New Delhi turns into fortress for Olympic torch
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- The latest leg of the protest-hit Olympic torch relay got underway Thursday afternoon in India, the heart of the world's largest Tibetan exile community.
Indian police detain a Tibetan activist at a protest outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday.
4 of 4 Police took extraordinary measures to keep at bay thousands of protesters who descended on the Indian capital of New Delhi from across the country.
Officials trimmed the original 5.6 mile (9 km) route to 1.5 miles (2.3 km), and lined it with more than 18,000 security personnel for the hour-long event.
The city was transformed into a fortress. Police sealed off roads, shuttered nearby shops and ordered windows and doors on buildings along the route closed.
In order to wrongfoot protesters, Indian authorities did not disclose the relay route or the start time until 24 hours before the event.
The route -- between the presidential palace and the India Gate war memorial -- passed by the nation's parliament and several ministry offices. Police and media far outnumbered spectators.
Surrounded by a ring of security personnel, about 70 torch-bearers carried the flame along the route, each jogging about 25 to 50 paces before passing it on to the next person.
For the relay, the Tibetan Youth Congress, a worldwide organization of exiles boasting more than 300,000 members, broke up its supporters into small groups in order to disrupt the run at various points, reported CNN's sister network, IBN-TV. They were unsuccessful.
Minutes before the relay's start, police detained several Youth Congress members who tried to break through security cordons, the station said.
The unprecedented security measures incurred the wrath of opposition political parties. Samajwadi Party leader Mohan Singh said the Olympic spirit was that of international brotherhood but the city had been converted into a "police camp," the state-run Press Trust of India news agency reported.
In another part of the city, hundreds of Tibetan monks and supporters took part in a symbolic torch relay to highlight the Tibetan struggle against China.
The atmosphere was festive, despite a heavy police presence. Monks in scarlet robes marched side by side with women and children carrying flags, placards and banners that said "Free Tibet."
Supporters of Tibet denounce the Chinese government's stance toward Tibet. And many believe China should not have been awarded the honor of hosting the Olympic games, which begin August 8 in Beijing
Officers detained another 32 protesters even before the torch touched down on Indian soil, according to a state-run news agency, the Press Trust of India. Tibetan exiles had blocked a road near an army hospital in southwest Delhi, the agency said
The torch touched down in a special Air China plane from its last stop in Islamabad, Pakistan. Colorfully-attired children celebrated the arrival with traditional Indian dances. Outside, Tibetan exiles protested.
Then, as the torch made its way toward the Le Meridien hotel, hundreds of police officers lined the street on either side, keeping protesters at bay and detaining several of them. Olympic officials kept the torch at the luxury hotel there before the start of the relay.
At the hotel, some of the 30 or so demonstrators tried to break through police barricades shouting "Justice for Tibet" and "We want freedom." Police dragged several of them into vans .
Tibet activists groups had said they would do what was necessary to get their voices heard during the torch's stay in India.
"I cannot predict what will happen." said Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress.
Public sympathy in India lies with the Tibetans, the majority of whom have sought refuge there since a failed uprising against China in 1959. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama set up his government-in-exile in the northern Indian city of Dharamsala.
But Indian officials had to balance public sentiment with diplomatic needs. Since India and China fought a border war in 1962, they have tried to thaw their frosty relations and forge close ties.
"We don't want the scene, what happened in Paris and London to be repeated here," said Suresh Kalmadi, president of the Indian Olympic Association. "Definitely not. This is the sacred Olympic torch and its safety is our responsibility."
Earlier stops in London, England; Paris, France; and San Francisco, California, attracted tens of thousands of demonstrators, attacks on the torch and relay participants, and dozens of arrests.
Subsequent stops in Argentina, Tanzania and Oman were trouble-free. Security concerns prompted Pakistani officials to close the relay to the public and hold it at a stadium in front of invited guests.
The torch is making a voyage around the world before it will be used to light the flame in Beijing.
"It's a personal decision," said Manvjit Singh Sandhu, a world champion trap shooter and one of the torch runners. "Everybody's got a right to (protest). I am of the position that this is a political problem that falls on the political stage. For me, the Olympics signifies peace and unity."
Tibetan exiles have staged almost daily protests in New Delhi since China cracked down on demonstrators in Tibet in March.
On Wednesday, protesters tried to storm the Chinese Embassy. They arrived in two buses, wearing yellow jerseys and headbands that carried messages such as "No Olympics in China."
Police detained more than 50 protesters, tightened security and surrounded it with barbed wire.
The Dalai Lama has asked supporters to desist from disrupting the relay. But some had said they intended to make a more dramatic statement.
"We are not all Buddhas," Rigzin, of the Tibetan Youth Congress, said. "At the end of the day, we are human beings. We have been pushed and shoved so much for the past 60 years, we have been pushed into a corner." |
狗仔卡
发表于 2008-4-17 22:09
提升卡
变色卡
抢沙发
千斤顶
显身卡
楼主
