As much as we disliked Australia for the cricket team got to hand it out to them for at least making a statement.
"Chinese guards travelling with the Olympic torch could be arrested if they lay hands on protesters in Canberra, an Australian official said today.
Ted Quinlan, the chairman of the Canberra relay taskforce, issued the warning ahead of the flame's visit to the Australian capital next week.
Asked whether the so-called torch attendants would have responsibility for security, he told ABC radio: "The answer is no they won't and, in fact, they could be subject to arrest in fact if they laid a hand on somebody."
The tracksuited Chinese officials, recruited from paramilitary police forces, were heavily criticised for perceived heavy-handed tactics in London and Paris.
The chairman of the 2012 London Olympic Committee, Sebastian Coe, was overheard describing them as "thugs".
The Australian attorney general, Robert McClelland, said security in Canberra would be the responsibility of the federal police.
"The only role that the Chinese officials will play will be to light the torch should it be extinguished," he said.
Australian police have been given tough new powers for the relay on April 24, said Jon Stanhope, the chief minister for the Australian Capital Territory, which covers Canberra.
Police will be authorised to stop and search people along the relay route and ban "prohibited items" such as "balls, eggs, paint bombs and any similar item that is likely to be used as a projectile," said McClelland.
The flame is in Islamabad today. Pakistan is a staunch ally of China and Mohammed Yahya, of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), said there was "absolutely no chance of any trouble, any protest".
Nevertheless, instead of carrying the torch along a two-mile route from parliament, as originally planned, the athletes will run around the grounds of Jinnah stadium. Police, many carrying guns, surrounded the stadium and soldiers with sniffer dogs manned the main gate and checked vehicles.
Colonel Baseer Haider, an army official who helped to organise the event, said the route change was made because of the "overall security environment" and the risk of bad weather, after a hailstorm on Tuesday.
The POA urged broadcasters carrying state TV footage of the torch to avoid "negative comments" and to make "no mention" of unrest in Tibet.
Pakistan has strong and long-standing defence and economic links with China. Both are rivals of neighbouring India, which has trimmed the route of its torch relay tomorrow, fearing that protesters might try to disrupt it.
Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan government-in-exile are based in northern India and the country has seen dozens of anti-China protests since last month's riots in Tibet and other regions.
China has said it expects India will take effective steps to protect the torch. Tibetan leaders in India said they were preparing to protest in spite of heavy security."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/16/olympicgames2008 .australia
It is the most fair thing to do. People have the right to participate in the torch ceremony as well as protest it. As long as they are peaceful and do not disrupt Australia recognizes the rights of protestors. This is Australia and their national officials will oversee events in their country. No Australian citizen or visitor will be harmed by Chinese officials. Wish India could have done that.
Mr And Mrs Parshuram
