"By overseas experience it's obvious that we have to do something about making sure that we can keep the full convoy secure all of the way, every metre," he said.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said he feared an outbreak of "football hooliganism" at the relay, following clashes during stopovers in Europe and the Americas.

The torch is scheduled to go to South Korea and then to North Korea on April 28 before heading to Vietnam, whose prime minister has warned "hostile forces" may try to disrupt the relay in Ho Chi Minh City.

"Vietnam's social security and order are stable but hostile forces always attempt to disturb the situation and make harm to the country's prestige on the international arena," Vietnam News Agency quoted Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DunDung as saying.

Top of Page

Post an instant comment or a suggestion to the above article or news

Note: You can use the above link to form a new discussion forum, place your opinion and discuss events, politics, articles, environment, fashion, health, internet, search engines, marketing, movies, music, religion and any other topic.