Two protesters were arrested on the Sydney Harbour bridge as the Olympic torch flew into Canberra this morning to a red carpet welcome.
There were no incidents at the tightly guarded airfield, but police said a man and a woman were arrested in Sydney while trying to display a banner on the Harbour Bridge.
The flame has become the focus of international demonstrations against China's role in Tibet and the Olympic host's human rights record.
"Two people, a man and a woman, were detained by security officers as they tried to unfurl a banner on the bridge," a police spokeswoman said.
There were reports the pair had planned to unveil a Tibetan flag, but the spokeswoman said she could not confirm that.
Overnight, a laser light display was used to project the slogans "Don't torch Tibet" and "One Dream: Peace in Tibet" onto one of the bridge's pylons.
Paul Bourke from the Australia Tibet Council said the display was designed to protest a plan to carry the Olympic torch through Tibet, saying it had nothing to do with sport.
"It is a blatant political manoeuvre by the Chinese leadership to symbolically cement and legitimise their control over the region," he said.
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