Flag-waving Chinese dominate Australia leg of Beijing Olympic torch relay

Critics said the demonstration of Chinese pride was orchestrated by officials linked with Beijing, which has been profoundly embarrassed by protests during what was supposed to be a parade of global harmony ending at the Olympics.

China denied any involvement in sponsoring supporters.

Australian officials celebrated the relative peace of Thursday's 10-mile run through the capital as a triumph _ at least compared to other places where the torch was almost seized by protesters or security measures were so strict that the event appeared more military than celebratory.

The Australia leg began as a half-dozen police in jogging pants, T-shirts and baseball caps formed a cordon around the torchbearer while other police manned crowd-control barriers.

An airplane skywriter spelled out "Free Tibet" overhead and police hauled away one man who sat down for a split second in the path of a torch runner.

In one of several tense scenes away from the relay, a group of pro-Chinese tried to use their flags to cover "Free Tibet" signs carried by protesters. The two groups yelled at each other until police intervened.

In all, seven people were arrested and charged with trying to disrupt the event. Each faced a fine of up to $1,419.

By the terms of the torch's beleaguered path from Greece to China, however, organizers called it a victory. "Today was a spectacular success," said John Stanhope, the chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory.

Protests of China's human rights record and its crackdown last month on anti-government activists in Tibet have turned the relay into a contentious issue for the Olympic movement. Many countries have changed routes and boosted security along the six-continent journey to the Aug. 8-24 games.

Thousands of Chinese supporters traveled from Sydney and Melbourne for the relay. City officials estimated there were about 10,000 pro-Chinese, outnumbering protesters 4-1.

Pro-Tibet protester Thanh Tan Huynh alleged Chinese government officials had paid expenses for ethnic Chinese to travel to Canberra.

Stanhope said it was evident that "some central organization" was behind all the China supporters and that he believed the Chinese ambassador had been in contact with Chinese community groups.

A Chinese Embassy official who refused to give his name told The Associated Press the government had not been involved in sponsoring any relay supporters. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu sidestepped a question on the issue, instead questioning whether "disruptive elements" were asked if they received outside help.

Chinese newspapers reported that 3,000 Chinese flags collected through an Internet donation drive had been shipped to Canberra.

Daisy Huang, a 24-year-old student who traveled three hours with his peers by bus from Sydney, said she wanted to counter the negative images of China from earlier legs.

"We want to tell people the truth; not just one side of the story," she said.

Added Young Li, 25, of Sydney: "People are getting angry about how the torch relay has been politicized, and we are here to protect the torch."

He was among supporters chanting "One China Forever!" along the relay route outside Parliament. Police struggled to keep a five-yard gap between them and a smaller group of Tibetan independence protesters.

Pro-Tibet protester Marion Vecourcay said she felt threatened by the Chinese demonstrators. "It was just a mob mentality," she said.

Police Chief Michael Phelan said police had received no complaints of assaults despite allegations of harassment by pro-Tibet protesters.

The flame's next stop is Saturday in Nagano, Japan.

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