Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) –President Hu Jintao this morning “re-lit” the Olympic torch together with China’s most famous athletes, despite continued protests across the world for the harsh repression of Tibetan independence.

In Tiananmen Square, before a crowd of thousands, the president lit the torch and then passed it on to Liu Xiang – world famous hurdler – officially opening the journey across the world of the Olympic flame. It will know travel for a total of 130 days to 20 different nations, starting from Kazakistan, covering over 137 thousand miles.  It will return to Beijing on August 6th, two days before the official opening of the Games.

Xi Jinping, Chinese vice president and chief Olympics’ organiser says: “The century-old dream of the Chinese people to host the Olympic Games has been turned into a reality. The torch relay will pull together the strength of the whole nation in making every effort to stage a unique and well-run Olympic Games and promote national development, social progress and people's well-being”. The ceremony was watched over by thousands of police officers and plain cloths agents to clamp down on any sign of protest.

The Olympic symbol left Athens yesterday by plane, but a group of protesters had tried to block its departure: according to the activists, the torch represents the Olympic values of peace and equality and cannot “be entrusted to the Chinese government who day after to day show no respect for these values”.

The Greek protest was also the result of the “luke-warm” response of the European Union foreign Ministers, who on March 29th last launched an appeal for “constructive dialogue” with Tibetan protesters.  In response the spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, Jiang Yu – has declared: “Tibet is a completely internal Chinese affair.  No foreign country or international organisation has the right to interfere”.

According to the Chinese authorities, Tibetan violence which began on March 10th, has caused 19 deaths “all innocent Chinese civilians”. The Tibetan government in exile affirms that  the Chinese repression of Tibet and in the Chinese provinces inhabited by  Tibetans, the death toll is at least 140, at least half of whom are monks.