Tibet capital under tight guard for Olympic torch

By Chris Buckley

LHASA, China (Reuters) - Tibet's capital Lhasa was under tight security as it prepared to host the Olympic Games torch on Saturday in a show of China's grip over the region, with officials claiming independence activists planned sabotage.

Baima Chilin, a vice chairman of Tibet's government, said supporters of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, wanted to upset the passage of the torch through Lhasa, where protests and riots challenged Chinese control in March.

"The Tibet independence forces have indeed been engaged in activities to sabotage the Olympic torch relay in Lhasa," he said. But with Lhasa's streets heavy with troops and police, he said he did not expect such attempts to succeed.

"We have full confidence and full ability to successfully complete the torch relay tomorrow," he told a news conference.

Baima Chilin's claim and the strict security around Lhasa underscored political tensions that are likely to greet the Olympic torch run on Saturday, when it will start on a city square and end below the Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama's towering traditional seat of power, in Lhasa.

As a group of foreign journalists arrived in Lhasa to observe the relay, police stood on guard every 200 metres. Trucks full of troops and riot police were also present.

Slogans on billboards and village walls welcomed the Olympics and urged locals not to cause trouble for the torch relay that will pass through Lhasa at 3,650 metres (12,000 feet) above sea level on Saturday before strictly vetted crowds.

"Protect social order and stability," read one sign.