The troubled Olympic torch relay arrived in Thailand on Friday, as more controversy erupted when one of the Japanese hosts dropped out in protest over China's crackdown in Tibet.


The torch, whose worldwide journey before the Games in August has turned into a public relations debacle for China's leaders, made its way to the kingdom overnight from India, where many protesters were arrested.
Thai officials have warned they will deport foreigners who try to disrupt the relay but, unlike at several previous stops, Thailand has not made plans to shorten its leg of the flame's globe-trotting extravaganza.
"There is no reason to disturb the ceremony. This is purely a sporting issue. On Saturday, we will fulfil the 10-kilometre (six-mile) run," Samak Sundaravej, Thailand's prime minister, told reporters.
"I have instructed the authorities to implement decisive measures (against disruptive protesters)," he added.
The torch has been dogged by protesters since it was lit in Greece last month, kicking off the countdown to the Olympic Games that China's communist rulers hope will showcase the nation's much-touted "peaceful rise" to power.
Instead, a crackdown on demonstrations in Tibet has put the spotlight on China's heavily criticised record on human rights -- and ignited demonstrations at many of the torch's previous stops, notably London and Paris.
Jacques Rogge, head of the International Olympic Committee, has said the protests have thrown the Olympics into "crisis," and reminded China that it pledged to improve its rights record when it proposed to host the Games.
Beijing has told Rogge to stay out of "irrelevant" politics and insisted the demonstrations are not in keeping with the Olympic spirit.
But it received another snub on Friday when the Buddhist temple that was to host the ceremony to begin the relay's Japanese leg pulled out.
The temple in the city of Nagano -- host of the 1998 Winter Olympics -- would no longer host the starting ceremony out of concern over the situation in Tibet, a local Japanese government official said.
Demonstrations against China's rule in the Himalayan region spilled over into violent unrest on March 14.
Exiled Tibetan leaders say Beijing's suppression of the rare protests left about 150 dead. China meanwhile says only that Tibetan "rioters" killed 20 people.
On Thursday, hundreds of protesters were reportedly arrested in India and Nepal -- which both have large Tibetan populations. India also hosts the Tibetan government in exile led by the Dalai Lama.
India sealed off the heart of its capital New Delhi for the torch relay on Thursday, with thousands of police and soldiers far outnumbering the few onlookers.
China has ruled Tibet since 1951, after sending in troops to "liberate" the region a year earlier.
The latest crackdown has increased attention on China in the run-up to the Games, which begin in the Chinese capital on August 8.
China's close ties to the government of Sudan, blamed for years of strife in Darfur, and its treatment of domestic critics and activists have also been fodder for demonstrators.
American actress Mia Farrow, who is pushing China to help stop the violence in Sudan, will speak in Hong Kong as the torch passes through the city on May 2.
The flame arrived in Thailand in the early hours of Friday, and was ferried to a hotel in Bangkok, where it will be kept until the relay takes place on Saturday afternoon.
Thailand's Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will host a dinner for the 80 Thai torchbearers -- a mix of business people, sports stars, sponsors and environmentalists -- on Friday night.
But the Olympic flame will not be on hand.
"We told them that we should bring the torch there so that the guests can observe it," said General Yuthasak Sasiprapha, president of Thailand's Olympic committee.
"But the (Chinese) delegates said they preferred to keep it at the hotel for security reasons."
A coalition of human rights and student groups are planning a demonstration outside Bangkok's UN headquarters on Saturday