paramilitary police sent by Beijing to guard the Olympic flame

Torchbearers have criticized the security detail for aggressive behavior, and a top London Olympics official simply called them "thugs."
..."They were barking orders at me, like 'Run! Stop! This! That!' and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, who are these people?'" former television host Konnie Huq told British Broadcasting Corp. radio about her encounter with the men in blue during London's leg of the relay Sunday.
..."They tried to push me out of the way three times. They are horrible. They did not speak English. They were thugs," Coe, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was quoted as saying in British media.
more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jHpaflNEZpBBT4fArcZK_OGCxV8QD8VU4DJ80

Undercover in Tibet - and terrorised by the Chinese thugs in blue tracksuits: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=559217&in_page_id=1811