Beijing Olympic flame arrives in Malaysia capital Kuala Lumpur

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-20-2008 13:18

The sacred flame of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games arrived in the capital of Kuala Lumpur early Sunday. The 13th leg of the global torch relay is set to start there at 2pm local time on Monday.

Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG), walks out of the cabin with the lantern which holds the Olympic flame at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, capital  of Malaysia, April 20, 2008. The flame of the 2008  Beijing Olympic Games on early Sunday arrived in the  Malaysia capital of Kuala Lumpur, the 13th leg of its  global torch relay. (Xinhua Photo)

A chartered plane carrying the flame landed at Kuala Lumpur international airport at 2:30 in the morning from Thailand's capital of Bangkok. Jiang Xiaoyu, vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, or BOCOG, carried the lantern containing the flame off the plane.

At the airport, Jiang and the flame received a warm welcome by a cheering crowd. Among those present were Deputy president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, M.Jegathesan OCM honorary secretary Sieh Kok, Chi China's ambassador to Malaysia, Cheng Yonghua, and Chinese people working and studying in Malaysia. Some of them travelled long distances to attend this event.

Jiang Xiaoyu spoke to Chinese and Malaysian reporters at the airport.

Jiang Xiaoyu said, "We are here to advocate Olympic spirit of peace, friendship and progress. Meanwhile, we are also promoting friendship between Chinese and Malaysian peoples."

Jegathesan said he was moved that so many people were at the airport at midnight to welcome the flame. He said he was confident the Beijing Olympics will be successful.

Eighty torchbearers are set to take part in the Kuala Lumpur leg of the torch relay. It will begin at Dataran Merdeka and end at the famous "Twin Towers".

The Olympic global torch relay is set to cover a total of 137-thousand kilometers before the flame returns to Beijing.