Beijing spells out the rules for protesters during the Games

Beijing has issued a detailed list of procedures to follow for those wanting to hold public protests during the Olympic Games.

The move comes after an activist was detained and sent home while trying to lodge an application to stage a demonstration in one of three designated protest zones.

Protest organisers will have to submit an application to the relevant public security bureau five days before they want to hold their protest, together with their ID cards, according to a notice posted on the official Bocog website.

Organisers are also asked to assign people to help the police maintain order during the protest and wear badges for easy identification, Liu Shaowu, director of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games' security department, said on the website.

The removed activist was sent home on Friday. She had been representing some 100 homeowners from Suzhou and was at the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau to hand in an application to protest in a designated protest zone.

Anti-Japanese activists have also been told they will not be given permission to stage protests.

According to the website, foreign applicants have been asked to provide a Chinese translation of their application documents. State agencies, private companies and NGOs have to chop the document with their official seal as well as getting it signed by the head of the organisation.