Olympic Council of Malaysia President Imran Jaafar, left, receives Olympic torch from Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua in Kuala Lumpur, 21 Apr 2008

The Olympic torch relay in the Malyasian capital of Kuala Lumpur has ended.

Heavy security was in place Monday, to prevent any disruptions. There were no reports of major protests during the relay.

Cheers and a sea of red Chinese flags greeted the torch as it began the 16-kilometer relay from Malaysia's Independence Square.

Shortly before the event began, Malaysian police ushered a Japanese family away from the starting point. Witnesses say Chinese bystanders heckled the family and hit them with inflated plastic batons after they unfurled a Tibetan flag.

The Asian leg of the torch relay has had few problems. But international outrage over China's crackdown on demonstrations in Tibet sparked large protests when the torch passed through Western countries.

Ahead of the Australian leg of the relay later this week, officials have put up huge barricades and fences in the capital, Canberra. As many as 10,000 pro-Tibet and pro-China demonstrators are expected at Thursday's relay stage in Canberra.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.