The Olympic torch landed amid tight security in the Thai capital Bangkok today on the latest leg of its world tour, with police saying they were ready to stop any attempt by anti-China activists to put out the flame.
Several groups angry at Beijing's human rights record and its rule in Tibet are planning demonstrations in Bangkok, but will not face any opposition from police as long as they remain orderly, Thai Olympic chief General Yuthasak Sasiprapa said.
"We will not tolerate any violent or illegal protests. The torch and runners will be tightly escorted by police patrols and motorcycles all along the route," he said.
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| The Zenkoji Temple in Nagano which has pulled out of plans to host a ceremony for the Olympic torch relay because of concerns over Tibet |
The torch relay is due to start tomorrow morning and short-cuts and alternative routes have been made ready in case of any "unexpected incidents", the General said.
However, security concerns and anger at Beijing's March crackdown on unrest in Tibet caused an iconic Buddhist temple in central Japan to pull out as the starting point of next week's torch relay in that country.
Zenkoji temple, in Nagano, said it had received 1,000 letters from across Japan calling for its withdrawal from the April 26th parade after the crackdown in Buddhist Tibet, in which monasteries were raided and monks arrested.
"We needed to think about security, being a temple with national treasures and many visitors," a temple official said.
Japan has already made it clear the Chinese paramilitary guards who have been criticised elsewhere as being heavy-handed in their guarding of the torch will not be welcome.
The Olympic flame is to arrive in Japan from Australia and then travel to Seoul, South Korea.
Since its start March 24th in Greece, the torch relay has been a magnet for critics of China's policies in Tibet. Protesters disrupted stops in London, Paris and San Francisco, helping make the games among the most contentious in years.
In Paris, numerous protests and attempts by activists to snatch the torch prompted Chinese security officials to extinguish the torch several times and put in on a bus.
In the previous leg of its swing through Asia, in India, 15,000 police had to be deployed to keep at bay protesters from the world's largest community of exiled Tibetans.
The reports of disruptions to the torch relay have caused a mixture of anger and dismay in China, where most people see them as unfair attempts to spoil the country's moment in the sun.