• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

Tight security as torch arrives in New Delhi

NEW DELHI
Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:57pm EDT

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Olympic torch arrived at New Delhi airport early on Thursday amid heavy security because of fears members of the world's largest community of exiled Tibetans may disrupt its passage through the Indian capital.

World

The torch, which is en route to China for the Summer Games in Beijing, was carried off a plane by Suresh Kalmadi, the chief of the Indian Olympic Association.

It was then taken along a route lined with hundreds of police to spend the rest of the night in a luxury hotel.

Police detained about two dozen Tibetan protesters along the route and in front of the hotel. Many were dragged into police vans as they shouted anti-China slogans.

The torch has been beset by protests through Europe and the Americas, mostly over a Chinese crackdown in Tibet. In some places, protesters tried to snuff out the flame and organizers extinguished or hid the torch to keep it safe.

Fearing similar protests, India trimmed the route to a third of the original 9 km (5 mile) distance, restricting it to a high-security stretch used for the annual Republic Day parade in the Indian capital.

Organizers have so far not even said what time on Thursday the New Delhi leg of the relay will begin.

Thousands of police and paramilitary officers will line the route, which passes close to the nation's parliament and the offices of federal ministers.

India has been caught in a swirl of protests by Tibetan exiles since last month's unrest in Tibet. Despite the Dalai Lama's support for the Beijing Games, the protesters have vowed to disrupt the flame's journey in New Delhi.

Tibetans plan to hold a parallel torch relay on Thursday to protest Chinese action and demand Tibet's independence.

The Dalai Lama, based in the northern Indian hills, has urged Tibetans to desist from disrupting the torch relay, but protests have continued.

India had to assure China of adequate security for the torch after the Chinese foreign minister called his Indian counterpart this month.

A total of 70 torch-bearers, including 45 current and former athletes, will carry the torch.

The torch was in neighboring Pakistan on Wednesday.

(Editing by Jonathan Allen and Mary Gabriel)

("Countdown to Beijing Olympics" blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)



More from Reuters

Photo

Saab hopes flicker as Spyker rescue bid drags on

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Spyker Cars pressed ahead with efforts to cut a deal for Saab with General Motors, with talk of possible backing from a Dutch billionaire fanning the Swedish carmaker's faint hopes of an eleventh-hour reprieve.

Photo

The end of the carry trade?

Borrowing the dollar cheaply to fund purchases of higher-yielding assets was a no-brainer in 2009, but will it be a safe bet in 2010?  Full Article 

Two men shake hands in a file photo.    REUTERS/File

Let's make a deal

The battered M&A sector will make a tepid recovery in the coming year and three hot sectors will lead the way, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis.  Full Article