Olympic torch is whisked to secret location in Australia to avoid anti-China protests

Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia April 23, 2008 11:47 am

— The Olympic flame arrived in Australia on Wednesday for the next leg of the torch relay and was immediately whisked away to a secret location to avoid anti-China protesters.
Meanwhile in Nepal, authorities forced a mountain climber with a “Free Tibet” banner in his bags off Mount Everest, which Chinese climbers carrying the Olympic torch plan to ascend next month.
Criticism of China’s human rights record has turned the torch relay into one of the most contentious in recent history. Anti-Chinese protests have dogged stops in Greece, Paris, London and San Francisco. Many countries, including Australia, have responded by modifying routes and boosting security.
Yard-high fences were being erected along the route through the Australian capital, Canberra, where 80 runners will carry the torch on Thursday. The torch will thread along a 10-mile route that passes Parliament House and within 200 yards of the Chinese Embassy.
Hundreds of police will guard the torch to prevent the type of interruptions that have marked the relay in other cities in the flame’s global journey to the Beijing Olympics in August.