CHINESE paramilitary officers will not be allowed to run alongside the Olympic torch when it arrives in Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said here yesterday.

Speaking to reporters after 21/2 hours of talks and lunch with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on his official visit, Mr Rudd said: 'The total security needs of the Olympics torch will be provided by the Australian security authorities. Period.'

The men in blue and white tracksuits have drawn flak for their heavy-handedness in earlier legs of the relay.

Torchbearers have complained of rough handling by what one called 'thugs' from the paramilitary 'Sacred Flame Protection Unit' formed last year.

On April 24, when the torch reaches Canberra, the men will be kept on an accompanying bus, said Mr Rudd.

'The only occasion that will arise for them to leave the bus is when, for whatever reason, in the course of the torch relay, the flame becomes extinguished and needs to be relit,' he said.

While the International Olympic Committee has said China is within its rights to provide a team of escorts for the torch, the Chinese guards' role has also drawn criticism in India ahead of the torch's arrival there next Thursday.

India, home to most exiled Tibetans, is likely to see huge protests, but critics say India should do its own policing.

The on-going Tibet crisis has dominated Mr Rudd's four-day visit, with Beijing yesterday rebuffing his repeated public calls for China to deal with 'significant human rights problems in Tibet' and to restart dialogue with the Dalai Lama - a call not reported in most Chinese media.

For all the hopes that the Mandarin-speaking ex-diplomat to China would get through to Beijing, Mr Rudd told reporters he had 'considerable discussion' on Tibet with Mr Wen, but that Beijing's 'position today was consistent with the position China has adopted in recent times'.

'We have a challenging period ahead of us on this question,' Mr Rudd added.

At a routine press conference yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Jiang Yu said: 'The Tibetan affairs are purely China's internal affairs, and none of the foreign governments or groups have the right to interfere in that.'

Mr Rudd opposes a boycott of the August Games but said he will decide whether to attend later, based on 'practical considerations'.

In 'good and solid' talks, the two premiers also agreed to up cooperation on climate change and to - in Mr Rudd's words - 'unfreeze' stalled free trade agreement negotiations.

Mr Rudd also met Parliament chief Wu Bangguo and vice-premier Li Keqiang yesterday. He will meet President Hu Jintao tomorrow.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on April 11, 2008

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