Rudd Says 'No' to China Torch Guards

AP
Thursday, April 10, 2008

Chinese paramilitary police will not be allowed to run alongside the Olympic torch in Australia, the country's prime minister said Thursday, after their heavy-handed tactics drew criticism in earlier legs of the relay.

The men in bright blue tracksuits were dispatched by Beijing to guard the Olympic flame on its journey around the world. They sparked concern in London and Paris, with the top official for the 2012 London Olympics calling them "thugs."

The torch is scheduled to pass through the Australian capital of Canberra on April 24, but the Chinese security agents escorting it will have to travel in a bus during the relay, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said.

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"The total security needs of the Olympic torch during its visit to Australia will be provided by the Australian security authorities," Rudd said at a news conference in Beijing, after meeting his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao.

Rudd said the security agents will get off the bus only when needed — for example, when the torch is passed from one runner to another.

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