By Chan Tien Hin
April 20 (Bloomberg) -- The Olympic torch arrived in Malaysia today from Thailand amid tightened security as part of its Asian tour ahead of the Beijing games in August.
The torch, accompanied by Chinese security, arrived by charter plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and will be protected by an elite Malaysian police squad along with 1,000 regular officers during its route through Kuala Lumpur, Agence France-Presse reported.
Eighty torch bearers will begin their 16.5 kilometer (10.3 mile) relay tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. local time, starting at Kuala Lumpur's Dataran Merdeka square, according to the Web site of the Olympic Council of Malaysia. They will pass through the National Stadium and end at the City Centre, home to the world's second-tallest building, it said.
Parts of the Olympic torch's passage around the world have been marred by demonstrators protesting alleged human rights abuses against Buddhists in Tibet, which have embarrassed China. London police arrested 37 people during the procession on April 6. The next day in Paris, the flame was extinguished and relit at least once and then bused across the city as activists blocked the runners.
The protests have sparked worldwide rallies among Chinese in support of their nation against alleged biased media coverage of the Olympic torch relay and Tibet.
Worldwide Rallies
As many as 5,000 people rallied outside the Los Angeles offices of broadcaster CNN yesterday to protest anti-Chinese comments made by the channel's commentator, Jack Cafferty, Agence France-Presse reported.
About 4,000 people demonstrated in the Place de la Republique in Paris yesterday to support China, and several hundred pro-Chinese activists demonstrated at Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, AFP reported.
More than 1,000 China supporters gathered outside the Manchester offices of the British Broadcasting Corp., while 300 demonstrated outside the Houses of Parliament in London, AFP said.
``Notwithstanding the difficulties and issues beyond our control, we have a commitment to ensure that we have a good run,'' M. Jegathesan, deputy President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, said in an interview. ``Our police are fully aware and cognizant'' of what is needed to ensure security, he said.
In India on April 17, police shut the center of the city, barricading the route against anti-China protests by exiled Tibetans as the torch completed a truncated path through New Delhi.
Dalai Lama
China blames supporters of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, for organizing protests last month in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, and neighboring provinces, the most serious unrest in 20 years.
``People with political issues may want to ride on the games to draw attention as it's such a visible and notable event,'' Jegathesan said.
The relay, which started April 1, will cover 137,000 kilometers (85,000 miles) before arriving back in mainland China on May 4. The Beijing Games will take place Aug. 8-24.
The Olympic torch arrives in Canberra, Australia on April 23 and the official relay through the city takes place April 24. The 20-kilometer route through Canberra will be fenced off to protect runners from as many as 10,000 protesters, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on its Web site.
Protesters and spectators will not be able to get near the 80 torch runners, while police will be given extra powers while the flame is in the city, including the right to apprehend and detain ``suspicious individuals,'' the Herald reported, without saying where it got the information.
Authorities in Nepal said today they deployed 25 army and police personnel on their side of Mount Everest to prevent pro- Tibet protests when China takes the Olympic torch to the summit early next month, Agence France-Presse reported.
To contact the reporter on this story: Chan Tien Hin in Kuala Lumpur thchan@bloomberg.net
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