[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1077 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         April 9, 2008.
Whereas March 10, 2008, marked the 49th anniversary of a historic uprising 
        against Chinese rule over the Tibetan people, which forced His Holiness, 
        the 14th Dalai Lama, to escape into exile in India;
Whereas Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns in and around Lhasa were blocked by 
        Chinese authorities from staging peaceful demonstrations on this 
        anniversary date and were met with excessive force by the Chinese 
        authorities;
Whereas protests by Tibetans spread inside the Tibet Autonomous Region and other 
        Tibetan areas of China;
Whereas the accumulated grievances of almost six decades of cultural, religious, 
        economic, and linguistic repression of the Tibetan people by the 
        Government of the People's Republic of China has resulted in resentments 
        which are at the root of the Tibetan protests;
Whereas resentment of the Chinese Government by the Tibetan people has increased 
        sharply since 2005 as a result of Chinese policies, laws, and 
        regulations that have reduced economic opportunity for Tibetans and 
        severely eroded the ability of Tibetans to preserve their distinctive 
        language, culture, and religious identity;
Whereas the response by the Chinese Government to the Tibetan protests was 
        disproportionate and extreme, reportedly resulting in the deaths of 
        hundreds and the detention of thousands of Tibetans;
Whereas there have been reports that some Tibetans engaged in rioting that may 
        have resulted in the destruction of government and private property, as 
        well as the deaths of civilians;
Whereas His Holiness the Dalai Lama has used his leadership to promote 
        democracy, freedom, and peace for the Tibetan people through a 
        negotiated settlement of the Tibet issue, based on autonomy within the 
        context of China;
Whereas six rounds of dialogue between representatives of the Dalai Lama and 
        Chinese officials have not resulted in meaningful progress;
Whereas the Chinese Government has rebuffed calls by the President of the United 
        States, the United States Congress, and world leaders to respond 
        positively to the Dalai Lama's willingness to be personally involved in 
        discussions with Chinese leaders on the future of Tibet;
Whereas the Chinese Government has denigrated the Dalai Lama, labeling him as 
        ``a splittist'' and ``a wolf in monk's robes'', thereby further 
        alienating Tibetans who consider the Dalai Lama their spiritual leader;
Whereas the Dalai Lama was recognized for his contribution to world peace when 
        he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989;
Whereas the United States Congress, in recognition of the Dalai Lama's 
        outstanding moral and religious leadership and his advocacy of 
        nonviolence, awarded him with the Congressional Gold Medal on October 
        17, 2007;
Whereas the Chinese Government has failed to honor its commitment to improve the 
        human rights situation in China as a condition for Beijing being 
        selected as the site for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games;
Whereas the Chinese Government has impeded the access of international 
        journalists to Tibetan areas of China and distorted reports of events 
        surrounding the Tibetan protests, thereby violating the commitment it 
        made that ``there will be no restrictions on media reporting and 
        movement of journalists up to and including the Olympic Games'';
Whereas for many years, the Chinese Government has restricted the ability of 
        foreign journalists and foreign government officials, including United 
        States Government officials, to freely travel in Tibetan areas of China, 
        thereby curtailing access to information on the situation in Tibetan 
        areas;
Whereas the Chinese Government's use of propaganda during the protests to 
        demonize Tibetans and incite ethnic nationalism is exacerbating ethnic 
        tensions and is counterproductive to resolving the situation;
Whereas the United States Department of State included the People's Republic of 
        China among the group of countries described as ``the most systematic 
        violators of human rights'' in the introduction of the 2006 Country 
        Reports on Human Rights Practices and in previous Human Rights Reports, 
        but did not do so in the 2007 Human Rights Report, despite no evidence 
        of significant improvements in the human rights situation in China in 
        the past year; and
Whereas it is the policy of the United States ``to support the aspirations of 
        the Tibetan people to safeguard their distinct identity'' and ``to 
        support economic development, cultural preservation, health care, and 
        education and environmental sustainability for Tibetans inside Tibet'', 
        in accordance with the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note): 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives--
            (1) 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;
            (2) 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;
            (3) calls on the Chinese Government to allow independent 
        international monitors and journalists, free and unfettered access to 
        the Tibet Autonomous Region and all other Tibetan 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;
            (4) calls on the Chinese Government to immediately release all 
        Tibetans who are imprisoned for nonviolently expressing opposition to 
        Chinese Government policies in Tibet;
            (5) 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
            (6) 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.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.