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Olympic Torch in China's Qinghai Province


The Olympic torch relay continued Sunday in China's western Qinghai province as it made its way through the country's sensitive minority regions.

State television showed the torch being paraded through Qinghai's industrial city of Golmud, closely guarded by security personnel dressed in blue and white track suits and wearing sunglasses. The torch will be in Qinghai for three days.

Qinghai, which has a large Tibetan population, was hit by unrest after rare peaceful protests in Tibet turned violent in March, and China launched a crackdown.

The crackdown triggered protests during the international tour of the Olympic flame. Domestic legs of the relay have had no major disruptions.

After Golmud, the torch will head to Qinghai Lake and then go on to the provincial capital of Xining.

The torch arrived in Qinghai on Saturday after a brief one-day stop under tight security in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

The relay began at the exiled Tibetan leader Dalai Lama's former summer palace, Norbulingka, and ended at the hilltop Potala Palace - the traditional seat of Tibetan rulers.

Hand-picked spectators cheered runners as they carried the torch through the sealed-off city, while police and soldiers lined the relay route to prevent any unrest.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.


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