Olympic Flame Arrives In Malaysia Ahead Of Monday Relay

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AHN) - The Olympic flame arrived in Malaysia on Sunday ahead of a relay amid the tight watch of around 1,000 police against anti-Chinese protesters although officials have yet to confirm any planned protest.

The torch arrived from Bangkok on board a chartered plane after completing its Thai leg of the tour on Saturday without any reported incident. The Olympic flame was taken to a luxury hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur and will stay there until the scheduled run at the nearby Independence Square on Monday.

The torch relay has met protests and attempted disruptions in Paris, London and San Francisco stemming from the recent military crackdown of pro-democracy demonstrations by the Beijing government.

Security for the 10-mile route in the capital has been raised to the highest level following the protests in other cities. Although authorities have yet to receive any planned protests, they are not taking chances and have deployed at least 1,000 policemen and commandos to secure the route of the Olympic torch.

"Malaysia takes this opportunity to reiterate that the Beijing Olympics should not be politicized and remains confident that the Olympics will be successfully held in August 2008,'' Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said in a statement as reported by the AP.

In Kuala Lumpur, around 30 members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement staged a demonstration Friday urging China to review the reported human rights cases before the opening of the Beijing Games in August. The Falun Gong movement and its practitioners have been banned in China and have labeled as a dangerous cult.

The famous Buddhist Temple of Japan, the Zenkoji Temple, canceled its plan Saturday to host the starting point of the Japan leg of the Olympic torch relay citing security reasons and sympathy for the Tibetan protesters.

The Kuala Lumpur leg will pass through various landmarks in the capital including the top of the telecommunications building, the Kuala Lumpur Tower, where a panoramic view of the city can be made.