Olympic Torch Rally

In Jakarta torch relay avoids crowds

Crowds are kept away from the path of the Olympic torch relay, reduced to only a few kilometres inside a city stadium before a selected group of viewers, to avoid protests and clashes between anti- and pro-China groups. Meanwhile in Tibet China continues to “mix” religion and politics.

The Olympic torch made another relay run under tight police security (2,500 police officers and 1,000 soldiers) before a selected audience, far from crowds out of fear of further anti-Chinese protests.

Still pro-Tibet demonstrations did take place outside the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta over Tibet, and police ended small protests near Bung Karno Stadium, named for Indonesia's first president Sukarno, where it arrested eight people even though the rallies were duly authorised according to rights groups. Police also tried to prevent clashes with the large Chinese community, largely proud of the torch relay.

For security reasons, the original 20km route was cut to a few laps around the capital's main stadium, almost covertly. Only about 5,000 invited guests and accredited members of the media were allowed into the complex.

For hosts of the torch relay all that matters now is to get it over with and avoid protests, trying “not to mix sports with politics, race or religion” as Rita Subowo, chairwoman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, put it yesterday.

Meanwhile Tibet remains off-limits to tourists and journalists. A “re-education campaign” is now underway to rebuild ties between Tibetans and the Communist Party.

Party members must view TV programmes together and take part in organised self-criticism and self-denunciation sessions.

In monasteries monks will be ‘asked” to attack the Dalai Lama and pledge their absolute loyalty to Beijing.

Posted by Mathias Hariyadi
Published by AsiaNews
Tuesday 22 April 2008