Jakarta – Police detained five people, including a Dutch national, and seized flags of pro-Tibet activists Tuesday (22 Apr) during a rowdy demonstration ahead the Olympic torch relay in Indonesia.
“I am completely peaceful,” the foreigner told The Associated Press as he was led away by plainclothes policemen. “I am protesting human rights violations in Tibet.”
The other demonstrators, numbering around 100, were allowed to rally at the gate of the main sports stadium in the capital, Jakarta where the relay was to be held. But officers seized flags and banners they had strung up on the gate.
The relay will likely be a low-key affair after the Chinese Embassy insisted it be shortened and open only to invited guests. Around 2,500 police officers will be on duty, including some 30 crack anti-terror officers.
The parade, which was originally scheduled to take place through Jakarta, will not be televised live, apparently because no station was prepared to pay for the rights. It will start at 3 p.m. local time (0800 GMT).
Protesters angry at China’s human rights record or demanding Tibetan independence have attempted to disrupt the torch relay in Greece, Britain, France and the United States.
More recent stops in Asia have been peaceful and largely free of protests.
The only other country to make the event invite-only so far was Pakistan, which cited security fears.
