China to bring home Olympic torch amid Tibet tension

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

BEIJING (AFP) — China braced against further protests on Sunday as it prepared for the arrival of the Olympic torch amid reports of fresh disturbances in the riot-torn Tibetan capital Lhasa.

Beijing tightened security in Tiananmen Square, where the Olympic torch will be officially welcomed to the country on Monday before beginning a worldwide relay expected to be dogged by protests over the unrest in Tibet.

Tension in the Himalayan region continued to simmer, according to the Tibetan government-in-exile and activist groups, which reported a protest in Lhasa on Saturday.

The disturbance occurred when residents of Lhasa's old Tibetan quarter panicked after police moved in to check identity papers of people in the area, according to the International Campaign...