Security tight for Tibet torch relay

China paraded the Olympic torch through the Tibetan capital Saturday in defiance of critics who called it a provocative move that could undermine the fragile peace in the Himalayan region three months after the government suppressed violent anti-China protests there.

Lhasa remained under virtual lockdown as security forces guarded the carefully selected crowds that cheered the scaled-down two-hour-plus relay from Norbulingka, a traditional Tibetan square, to the Potala Palace, the former seat of power of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

The torch relay has been dogged by controversy since it began in Greece in March. What was designed as a worldwide goodwill tour showcasing a rising new China has become a magnet for trouble.

Vocal protests were staged by pro-Tibetan activists as the torch passed through major cities, including Paris and San Francisco.

Soon after the torch arrived in China in May for a cross-country run, organizers were forced to call a timeout when a massive earthquake struck the heartland, killing 70,000 people. Remaining routes were shortened, and the relay has turned into a tribute not just to the Olympic Games but also to the earthquake victims.

The Tibetan leg of the journey was long considered among the most sensitive because of its symbolism. Beijing is eager to show that Chinese of all ethnic backgrounds are united by a love of country and sports. But critics say it’s an offensive means of emphasizing Chinese domination so soon after the military crackdown on what Tibetan activists have called a popular uprising.

“The Chinese government is wielding the Olympic torch as a tool of oppression over the heads of Tibetans still suffering under China’s brutal clampdown,” said Lhadon Tethong, executive director of New York-based Students for a Free Tibet.

According to the Tibetan government in exile, at least 209 protesters were killed in the March unrest. Chinese officials put the number at 19. The information is difficult to verify because Tibet remains largely sealed off from the outside world. Tourists and journalists are forbidden except by invitation on specially organized trips.

Activists say that thousands of Tibetans remain unaccounted for after the riots and that a climate of fear has fallen over the remote Buddhist region.

The Chinese government has accused the Dalai Lama of instigating the riots and fanning the flames of Tibetan independence despite his repeated claims otherwise. Lhasa’s Communist Party boss, Qin Yizhi, said at the opening ceremony of Saturday’s relay that the torch run would help reinforce the Chinese people’s patriotic spirit and “smash the scheming of the Dalai Lama clique.”

Despite the rhetoric, Beijing was clearly worried about possible disruptions, carefully orchestrating the relay and shortening the route by about two-thirds.

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chingching.ni@latimes.com