The Chinese Shame of Olympic Saga Continues -- Indian Police is Turning
Delhi into a Prison Camp Ahead of Torch's Arrival

International Herald Tribune

Tibetans in India mobilize for torch

By Amelia Gentleman and Hari Kumar
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

NEW DELHI: Dozens of Tibetan protesters wearing yellow "Free Tibet"
headbands were arrested in Delhi on Wednesday after they stormed through
barricades and ran with banners toward the Chinese Embassy, taking heavy
security in the diplomatic heart of the city by surprise.

The police intervened swiftly, arresting 47 of the protesters against
Chinese rule in Tibet. But it was the second embarrassing breach in two
days of the tight security measures imposed by the police in Delhi as
the Indian capital prepared to play host to the Olympic torch relay on
Thursday, one day after the start of the Asian leg of its international
journey in Pakistan on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, another 27 demonstrators were arrested in Delhi after
breaking through police ranks to mount an alternative "protest torch
relay" along the central avenue along which the official torch will be
carried.

The Delhi portion of the relay is widely expected to be one of the more
sensitive, potentially volatile chapters in the Olympic torch's troubled
worldwide tour. India has a large population of exiled Tibetans, and
many of them have traveled to Delhi in recent weeks to join the
protests. Volunteers from a number of Tibetan organizations were
preparing to mount large-scale protests in the city throughout Thursday.

Officially, the Indian police have refused to reveal details of the
security arrangements in place for the relay Thursday afternoon along
Rajpath, Delhi's widest, most central artery, which runs between the
presidential palace, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the pink sandstone memorial
arch, India Gate. But officials confirmed that between 10,000 and 13,000
police officers and members of India's security forces would be guarding
the route, which was shortened after the protests surrounding the torch
in London and Paris.

There was a nervous atmosphere in central Delhi as the police shut the
torch route to cars and pedestrians at midday Wednesday and began
installing barricades and metal detectors. The number of police officers
outside the Chinese Embassy, which has been high ever since protests
began in March, was increased after activists successfully broke through
security cordons Wednesday morning. Thick rolls of razor wire were in
place around the entrance to the building, and police vans and fire
trucks were on standby.

Subway stations around the torch route would be shut from Thursday
afternoon, a spokesman for the system said, adding: "This is done on the
advice of Delhi police for security reasons of the Olympic torch."

It was not clear whether Delhi residents would be permitted to stand
along the route to watch the torch relay or whether officials would only
permit selected schoolchildren to line the avenue.

Amid growing anxiety about the event, a number of sports stars and
celebrities have announced that they will not be participating in the
relay. Indian news channels reported that Sachin Tendulkar, the
country's most popular cricket player, would be unable to take part
because of "a groin strain." Kiran Bedi, India's first senior female
police officer, withdrew last week, saying that she did not want to "run
in a cage." The Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan also said that she would
not be carrying the torch "due to very strong personal reasons," while
the Indian soccer captain Bhaichung Bhutia explained his decision to
withdraw, saying: "This is my way of standing by the people of Tibet and
their struggle. I abhor violence in any form."

About a mile from the torch route, hundreds of Tibetan protesters were
preparing themselves for Thursday's action.

Beneath a large banyan tree, on Jantar Mantar, the central Delhi spot
where the authorities permit demonstrations, volunteers with the Tibetan
Solidarity Committee were making banners to carry in a "peace run" that
they hope to hold a few hours before the Olympic torch run. Activists
armed with cellphones and laptops connected to the Internet were sitting
on the pavement, where they had created a makeshift office and were
discussing their protest plans with reporters and supporters.

"We are doing a parallel peace run to celebrate the peaceful struggle,"
said Youdon Aukatsang, spokeswoman for the organization. "We have been
given permission for that to go ahead. We don't know if that will change."

Members of the Tibetan Youth Congress, which led the protests at the
embassy on Wednesday and along the torch route Tuesday, said they were
planning demonstrations for Thursday.

"We are against the Olympics in China and we have been protesting from
the very beginning," the group's president, Tsewang Rigzin, said by
telephone Wednesday. "I am not sure what we will do tomorrow, but it
will be a big day for us, and we are preparing for that. We will
continue to protest till the Olympics. This is the world's uprising
against China."

The Olympic torch was due to reach India late Wednesday, from Pakistan.
Pakistani officials said the ceremony in Islamabad would be confined to
a sports stadium, rather than proceeding down the capital's main street.
Paramilitary troops and police officers were on standby around the stadium.

The Pakistan Olympic Association president, Arif Hassan, said he hoped
the event would be peaceful and enhance the country's image.
Canberra prepares for torch

Australian police officers received tough powers on Wednesday to stop
and search Olympic torch relay protesters for weapons, fire
extinguishers and other items as Chinese students called for strong men
to guard the flame against pro-Tibet activists, stoking fears of violent
clashes in Canberra next week, Reuters reported.

Zhang Rongan, of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, said he
hoped 10,000 students and Chinese Australians would travel to Canberra
for the April 24 torch relay to guard against pro-Tibet or Falun Gong
demonstrators.

"Overseas students in Australia, we have a responsibility to go defend
our sacred torch," Zhang said on the association's Web site.

Lawmakers have already cut back the relay route. Pro-Tibet demonstrators
expect at least 1,000 people to travel to the capital in a bid to
interrupt the event.

http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=12044099