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Chinese heckle Olympic torch run protesters in Malaysia

Supporters of China grab a pro-Tibet banner unfurled by a Japanese man before the start of the Beijing Olympic Torch relay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today.


Chinese heckle Olympic torch run protesters in Malaysia
By JULIA ZAPPEI • Associated Press • April 21, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A crowd of Chinese onlookers heckled and hit a Japanese family with inflated plastic batons today after the three unfurled a Tibetan flag before the start of the Malaysian leg of the Olympic torch relay.


The family, comprising two adults and a boy, was detained by police, who also took a Buddhist monk and a British woman wearing a “Free-Tibet” T-shirt into custody. The woman and monk were later released.

About an hour later, the president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, Imran Jaafar, set off with the torch, jogging a short distance before handing it to the next runner in the relay covering 10 miles through downtown Kuala Lumpur.

“I am very excited, very honored to be the first runner. The honor is not just for myself, but also for the country,” Imran said.

The relay, which started in blistering sun, ended about four hours later in blinding rain at the iconic Petronas Twin Towers after passing through the hands of 80 runners.

Criticism of China’s human rights record has turned the Olympics into one of the most contentious in recent history.

Protests have dogged the torch relay during its stops in Paris, London and San Francisco, with demonstrations over China’s crackdown in Tibet where it forcefully put down anti-government riots.

Witnesses said the adult couple and the boy were heckled by Chinese bystanders during the confrontation at Independence Square where the 10-mile relay began.

Scenes captured by a television cameraman showed some of the Chinese supporters striking the family members with plastic blow-up batons that they were carrying to celebrate the occasion.

Some shouted “Taiwan and Tibet belong to China” during the confrontation.
Police intervened and took the Japanese family away.

The supporters carried Chinese flags and waved banners that read: “The Torch will spread around the world,” and “No one can split China.”

Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman said the family was detained “only for documentation,” and said he had no information that they were beaten by others in the crowd.

Muhammad Sabtu, the police chief, said the monk, whose nationality was not known, and the British women wearing a “Free Tibet” T-shirt were detained because they were not carrying their passports. Both were freed a few hours later, he said.

Japanese Embassy officials meanwhile were negotiating with police for the release of the family.

A group of Chinese lion dancers and drummers heralded the run through a secure corridor guarded by some 1,000 policemen and commandos.

As the runners passed through Chinatown, hundreds of schoolchildren and other Chinese supporters cheered and waved small Malaysian flags.

Sacred flame sends off sparks in Malaysia

Sacred flame sends off sparks in Malaysia
Updated：2008-04-21


Jiang Xiaoyu gives a brief speech at Malaysia’s torch launching ceremony.


(KUALA LUMPUR, April 21) -- At 2:00 p.m. local time (0600 GMT) the Kuala Lumpur leg of the global torch relay began from the Malaysian capital's Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square). About 4 hours later, it is scheduled to reach the Petronas Twin Towers where it will be celebrated with a grand ceremony. Kuala Lumpur is the thirteenth stop of the 2008 worldwide Olympic torch relay outside of the Chinese mainland.

At the launching ceremony, Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja'afar gave a brief speech where he spoke about the honor his country feels of being selected as a stop on the global route. Malaysians will remember this day forever, he pronounced. He also wished the Beijing Olympics success in his address. The OCM president is the first torchbearer on Malaysia's route.

Y. Bhg. Datuk Haji Ruslin bin Haji Hasan, Kuala Lumpur's mayor, also spoke to the expectant audience before the start of the relay, thanking BOCOG for selecting the capital as a stop on the worldwide route, allowing the city to show itself off to a global audience. The torch relay will be a success, he continued.


OCM president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar, first torchbearer in Kuala Lumpur.


After a short speech, BOCOG vice-president Jiang Xiaoyu passed the torch on, signaling the beginning of the relay in Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur's 10.8 km route passes through key historic and tourist sites in the city. Among the eighty torchbearers scheduled for the run, members of the country's government, various athletes, and celebrities will carry the sacred flame, including former Olympic competitors Cheah Soon Kit, Yap Kim Hock, Jalani Razif, Rashid Razif, and current women's world number one squash player Nicol David.