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KUALA LUMPUR: In conjunction with the arrival of the Olympic torch to Malaysia, religious leaders and devotees from different religions gathered on Sunday to offer prayers for a peaceful relay in Kuala Lumpur.
Led by Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikh religious teachers, devotees from all walks of life congregated at the Maha Vihara temple to support calls to keep politics out of the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Visiting Tibetan monks were moved by the people's show of concern. They urged devotees to embark on a month-long prayer session for lasting peace in Tibet and the world.
Yango Rinpoche, a Tibetan monk, said: "Both sides should talk to each other. If we talk, we can resolve any misunderstandings."
Dr Amir Farid Ishak, Muslim representative, said: "The conflicting parties must sit down and talk. Whatever the reasons for the conflict, whoever the parties involved... as we have seen throughout history, fighting never solves any problems."
Malaysia is among the 19 countries outside China to host the relay and Malaysians are excited and honoured, said Marina Mahathir, daughter of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammed.
Marina is among 80 runners taking part in Monday's relay.
She said: "The Olympics does not belong to one country; it belongs to all of us. I think Malaysians are proud to have the run here. I think we haven't had that for some 40 years, so we are proud and we don't want it to go badly either."
The 16.5km relay will begin at 2.15pm local time. It will start from the landmark Independence Square and end at the Petronas Twin Towers just before 6.30pm.
Although no protests are expected, some 1,000 police officers from the special action squad will be on duty to make sure the relay is trouble free. Divine intervention will also be sought to make sure the event is incident free.
Sanggat Singh, Sikhs Representative, said: "I'll ask leaders of religious groups today to pray at night and tomorrow to request God almighty to shift the rain clouds from places where the torch run is going to be held."
Devotees also hope to spread the message of peace and harmony in Tibet and for a smooth running of the Olympic Games in Beijing.
- CNA/so
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