China condemns Olympic torch relay disruptions

By Benjamin Kang Lim

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ambassador to the United States condemned a purported attempt to disrupt the U.S. leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay, saying such "disgusting" conduct was doomed to fail, state media said on Thursday.

The torch's only stop in North America turned into a game of hide-and-seek on Wednesday as the San Francisco route was abruptly changed by city officials, angering anti-China protesters and disappointing supporters.

Thousands of people converged along the scenic Embarcadero waterfront route in the city. But after the opening ceremony, the first runner, flanked by blue-clad Chinese security officials, carried the torch into a warehouse.

The torch eventually turned up miles away from the original planned route.

"A tiny group of people ignored the spirit of the Olympic charter and tried to disrupt and sabotage the Beijing Olympic Games," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong as saying. He did not elaborate on the purported plot.

The group also tried to "damage Sino-U.S. relations and tarnish China's image. This disgusting conduct is unpopular and doomed to fail," Zhou said without elaborating.

The torch was a magnet last week for chaotic demonstrations in London and Paris over China's human rights record and a recent government crackdown on monk-led protests in Tibet.

Groups unhappy about China's human rights record and its policies on Sudan's Darfur region have sought to pressure Beijing as it prepares to host the Olympics in August.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom told Reuters that the route had to be radically changed at the last minute or the event cancelled to ensure public safety.

"We assessed the situation and felt that we could not secure the torch and protect the protesters and supporters to the degree that we wished," Newsom said. "As a consequence, we engaged in subsequent contingency planning that we felt would keep people safe."

A planned closing ceremony on the waterfront was scrapped and the torch brought to San Francisco International Airport. The flame's next stop is on Friday in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires.

"COWARDLY"

"It's cowardly. If they can't run the torch through the city, it means that no one is supporting the Games," Matt Helmenstine, 30, a California schoolteacher carrying a Tibetan flag, said.

San Francisco has a large Chinese-American population and many had waited proudly to see the torch relay.

Thousands of pro-China spectators gathered along the original planned route, many flying the five-star Chinese flag alongside U.S. and Olympic flags.