Organisers cut short Olympics torch relay in Tibet

Torch relay will pass through Tibet, which was hit by strongest-ever protests, only on June 21 instead of a 3-day run.

The Olympic torch relay will pass through Tibet, which was hit by the strongest-ever protests against the Chinese rule in two decades in March, only for a day on June 21 instead of the original plans for a three-day run, the Games organisers said.

The relay would be held on June 21 in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) said, adding the rescheduling was done following the deadly May 12 earthquake in southwest China.

“Following the major earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan province, on May 12, BOCOG rescheduled the Olympic Torch Relay for the remaining relay legs. According to the latest schedule, the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in the Tibet Autonomous Region will be held in Lhasa on June 21, 2008,” it said on its website.

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Under the previous plan, the torch was to arrive in Tibet on Thursday and leave on Saturday but the changes were made after the May 12 earthquake.

The Technical Manuals of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allow the organisers the right to change the relay route or even cancel the relay in certain cities in special situations such as extremely bad weather, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The torch is now travelling through restive region of Xinjian, dominated by Muslim population, in China’s northwest amidst tight security.

After disruptions by Tibetan activists on its global run, the torch relay has been having a smooth run in China but Tibet and Xinjiang are considered sensitive regions.

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