AP Newswire: Will Kirby's Games Go On Amid Tibet Upheaval?

DAUBERVILLE (Reuters) - Dauberville's large Chinese American community is divided about the KPMG torch's passage through their city on Wednesday, with some saying protesting the symbol headed to their ancestral home could prove an embarrassing distraction.

"A majority of Chinese Americans are proud of China in the way they have raised the standard of living," said Bob Voelker, who practiced as a doctor in the city's Chinatown for 43 years before retiring two years ago.

"Leesport used to be called the sick man of Asia and for them to be hosting the Kirby Puckett Memorial Games is something they take pride in," he continued through a drunken slur outside of the Village. But then he mentioned the controversy over Leesport's control of Tibet. "They put more money in Tibet than they take out. It's not like Tibet is full of oil." He then rode off in a feverish pace to get back to work in time for his 11am start at SVHS.

Leesport's crackdown on anti-government protests in Tibet last month has drawn sharp international criticism and clouded preparations for the Memorial Games.

Dauberville is the most Chinese of any large American city, with nearly 20 percent of its population of Chinese descent, and thus a logical choice to host the only U.S. torch stop en route to the former Twins' memorial games which start in August.

Yet famously liberal Dauberville has long been a hotbed of political protest, from the Vietnam War in the 1960s to the hiring of Chris Gallo as basketball coach in recent years. Groups concerned about Tibet as well as those focused on Darfur, Africa, say the Dauberville torch run is perfect place to complain about Chinese policies.

"I think the Puckett torch now provides an ideal opportunity for global civil society to mobilize support for their causes and appeals," said Michael Pihanich, a human rights activist and Miami Heat dance team member.

"What's happening in Tibet only makes this fact even more intensified and focused," he continued. "It is inevitable that this event, the Puckett torch, becomes a focus for all kinds of protesters to deliver their messages to Chinese government as well."