Olympic torch relay starts amid heavy security in Bangkok
BANGKOK (AFP) — Thai torchbearers set off Saturday for the heavily-guarded Bangkok leg of the troubled Beijing Olympic torch relay, witnesses said, as anti-French protests broke out across China.
The flame left Bangkok's Chinatown at about 3:15pm (0815 GMT) and headed towards the government district, where two groups of about 80 pro-Tibet and 100 pro-China protesters screamed slogans at each other.
A senior police official estimated that up to 10,000 people would turn out to see the torch, which is being guarded by about 2,000 police as Thailand tries to shield the relay from the protests that dogged early legs in Europe.
"We reaffirm our position that we clearly separate politics and sport. Thailand is ready to organise the torch relay peacefully and orderly," Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart told the launch ceremony.
Police and witnesses reported Saturday that hundreds of Chinese citizens protested in Beijing and several other cities across China against France's attitude towards Tibet and the Olympic Games.
Anti-French sentiment in China has been on the rise since the chaotic Paris leg of the Olympic torch relay on April 7, where demonstrators protested against China's recent crackdown on protests in Tibet.
In Bangkok, the torch will snake past historical landmarks before finishing its Thai debut at 6:00pm near the Royal Palace.
About 80 pro-Tibet protesters gathered at the United Nations headquarters three kilometres from the torch's starting point, waving banners reading: "Free Tibet," "Stop Killing in Tibet," and ""We don't want your flame of shame".
They were matched by about 100 pro-China protesters in red T-shirts, waving the Olympic flag and shouting "China, come on!" and "Olympics, come on!" as the Tibet protesters screamed "Free Tibet."
Police separated the two groups.
Thai authorities have warned that they will arrest, prosecute and deport any foreign nationals breaking the law to protest against Beijing's human rights record.
China's communist rulers had hoped the Olympic Games would showcase the nation's much-touted "peaceful rise" to power, but the torch relay that began in Greece last month has instead become a high-profile target for activists.
A crackdown on protests against Chinese rule of Tibet in March has put the spotlight on China's heavily criticised record on human rights.
Exiled Tibetan leaders say Beijing's suppression of the protests left about 150 dead, while China says Tibetan "rioters" killed 20 people.
On Thursday, hundreds of protesters were reportedly arrested in India and Nepal, while the heart of New Delhi was sealed off for the torch relay.
Beijing suffered another blow to the torch relay on Friday, when a Buddhist temple in the Japanese city of Nagano pulled out of hosting a ceremony for the flame, citing concern over the situation in Tibet.
Though Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said the temple's decision was "unfortunate," he also bluntly told visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi that Tibetan unrest had become an international issue.
In Malaysia, where the flame arrives Sunday, authorities will deploy an elite police squad along with 1,000 police officers to protect the torch, The Star daily reported.
At the festive Bangkok opening ceremony, groups of Chinese tourists sang national songs and waved flags while acrobats and Chinese dragons put on a colourful display.
Onlookers seemed unfazed by the prospect of demonstrations.
"I think the protests, if they happen, will not be serious because Thai people are peaceful, and because we don't actually know what happened there (in Tibet)," said Krailuek Yuwaamornmetsee, 46, a business owner.
But two exchange students from the United States told AFP that they tried to unfurl a banner saying "Free Tibet", only to have the police rip it up.
The torch relay also includes stops in Indonesia, Australia, Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Vietnam before heading to China.
