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Olympic torch arrives in Tibetan areas amid tight security

11.06.2008

SHANGRI-LA, China (Reuters) - China paraded the Olympic torch through the mountain town of Shangri-la on Wednesday, the first of several stops it will make in Tibetan areas despite complaints from overseas rights groups.

Security around the flame was extremely tight, hinting at how nervous the authorities are with reports of unrest and arrests continuing in Tibetan parts of China three months after anti-Beijing demonstrations turned violent in Lhasa, prompting the government to flood troops into the region.

At a monastery on the outskirts of town, some Buddhist monks said they had been forbidden from leaving during the torch run, while others were made to attend a sutra reading session that lasted from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. -- right when the torch was passing.
"Our teacher told us not to go out today," said one novice. Another said police had ordered the monks to stay in their compound.

Paramilitary police lined the streets in town, some kept watch atop buildings and others were posted at intervals on a rural road that the torch and its huge entourage had to drive down to get to the location of the closing ceremony.

The torch was a lightning rod for human rights and free Tibet protests during its international leg after China cranked up security in Tibetan populated areas in response to the unrest in the region.