Chinese torch attendants face arrest
Chinese torch attendants face arrest
/ m: w9 F9 a& T5 R% M! X; `April 16, 2008 09:09am
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: e8 D" V" m# T8 WChinese officials warned not to get involved : _5 ]& y1 u/ M" q) _1 R' w/ ^
Security to be handled only by AFP
) _% X# S4 s$ ?/ k- ~2 {1 }Police to be given new powers for relay
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9 l0 z2 N% @+ z4 J$ qCHINESE paramilitary officers would be arrested if they "laid a hand" on anybody during the Canberra leg of the Olympic torch relay, organisers said today.
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Ted Quinlan, chairman of the Canberra relay taskforce, said the so-called torch attendants would have no responsibility for security during the Canberra run next week.
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6 m& m/ D/ I) y: G5 r8 j, M- r3 H' k! i"The answer is no they won't and, in fact, they could be subject to arrest in fact if they laid a hand on somebody," he said on ABC radio today.
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/ {4 J6 |) H" ?9 oFederal Attorney-General Robert McClelland said security would be the responsibility of the Australian Federal Police.
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, O4 U; @% n/ q, I"The only role that they - the Chinese officials - will play will be to light the torch should it be extinguished and that will be the sole role that they will play in these events," Mr McClelland said on ABC radio.
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The army was not expected to play a role in security. ! t) y- `" l( V, T& ?
. H7 Y' c- Y4 p o1 k. T- Y4 w) H"There are very strict and limited circumstances involving, for instance, a catastrophic terrorist event that is on the capacity of a state to deal with. In no way, shape or form will this be of that category," Mr McClelland said.% P8 \3 W8 \# m3 H
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Federal police would be given new powers to deal with any attempts to disrupt the relay, ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said.
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\ @& s& ~+ a; _- M- FPolice would be able to stop and search people along the relay route and ban them from carrying "prohibited items" including "balls, eggs, paint bombs and any similar item that is likely to be used as a projectile".
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The federal police had asked for the increased powers.
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"The police powers provide, just for this day, enhanced powers of search and they do prohibit the taking into a designated area certain offensive weapons and certain materials," Mr Stanhope said on ABC radio.
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Prohibited materials included items that "police would have a reasonable belief would be used to disrupt the torch relay" such as fire extinguishers, buckets of water and balloons filled with paint.
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# Y* U9 F5 W$ @3 OAlso banned are glass items, smoke bombs, petrol and other dangerous goods, balls and eggs. ' y8 ], S0 H8 n9 Q7 |% o
) T3 Y4 T$ Q0 ?8 @* n# qThe declaration was being made under the Major Events Security Act 2000, introduced in the ACT at the time of the Sydney Olympic Games.
