House Passes Resolution in Support of Tibet

The House has just overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on the Chinese government to end its crackdown in Tibet and to enter into a substantive dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, H.Res. 1077. House Resolution 1077 was introduced by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the bipartisan Congressional Delegation that met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in India. Speaker Pelosi, along with Reps. Rush Holt, Jay Inslee, and Hilda Solis traveled with the Congressional Delegation and spoke in favor of the resolution during debate last night, as did Chairman Howard Berman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Speaker Pelosi: "I was reading the paper the other day as the torch was going through Paris that one of the carriers of the torch said that what was happening with the protesters was 'very unpleasant.' And I thought 'You think that's unpleasant? Maybe you should be in the subhuman conditions that the refugees are in Darfur. If you think that's unpleasant maybe you should be in a prison in Tibet for your faith in His Holiness the Dalai Lama. If you think that's unpleasant maybe you could still be in prison from the Tiananmen Square Massacre, some people are still in prison from that time.'"

Rep. Holt: "I have in my office a crayon-drawn Tibetan flag given to me during our delegation's visit to the Tibetan children's village and I keep this flag in my office because it reminds me of the human toll of this situation. Children and adults flee the villages of Tibet, cross the highest range of mountains in the world to reach the promise of a life where they can preserve their culture and have freedom. The journey is treacherous but children try to escape the oppression in Tibet. I am pleased that all the members of this important trip joined Speaker in introducing this resolution."

Rep. Inslee: "...When you talk to a buddhist monk who's walked for five days through the Himalayan mountains to escape suppression and obtain some modicum of religious liberty, it would move the hardest of hearts and we talked amongst those who had the experience. Monks who couldn't even show a little medallion with the picture of the Dalai Lama on their chest without having to go to jail in Tibet under the control of the Chinese government. It was profound in that sense. But it was profound in meeting the Dalai Lama as well..."

Rep. Solis: "The Dalai Lama spoke to us about his desire for peace and his longing to live autonomously, not independent of, but autonomously, in China so that Tibetans could practice their religion openly. I, too, share his desire. House Resolution 1077 calls on China to end its repression inside Tibet, release prisoners who participated in nonviolent protests and to begin a dialogue, a true dialogue, with the Dalai Lama, to find a solution for Tibet that respects human rights."

Chairman Berman: "China's response to Tibetan protests over the last month has been tragically predictable. For half a century the Tibetan people have struggled under the repressive policies of the Chinese authorities. And sadly, the current crackdown is only the most recent example of Beijing's mistreatment of Tibetans. As the world watched events unfold inside China, we were sickened, not only by the shock of seeing images of Chinese authorities beating Tibetans in the street, but also by the realization that these are images we have seen before and fear we may see again."

This resolution resolves that the House of Representatives:

· Calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its crackdown on nonviolent Tibetan protestors and its continuing cultural, religious, economic and linguistic repression inside Tibet;

· Calls on the Chinese Government to begin a results-based dialogue, without preconditions, directly with His Holiness the Dalai Lama to address the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people and provide for a long-term solution that respects the human rights and dignity of every Tibetan;

· Calls on the Chinese Government to allow independent international monitors and journalists, free and unfettered access to the Tibet Autonomous Region and all other Tibet areas of China for the purpose of monitoring and documenting events surrounding the Tibetan protests and to verify that individuals injured receive adequate medical care.

· Calls on the Chinese Government to immediately release all Tibetans who are imprisoned for nonviolently expressing opposition to Chinese Government policies in Tibet;

· Calls on the United States Department of State to publicly issue a statement reconsidering its decision not to include the People's Republic of China among the group of countries described as "the world's most systematic human rights violators" in the introduction of the 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices; and

· Calls on the United States Department of State to fully implement the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note), including the stipulation that the Secretary of State 'seek to establish an office in Lhasa, Tibet to monitor political, economic and cultural developments in Tibet', and also to provide consular protection and citizen services in emergencies, and further urges that the agreement to permit China to open further diplomatic missions in the United States should be contingent upon the establishment of a United States Government office in Lhasa.