By Rob Taylor
CANBERRA (Reuters) - The Olympic torch arrived inAustralia's capital of Canberra on Wednesday, landing at an airforce base under the type of tight security usually affordedvisiting world leaders.
Hundreds of extra police have been called in to protect thetorch, which will be carried through barricaded Canberrastreets on Thursday, with authorities determined to avoid thechaos that disrupted the relay in Europe and the United States.
China had hoped the torch's journey would be a symbol ofunity in the run-up to the Beijing Games, but the torch hasdrawn anti-China protests over human rights and Beijing'scrackdown in Tibet, as well as pro-China demonstrations.
The plane carrying the torch arrived at the Fairbairnmilitary base, where Aborigines will perform an indigenouswelcome involving didgeridoo playing, as a small group ofpro-Chinese supporters waved Chinese flags at the base's gate.
There was no sign of protesters.
Aborigine Bunja Smith, who will present officials with atraditional wooden message stick inscribed with the word"Peace", said Australia's Aborigines had a long history ofrepression and understood the need for protest.
"I believe in human rights ... (but) you can't give someonehuman rights by taking away someone else's human rights," Smithtold Reuters.
"We are a people who have been repressed, but we ask theprotesters to keep it a protest and not violent," he said.
"It's the Chinese people's right to have the Olympics.That's how we are looking at it -- in the spirit of sport."
Thousands of pro-Tibet supporters have promised to hold apeaceful rally during Thursday's relay, but thousands ofChinese students were also expected to rally in Canberra tosupport China and the Olympics.
Media reports said the Chinese embassy had hired 20 busesto bring supporters from Sydney and the southern city ofMelbourne, an eight-hour drive from Canberra, to counterprotesters.
Tibet supporters tried to disrupt the torch lightingceremony in Greece in March, and disrupted the relay in London,Paris and San Francisco, prompting officials to boost securityand shorten the torch relay in India, Malaysia and Indonesia.
On Tuesday, China cancelled media access to the departureof a second torch from Everest North Base Camp before anattempt to take it to the top of the world's highest mountain.Officials denied the cancellation was linked to unrest inTibetan areas.
In Jakarta, the relay was confined to a heavily guardedstadium on Tuesday, while protesters held placards reading"Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot co-exist".
Australian organisers have changed the relay route to avoidthe narrower streets in Canberra's city centre, keeping theevent to wide avenues which have been fenced off to the public.
Organisers also dropped plans to run the torch past theChinese embassy, near Australia's national parliament, insteadclosing off the surrounding streets due to concerns the embassycould become a flashpoint for protests.
(Writing by James Grubel; Editing by Michael Perry and MaryGabriel)