 The Beijing organising committee are sticking to their route |
Beijing officials have confirmed the Olympic torch will be carried into Tibet to mark the start of this year's Games, despite protests from activists. Recent anti-government riots in the Tibet capital of Lhasa led to calls for the route to be changed.
Jiang Xiaoyu, from the Games organising committee, said: "We firmly believe the government will be able ensure the stability of Lhasa and Tibet."
The planned torch route goes through Tibet to the summit of Mount Everest.
Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice president of the Beijing organising committee, said the journey would be the "highlight" of the procession, and termed it: "A great feat in Olympic history."
But Free Tibet Campaign spokesman, Matt Whitticase, said a torch relay through Tibet would be an "abhorrent sight".
"China wants to use the Olympics to prove that Tibet is an inalienable part of China and that Tibetans are happy to live under Chinese rule," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"They are not, as these protests have shown."
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