Olympic torch relay in Bangkok festive, with few protests

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thousands of people followed the Olympic torch through the sweltering streets of Thailand's capital yesterday with little of the dissent that had accompanied some of the relay's earlier stops.

The nearly three-hour run, with no disruptions by demonstrators protesting China's recent crackdown in Tibet, contrasted with the chaos that accompanied the torch's visits to London, Paris and San Francisco.

Heavy, but not heavy-handed, security was deployed along the Bangkok route, with about 2,000 uniformed and plainclothes police on duty.

Security officials had little to do but direct traffic and the mostly festive crowds, except at one spot where they came between pro-Tibet demonstrators and pro-Beijing supporters who exchanged angry words.

Protests over China's crackdown on antigovernment riots in Tibet have dogged the torch on its way to the Olympics' opening ceremony in August in Beijing.

Although Thailand has an active human rights community, several factors favored the torch receiving a warm welcome.

Since Thailand began disentangling itself from its Cold War pro-U.S. stance in the mid-1970s, its governments have entertained increasingly warm relations with Beijing. Ethnicity also played a role, since most of Bangkok's ruling political and business elite boast of some Chinese ancestry.

Whether the run goes as smoothly in the torch's next two stops, Malaysia and Indonesia, remains to be seen. Both countries have lingering problems with prejudice against minority Chinese populations, and the tensions occasionally erupt into violence.