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High security for torch in Delhi

India

Article published on the 2008-04-17 Latest update 2008-04-17 14:51 TU

The Olympic torch relay has begun in India amid heavy security, as about 16,000 police officers spread through the capital to try to keep protesters from disrupting the ceremony.

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Some 180 Tibetan demonstrators were arrested Thursday as thousands of police and soldiers defended the Beijing Olympic torch on a during its journey through the Indian capital.

The heart of New Delhi was almost totally sealed off for the most sensitive leg of the protest-hit global relay to date, with security personnel far outnumbering the schoolboys and other select onlookers allowed to watch.

India is home to 100,000 Tibetan refugees, including the Dalai Lama and radical youth groups, and authorities wanted to ensure that chaotic protests like those seen in Paris and London did not mar the event.

The scaled-back 2.3 kilometre relay lasted little more than 30 minutes without any disruption, with relay participants were tightly marshalled by track-suited Chinese security guards, and allowed to run a few metres each.