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Lhasa: The capital of Tibet prepared on Friday to host the Olympic torch relay, three months after violent anti-government rioting rocked the city.
The relay, which was disrupted during several legs outside of China by protests against Beijing's policies in Tibet, was scheduled to be held in Lhasa on Saturday.
The 6.8-mile run will begin at Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's former summer palace, and end at the hilltop Potala Palace, the traditional seat of Tibetan rulers, the state-run China Daily newspaper reported.
The article did not mention any security measures taken for the relay, although stringent controls were expected in light of the anti-government rioting that broke out March 14 in Lhasa and subsequent protests throughout Tibetan-inhabited regions of western China.
On Friday, shops were open and people were walking around in the center of Lhasa, but police were on street corners. Some banners with "Go China" and "Go Olympics" had also been put up.
Chinese officials say the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, was behind the unrest. They also accuse the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate of trying to sabotage the Beijing Olympics and preparing "suicide squads" to carry out attacks. The Dalai Lama has denied the charges.
Tibet has been under a security clampdown since March and is still closed to foreign tourists. Foreign journalists have been allowed to visit only as part of closely monitored government tours.
Activist groups say the torch relay leg in Tibet and a separate relay to the peak of Mount Everest are an attempt by Chinese leaders to symbolize their control over the Himalayan region.
China says it has ruled Tibet for centuries, although many Tibetans say their homeland was essentially independent for much of that time.
During the Lhasa leg, the Olympic flame will be reunited with the one that was taken separately to the top of Mount Everest last month.
The torch was originally supposed to go through Tibet on June 18 or 19. It was unclear why organizers changed the date.
Organizers also said last month that the Tibetan leg, originally set for three days, would be cut to one day to make way for a switch in the visit to Sichuan province, the center of a May 12 earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people.
The torch has thus far had a smooth run in China, undisturbed by the protests over Tibet and human rights that hounded several legs of its international tour.
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