A handpicked crowd turned out to watch the Beijing Olympics torch run wind its way through the streets of Tibet's capital, the scene of violent protests three months ago.
Saturday's two-hour run, held under tight security, ended at Lhasa's Potala palace.
"Tibet's sky will never change and the red flag with five stars will forever flutter high above it," Zhang Qingli, a top Tibetan Communist official, said at a ceremony.
"We will certainly be able to totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai Lama clique," he said.
Potala is the traditional home of the Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibetan Buddhists.
The current Dalai Lama is in exile in northern India. China has accused his supporters of fomenting the unrest that gripped Tibet in March -- a charge the Dalai Lama denies. The Dalai Lama has said his people seek autonomy, not independence from China.
A U.S. human rights group called the Lhasa torch run a "provocative decision" that harmed efforts to "find a peaceful long-term solution for Tibet and the region."
"The government's insistence on parading the torch through Lhasa can only undermine the respect and trust required for a genuine dialogue process with the Dalai Lama," Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China, was quoted as saying in a news release.
Saturday's run is part of a countdown to the Beijing Olympics, which open on Aug. 8.
The original plan had called for the run to take place earlier this week and last for three days. The event was delayed and cut back to one day.
Organizers said the switch was made to allow the torch to visit Sichuan province, ravaged by a May 12 earthquake that killed almost 70,000 people.
Since it has entered China, the torch run has largely been free of the protests that dogged it in London, Paris and San Francisco.
Tibet itself remains closed to foreign tourists, with foreign journalists only allowed access as part of government tours.
With files from The Associated Press
