THE Olympic torch arrived in the Malaysia capital of Kuala Lumpur yesterday, the 13th leg of its global torch relay.

Eighty torch bearers are scheduled to take part in the 16.5-kilometer relay, which will begin at 12:30 p.m. local time today from Kuala Lumpur’s Dataran Merdeka square, the Web site of the Olympic Council of Malaysia said. The relay will pass through the National Stadium and end at the City Center, home to the world’s second-tallest building, it said.

On Saturday, the torch relay brought abundant cheers and a festive spirit to Bangkok, the “City of Smiles.”

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kajornprasart, chairman of the Olympics Torch Relay Organizing Committee of Thailand, delivered a speech before the flame set off.

“We reaffirm our position that we clearly separate politics and sport. Thailand is ready to organize the torch relay peacefully and orderly,” Sanan said. “We have been supporting the Beijing Olympic Games since its bidding seven years ago. It’s a great privilege for Thailand and Bangkok to be one of the stop-over for the Olympic flame.”

Eighty runners took part in the relay, with the flame carried home by Pawina Thongsuk, a Thai weightlifter who won an Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.

“It was a proud moment for Thailand. Most people welcomed the torch and showed that they could separate sports from politics,” Pawina said after the relay.(SD-Xinhua)