The Olympic torch made its appearance in Malaysia during a mid-afternoon run on Monday, April 21, in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The 16.5 kilometer long relay began from historic Independence Square, passing in front of several city landmarks before coming to an end at the Petronas Twin Towers at Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC).Security was tight throughout the parade route and, as an additional precaution, the arrival of the ceremonial run at KLCC was pushed up an hour early. A team of 1,000 personnel from the Malaysian Police Special Action Squad guarded the event and escorted the torchbearers. As heavy rain fell throughout the late afternoon, the cheering crowds at the city center were undeterred, waiting cheerfully and patiently for the moment when the torch would arrive. During the final arrival of the run at the twin towers, umbrellas were in every hand and celebrators wearing yellow, blue and green rain gear and waving Chinese flags was the colorful backdrop that could be seen from every room at the adjoining luxury hotel, the Mandarin Oriental.
In conjunction with the Olympic torch run, music and food and celebration were the course of the day. As night fell, the party continued as the people of Malaysia proudly noted to the world that the torch had come and left their country safely.
The last time the torch came through Malaysia was during the 1964 Japanese Olympics.
The next stop for the 2008 torch run will be Jakarta on April 22, and then the flame heads onto Australia, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam and finally Hong Kong at the end of April before reaching its final destination of Beijing.
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