| The Olympic Torch was lit on Monday, March 31st, in | | | | Most of the European politicians stayed away from |
| the Chinese capital of Beijing. The flame was at first | | | | the ceremony. The Czech Foreign Minister Karl |
| brought from the antic Olympia to the Panathinaikon | | | | Schwarzenberg had demanded the boycott of the |
| Stadium in Athens. With the hope that the message of | | | | opening ceremony. The reasons for the absence of |
| peace will be carried through the whole world the | | | | several politicians, if due to personal or political motives, |
| president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Minos | | | | are not known. The German chancellor Angela Merkel |
| Kyriakou, handed the flame over to the principal of the | | | | assured her absence had nothing to do with a boycott. |
| Chinese Olympic Committee, Liu Qi. | | | | She had decided to don’t travel to Beijing long time |
| There were around 10.000 spectators at the | | | | before the disputes with Tibet started. |
| ceremony. From Athens the flame was brought to | | | | The ceremony was accompanied by a spectacular |
| Beijing on a special flight of the airline Air China. The | | | | program, such as circus acrobatics and folklore |
| plane had the inscription “Journey of Harmony” | | | | dances were also some Tibetans in their traditional |
| and the Chinese national colors red and yellow. The | | | | costumes participated. China’s Vice President Xi |
| national TV and hundreds of school kids with Chinese | | | | Jinping declared satisfied that the centuries-old dream |
| and Olympic flags in their hands were waiting for the | | | | of the Chinese nation to host Olympic Games finally |
| arrival. | | | | became true. |
| Liu Qi carried the flame out of the plane in a little | | | | During the following 130 days the torch will make its |
| lantern and brought it to the red carpeted Gate of | | | | journey across the world. Planned is a relay across 20 |
| Heavenly Peace. There the head of state and party | | | | countries with a distance of more than 137.000 |
| leader lighted the torch and handed it over to | | | | kilometers on five continents. This will be the longest |
| China’s most famous athlete, the hurdler Liu Xiang. | | | | torch relay in the Olympic history. Highlight of the relay |
| Due to worries about protest actions, as there had | | | | will be the carrying of the flame to the world’s |
| been at the lighting ceremony at the historical site of | | | | highest mountain, the Mount Everest. For this sensation |
| Olympia in Greece, the hour-long event was | | | | there has been diverted already a part of a flame to |
| accompanied by severe security precautions. Several | | | | bring it to the base camp of the for the Tibetans holy |
| policemen were present in the area, even at the | | | | mountain. However; it is still not sure if this part of the |
| surrounding roofs. The traffic was temporary | | | | route will be accomplished. The human rights group |
| paralyzed, some underground stations were blocked | | | | ‘Human Rights Watch’ demands the |
| and walkers and cyclists were kept away. | | | | independent investigation of the disturbances before |
| To avoid protest actions there was no information | | | | the torch may be carried through Tibet. |
| about the details of the ceremony until Sunday. | | | | On Wednesday the torch was first carried to the |
| Unfortunately the organizers couldn’t keep away all | | | | Kazakh city Almaty and it is supposed to arrive to |
| of the demonstrators but the actions of these were | | | | China again on May 4th 2008. Then it will be carried |
| not shown in the TV, because the alleged ‘public | | | | through more than 100 Chinese cities. At the same |
| viewing’ was actually broadcasted with a | | | | time the Dalai Lama sent another torch on its way, the |
| one-minute delay. At the Tiananmen Square were only | | | | ‘Flame of Independence’. The torch was lit in |
| the 5000 imitated spectators allowed, including 220 | | | | the Indian city Dharamsala where the exile of the |
| foreign journalists. Some of the originally invited | | | | spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan Buddhists is |
| journalists were due to security reasons disinvited. | | | | located. |