[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1077 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1077
Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its
crackdown in Tibet and enter into a substantive dialogue with His
Holiness the Dalai Lama to find a negotiated solution that respects the
distinctive language, culture, religious identity, and fundamental
freedoms of all Tibetans, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 3, 2008
Ms. Pelosi (for herself, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Markey, Mr. George
Miller of California, Mr. McDermott, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Inslee, Ms. Solis,
Ms. Norton, and Mr. Holt) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its
crackdown in Tibet and enter into a substantive dialogue with His
Holiness the Dalai Lama to find a negotiated solution that respects the
distinctive language, culture, religious identity, and fundamental
freedoms of all Tibetans, and for other purposes.
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.
<all>