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Torch relay smooth but lacks gusto
TORCH TALES: Actress Luna Maya carries the Olympic torch outside Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta on Tuesday
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TORCH TALES: Actress Luna Maya carries the Olympic torch outside Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta on Tuesday. (JP/P.J. Leo).
Seventy-six torch bearers paraded the Olympic torch around heavily-guarded Bung Karno sports complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon.
But gusto was missing in the proceedings, with no jubilant crowd gathered to witness the historic event.
Since the organizers barred the public from watching the relay amid pressure from China, the 2,500 police and military personnel for the event seemed too much for around 2,500 guests, mostly government officials, Chinese students staying in the country and invitees from corporate sponsors.
"I'm proud that Jakarta was appointed to hold the relay. But I am a bit disappointed that most Jakarta residents could not witness this historic moment," said the last torch bearer, State Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault.
Many had originally hoped the torch relay would have zipped through main thoroughfares in the capital of 9 million people.
However, the organizers decided to hold the relay within the confines of Bung Karno following a request from the Chinese Embassy amid pro-Tibet protests disrupting the torch relay in its worldwide tour in Paris, London and San Francisco.
Unfortunately, the Jakarta leg organizers overestimated the anti-China rallies.
The relay only saw one group of around 200 protesters from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) staging a rally to call for Tibet independence outside the Senayan complex.
The peaceful demonstration ended with police arresting at least six protesters, including a Dutch student Bolte Stef Gauke here on an internship at Kontras.
Head of the Jakarta Police division overseeing foreigners, Adj. Sr. Comr. Merdi Syam, confirmed the arrest, adding that the 25-year-old Gauke might face deportation for "immigration violation".
The torch relay saw Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo as the first runner followed by other noted figures taking turns carrying the torch. The relay circled the stadium six times.
The parade ended with the flame ignited by Athens Olympics gold medalist shuttler Taufik Hidayat, Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lan Lijun, minister of tourism Jero Wacik, Indonesia Sports Council chairwoman Rita Subowo and sports minister Adhyaksa.
After Jakarta, the torch will head to Canberra, where the organizers said they were re-routing the torch relay from the heart of the capital amid fears of clashes between pro-China and pro-Tibet demonstrators.
