Tibet officials vow tight security for Games torch

[freedomnorth]

Source: Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will impose strict security on the Olympic Games torch relay through restive Tibet to Mount Everest, as the government seeks to prevent any protests upsetting the symbolic display of national unity.

The torch to light the flame of the 2008 Games will be lit in Greece on Monday and reach the host city Beijing on March 31 to start a relay that passes through a number of countries.

As the date approaches, Beijing has stepped up its drive to rally support for the Games in the face of international attention on Tibet and pin the blame for unrest on the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's spiritual leader.

"The political monk's statement of supporting the Beijing Olympic Games has been proven a lie; his followers boycotted the torch relay and resorted to violence in Lhasa and elsewhere," the official Xinhua news agency said of the Dalai Lama.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSPEK26733920080324