Thai authorities beefed up security in Bangkok’s historic center with 2,000 police to protect the Olympic flame from protesters ahead of the torch relay yesterday.
Security officials set up barricades along parts of the 10.5km route, said General Yuttasak Sasiprapha, president of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand.
“We are especially concerned about small alleyways from where protesters might emerge as the torch arrives,” Yuttasak said.
The route, which was to start in Bangkok’s Chinatown and end at the Royal Plaza, could still be changed or shortened at the last minute if protesters try to disrupt it, he said.
On Friday, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said his government was certain it could provide adequate security and lashed out at anyone who might try to disrupt the relay.
“Whoever tries to destroy the flame is crazy and unreasonable,” he told reporters. “Why would anyone protest in Thailand? Why don’t they protest in China?”
The torch arrived by plane on Friday and was quickly whisked to a luxury hotel.
A coalition of human rights and other activist groups in Thailand said they would hold a peaceful protest outside the UN’s Asian headquarters, which is along the planned relay route in Bangkok.
“We want to show the Chinese government that the crackdown in Tibet did not spark outrage only in the Western world,” said Pokpong Lawansiri, coordinator of the Free Tibet Movement.
Bangkok Metropolitan Police Chief Asawin Kwanmuang said more than 2,000 uniformed and plainclothes police officers, along with hundreds of other crowd control and security personnel, would be deployed.
A police helicopter was scheduled to follow overhead. Motorcycles were to ride beside runners as police vans followed in case the athletes needed to jump inside for safety, Asawin said.
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