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Olympic Torch run begins in Beijing |
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Written by Clifford Coonan
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Tuesday, 01 April 2008 |
BEIJING -- The Olympic torch made its first appearance on Beijing’s Tiananmen
Square to start its relay around the world before the Summer Games in
August, with great pomp and impressive choreography marking the arrival
of the eternal flame.
But despite the best efforts of the hosts and the International Olympic
Committee to keep things upbeat, and the use of pro-Beijing Tibetan
dancers to put a positive spin on relations with the Himalayan enclave,
the recent violence in Tibet cast a pall over the proceedings and
presents Beijing with a major public relations headache less than 130
days before the opening ceremony.
The torch was carried by Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang, then lit by
President Hu Jintao who made a positive speech on Tiananmen Square, the
site of a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in June 1989.
Events were watched over by a giant portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong.
"The Olympic flame symbolizes the Olympic spirits - hopes and dreams,
brightness and happiness, friendship and peace. With the spirits, it has
come to the land of China," said Hu.
The IOC kept things apolitical too. "I am certain that the Games
themselves will not only be a moment of sporting excellence but also an
opportunity for the people of China and the world to learn, discover and
respect each other," president Jacques Rogge said in a speech read out
by IOC official Hein Verbruggen.
China has been under pressure from abroad about its handling of violent
anti-Chinese protests in Lhasa and other Tibetan areas last month, when
thousands of troops and militia sealed off areas where Tibetans live.
Human rights groups and Free Tibet activists are worried about
detentions and abuse. Verifying these stories is impossible because
China has shut out foreign reporters from the region.
Amnesty International released a report detailing nearly two dozen cases
of human rights defenders who have been imprisoned or abused in the
run-up to the Olympics.
President George W Bush has urged Beijing to talk to the Dalai Lama's
people, while France's President Nicolas Sarkozy has hinted at a boycott
of the opening ceremony, which is being organized by China’s leading
helmer Zhang Yimou. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel will not be
attending, although it is unclear if this is over Tibet or for other
reasons.
For its part, China has been in combative mode, combining its message of
Olympic hopes with a broadside against the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing
blames for recent violence. The official news agency Xinhua said it had
a government report that contained evidence the Dalai Lama and his
"clique" had planned the anti-Chinese unrest. The Nobel prize-winner
denies the claims.
The Chinese Foreign ministry warned the European Union that Tibet was a
domestic matter, with spokeswoman Jiang Yu urging the bloc to make "a
clear distinction between right and wrong, clearly condemn the violent
crimes of beating, smashing, looting and burning and avoid taking double
standards". The international leg of the 130-day relay starts when the
flame heads for Kazakhstan. It will be back in Beijing on August 6th,
two days before it is used to light the cauldron at the Olympic opening
ceremony.
© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 April 2008 )
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