|
(原文)
【YAHOO tokyo】 A major Japanese Buddhist temple withdrew Friday from a plan to host the Beijing Olympics torch relay, citing safety concerns and sympathy among its monks and worshippers for Tibetanprotesters facing a Chinese crackdown. Zenkoji Temple has refused toserve as the starting point for the April 26 relay, said KunihikoShinohara, secretary-general of the Nagano city organizing committee for the event. The relay has drawn protests around the world against China's crackdown on Tibetan demonstrators. "We respect the temple's decision. This means the starting point will change," he said after he met with Zenkoji monks.
Another city official, Koichi Yajima, said the monks were concernedabout the safety of the temple and its worshippers should the relayspark the angry demonstrations it has brought in Europe and the United States.
An official at the temple's secretariat, speaking on condition ofanonymity, said the temple and its worshippers were also concernedabout the treatment of fellow Buddhists in Tibet.
"There have been a lot of talk about the Tibet issue and the publicopinion is heightening," she said. "We are Buddhists just like them. Wehear words of concern from many people every day."
The government in Tokyo said it planned to provide adequate security for the relay.
"The relay went smoothly in some spots and got disrupted in otherplaces overseas. We want to prevent disruptions with thoroughsecurity," Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said.
The torch relay was to start from the famous temple, taking runners through the city for 18.5 kilometers (11.5 miles).
Nagano, the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, has already canceled a post-relay event because of security concerns.
Since its start March 24 in Greece, the torch relay has been a magnet for critics of China's policies in Tibet. Protesters disrupted stops in London, Paris and San Francisco, helping make the games among the most contentious in years.
The Olympic flame, which arrived in Thailand on Friday under tight security, is to arrive in Japan from Australia and then travel to Seoul, South Korea
链接:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080418/ap_on_re_as/japan_olympic_torch
存档:
Japanese Buddhist temple refuses Olympic torch.rar
(260.92 KB, 下载次数: 0)
|
|