Protests disrupt flame-lighting ceremony

Three men from a free-press group ran onto the field of the stadium in Ancient Olympia during yesterday's flame-lighting ceremony for the Beijing Games, evading massive security aimed at preventing such disruptions in the wake of China's crackdown in Tibet.

Three members of the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders were detained after their protest, which occurred as Liu Qi (劉淇), president of the Beijing Olympics organizing committee and Beijing Communist Party secretary, was giving a speech. Police confirmed they had detained three French nationals.

One protester held a banner showing the Olympic rings as handcuffs.

"If the Olympic flame is sacred, human rights are even more so," the French group said in a statement. "We cannot let the Chinese government seize the Olympic flame, a symbol of peace, without denouncing the dramatic situation of human rights in the country."

Moments later, a Tibetan woman covered herself in red paint and lay in the road in front of a runner carrying the Olympic torch into the village of ancient Olympia, while other protesters chanted "Free Tibet" and "Shame on China."

Two protesters were seen being detained by police. Pro-Tibet groups said four of their members had been detained.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge attended the ceremony, where the sun's rays were used to kindle the flame.

"It's always sad when there are protests. But they were not violent and I think that's the important thing," Rogge said.

Greek authorities denounced the incidents.

"The Greek government condemns every attempt to interfere with the ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic flame, through actions that have no relation at all with the Olympic Spirit," spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said.

When the stadium incident took place, China state TV cut away to a prerecorded scene, preventing Chinese viewers from seeing the protest. TV commentators on Chinese TV never mentioned what took place.

Greek TV commentary also made no mention of the incident.

Tibet's deadly protests started March 10 in the capital of Lhasa on the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule. The demonstrations turned violent four days later, touching off demonstrations among Tibetans in three neighboring provinces.

Beijing's official death toll from the rioting is 22, but the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile has said 99 Tibetans have been killed.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called yesterday for "restraint" in Tibet, and offered France as a go-between in any new talks between China and the representatives of the Dalai Lama.

A statement from Sarkozy's office said he sent a message to Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) expressing sadness over recent "tragic events" in Tibet, and saying that he hoped talks between the two sides would resume.

"The president calls for restraint and the end of violence through dialogue in Tibet," the statement said.

Sarkozy said France was available -- as part of a French-Chinese partnership -- to facilitate a resumption of talks.

Pierre Moscovici, a leader of the opposition Socialists, was quoted in a French newspaper over the weekend as criticizing Sarkozy for a "deafening silence" about the situation in Tibet.