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SYDNEY: Australia will increase security for the Olympic torch's visit to Canberra later this month after pro-Tibetan activists disrupted the relay's Paris and London legs, officials said on Tuesday.
Canberra torch relay taskforce chairman Ted Quinlan said officials had been closely watching the protests in France and Britain.
The flame will arrive in the Australian capital on April 24 as part of its round-the-world trip ahead of the August Games in Beijing.
Quinlan denied reports the torch's Canberra route had been shortened to make it easier to keep protesters at bay, but said security had been increased to minimise the likelihood of disruption by activists protesting against Chinese rule in Tibet.
"The route has been reviewed through the prism of security, with a greater focus on security than previously," he told AFP.
"But we're not trying to chop it short. What we're trying to do is say let's ensure now, because of what has happened, that every metre of the route can be held secure."
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Chinese security services would not play a role in protecting the Olympic torch in Canberra.
Chinese officials came under fire for their actions in Britain, with London 2012 chief Sebastian Coe overheard describing them as "thugs".
"We will not be having Chinese security forces or the Chinese security services providing security for the torch when it is in Australia," Rudd told a press conference on Monday during a visit to Britain.
"We, Australia, will be providing that security. What Olympic officials the Chinese bring to Canberra is a matter for them, but on the security front we will be providing that security."
Officials in Paris had to curtail torch ceremonies amid rowdy protests on Monday, a day after 37 protesters were arrested in London for trying to disrupt its progress.
- AFP/so
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