Olympic torch relay in Tibet on Saturday

AFP[Monday, June 16, 2008 12:58]

BEIJING - The Beijing Olympic torch relay will make a one-day stop in Tibet on Saturday, Chinese state media reported Monday, but officials said they were unable to confirm the time schedule.

China scrapped its plans to take the torch through the restive Himalayan region for three days from Thursday in the wake of the devastating May 12 earthquake in neighbouring Sichuan province.

But the Beijing News, citing one of the torch bearers who has been chosen to carry the sacred flame in Tibet, said the new plan was to run the leg in Lhasa for one day only, on June 21.

"We can't confirm that report," said Zhang Liang, an official at the Beijing Olympic organising committee's torch relay office. "The next stages of the torch relay will be announced later."

The torch is currently in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing and will then head for Xinjiang, China's Muslim-dominated western-most region where it will stay for three days from Tuesday until Thursday.

Officials have not yet announced where it would go from there. However, the English language China Daily said it would travel directly to Tibet and then on to Qinghai province.

"After the Chongqing leg (on June 15 and 16), the route is being decided a stage by stage basis," said Zhang.

The Olympic torch had originally been scheduled to pass through Sichuan during mid-June and then go directly to Tibet, passing through a district south of Lhasa on June 19 before spending the following two days in the Tibetan capital.

But last month's earthquake triggered wholesale changes to the route which involved switching the mid-June Sichuan section to the first week in August and leaving the rest of the route in limbo.

The Tibet leg has been a major security concern for China since protests against Chinese rule in the Himalayan region were followed by a government crackdown in which 203 people died according to exiled Tibetan leaders.

China has so reported killing one Tibetan "insurgent" and says "rioters" were responsible for 21 deaths.

Pro-Tibet protesters were prominent in massive demonstrations which dogged the international section of the Beijing torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco in April.

The torch relay's website (http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/journey/) on Monday continued to publicise its original schedule, one that was clearly out of date.