China wants army to oversee torch relay in Australia
March 26, 2008 08:40am
CHINA wants its army to oversee the Australian leg of the Olympic torch relay to ensure protests do not mar the event.
The move, which has been rebuffed by the Australian Federal Police, comes as Beijing reels from an embarrassing relay launch in Athens when human rights activists hijacked the event.
China has responded by radically cutting back relay legs in cities where it expects more trouble, including San Francisco and Paris.
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It is understood Beijing has deep concerns that protesters will turn the Canberra leg of the relay on April 24 into another public relations disaster.
The Canberra leg will feature several Australian Olympic superstars including Ian Thorpe, Jodie Henry, Petria Thomas, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson and Ron Clarke.
"We have explained to the Chinese Embassy that people have a democratic right in Australia to stage demonstrations and people are free to demonstrate when the torch does arrive but we would hope that demonstrations are peaceful and won't disrupt the relay in any way," AOC spokesman Mike Tancred said.
Boycott threat
Meanwhile, France overnight threatened to boycott the Games' opening ceremony.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said a boycott of the ceremony was possible over China's crackdown in Tibet, though leaders of other major powers vowed to attend.
The White House said US President George W Bush still planned to be present for the August 8 opening of Olympics, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office said he would be there for the closing ceremony on August 24.
Australia has ruled out boycotting the Olympics.
But Mr Sarkozy spoke out amid growing political calls for stronger action against the deadly crackdown on anti-Chinese protests in Tibet.
Mr Sarkozy said "all options are open" regarding a boycott and appealed to the "sense of responsibility" of China's leaders over the unrest.
Growing pressure
In Britain, the country's Foreign Office reproached China for its handling of Tibet and its use of torture, according to Associated Press.
In its annual human right report, the Foreign Office said China had made little progress towards a peaceful settlement in Tibet and accused Beijing of human rights violations there and harassing people for their religious beliefs.
And China also came under pressure at a United Nations' human rights forum to ease its clampdown on Tibet by lifting curbs on movement and information and not using force in the restive Himalayan region.
The European Union, in a speech to the UN Human Rights Council, urged Beijing to refrain from force against a wave of Tibetan protests that began on March 10 - the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule - and led to riots.
China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council whose economic clout makes it a strategic ally for both rich and poor countries, rarely faces direct criticism at the United Nations.
- With The Daily Telegraph, AFP and Reuters