Japanese Buddhist temple refuses Olympic torch
TOKYO - A major Japanese Buddhist temple withdrew Friday from a plan
to host the Beijing Olympics torch relay, amid speculation that the
monks sympathize with Tibetan protesters.
Zenkoji Temple has refused to serve as the starting point for the
April 26 relay, said Kunihiko ****nohara, secretary-general of the
Nagano city organizing committee for the event. The relay has drawn
protests around the world against China's crackdown on Tibetan
demonstrators.
"We respect the temple's decision. This means the starting point will
change," he said after he met with Zenkoji monks earlier in the day.
Another city official, Koichi Yajima, said the monks were concerned
about the safety of the temple and its wor****ppers should the relay
spark the angry demonstrations it has brought in Europe and the United
States.
However, Japan's Jiji Press news agency quoted an unnamed priest
saying as Zenkoji priests feel solidarity with people in Tibet as
fellow Buddhists. Officials at the temple's secretariat said they
could not confirm the re****t.
The government in Tokyo said it planned to provide adequate security
for the relay.
"The relay went smoothly in some spots and got disrupted in other
places overseas. We want to prevent disruptions with thorough
security," Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said.
The torch relay was to start from the famous temple, taking runners
through the city for 18.5 kilometers (11.5 miles).
Nagano, the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, has already canceled a
post-relay event because of security concerns.
Since its start March 24 in Greece, the torch relay has been a magnet
for critics of China's policies in Tibet. Protesters disrupted stops
in London, Paris and San Francisco, helping make the games among the
most contentious in years.
The Olympic flame, which arrived in Thailand on Friday under tight
security, is to arrive in Japan from Australia and then travel to
Seoul, South Korea.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080418/ap_on_re_as/japan_olympic_torch
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