Last updated at 01:04 12 April 2008

United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon became the latest political leader yesterday to say he would not be attending the opening of the Beijing Olympics.

Although UN officials said the Chinese government had been told "some months ago", the timing of his announcement was a boost for human rights campaigners demanding a boycott of the opening ceremony in protest over Beijing's human rights record in Tibet.

Gordon Brown and German chancellor Angela Merkel have said they will not be attending the opening while French president Nicolas Sarkozy is also considering staying away.

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The prime

minister was yesterday lauded for “boycotting”

the Games, despite Downing

Street insisting that it had said for

months that he would attend only the

closing ceremony.

Ms Okabe said: “The secretary-general

had conveyed to the Chinese government

some months ago that he may

not be in a position to accept the invitation

to attend this important event

due to scheduling issues.”

Mr Ban was

planning “a substantive visit to China”

instead, she said. His snub was delivered

after a week of damaging protests

in London, Paris and San Francisco as

the Olympics torch makes its way

around the globe.

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Anger: Protesters march across the Golden Gate bridge

Disgust: A pro-Tibetan protester along the route of the relay

Games bosses were today braced for

further protest as the torch arrived in

Buenos Aires from San Francisco.

Organisers said 6,000 police and guards

would escort the torch on its latest leg

through the Argentinian capital, where

protesters said they had “some surprises

planned”.

Human rights campaigners have called

on world leaders to skip the opening

ceremony on 8 August in protest at Beijing's

crackdown on pro-independence

campaigners in Tibet.

Protests caused

chaos in London along the 31-mile route

of the torch procession and forced

French security bosses to extinguish

the flame at least three times in Paris.

German chancellor Angela Merkel

will not attend the opening and French

president Nicolas Sarkozy is considering

staying away.

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Parade: The boys in blue are back, along with a heavy contingent of police

US Democratic presidential candidates

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton

have called on President George

Bush to boycott the ceremony.

Further controversy was stirred today

when athletes were warned that they

could be sent home from the Games if

they displayed Tibetan flags at Olympics

venues — even in their own rooms.

Jacques Rogge, president of the International

Olympics Committee, said

competitors were free to express political

views, but would face sanctions if

they indulged in propaganda.

Mr Rogge

was also forced to admit that the Games

were “in crisis” after the week of

protests, which worsened yesterday

when Indonesia announced it would

significantly shorten its leg of the torch

relay in the capital, Jakarta.

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Clash: Chinese supporters and opponents gather near the Ferry Plaza

The 22 April leg had originally been

due to pass through large stretches of

the bustling city but now would be

restricted to a sports complex in the city

centre.

Meanwhile, Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama

arrived in the US today for a conference

on compassion.

At Seattle airport he

strongly denied Chinese allegations he

and his followers have used the run-up

to the Olympics to foment unrest.

“Right

from the beginning, we supported the

Olympic Games,” he told reporters.

“I

really feel very sad the government

demonisesme. I am just a human; I am

not a demon.”