The Chinese guards of the Olympic flame seen fending off protesters in London and Paris are elite members of the paramilitary units which crushed dissent in Tibet, it has been disclosed.

By Richard Spencer in Beijing
April 9, 2008
telegraph.co.uk

Officially described as “volunteers” by Beijing, the 30 blue track-suited guards were recruited from specialist squads in the People’s Armed Police (PAP), a one-million strong force dedicated to maintaining public order.

The PAP has moved into Tibet and Tibetan-settled areas since the protests against Chinese rule began last month. It has been accused by Tibet support groups of opening fire on demonstrators.

The Free Tibet Campaign called on Britain to explain why PAP forces were allowed to take charge of the torch relay operation.

The hand-picked members of the “The Olympic Holy Flame Protection Unit” are all above 5ft 9in and underwent a rigorous training programme at the PAP special police academy in Beijing last August.

Each has the rank of lieutenant apart from their commanding officer, a major, and each scored highly in military and “political tests” - the latter a euphemism for ideological training.

“According to the customs of the past Olympic Games, the flame has to be given some protection measures,” a spokesman said. “The mission of the attendants is to protect the safety of the flame.”

But images of Chinese security forces directing operations on the streets of London have caused alarm. Lord Coe, chairman of the London Olympic Committee, was overheard by Channel 4 News saying: “They tried to push me out of the way three times. They are horrible. They did not speak English… I think they were thugs.”

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