[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 24 (Tuesday, March 10, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1674-S1675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TIBETAN UPRISING DAY

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, today is the 39th anniversary of the 
Tibetan Uprising Day. On March 10, 1959, the Tibetans instigated a 
massive uprising against the Chinese in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. It 
was ruthlessly suppressed by military force. An estimated 80,000 
Tibetans were killed, and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee, seeking 
refuge in India. Every year, on March 10, the Tibetans in exile gather 
to commemorate the anniversary of this unfortunate day and to protest 
the continued occupation of Tibet.
  Mr. President, there are demonstrations all across the country which 
commemorate this day, March 10, 1959. And I would like to bring to the 
attention of my colleagues the meaning of today to the people in Tibet 
and to make a linkage to what we are doing on the floor--again, with 
Senator Mack from Florida, with Senator Hutchinson from Arkansas, with 
Senator Feingold from Wisconsin.
  By the end of this week, because of the personal commitment of the 
majority leader, we will have an up-or-down vote on a resolution, or an 
amendment to a bill, which will call on the President to put the full 
force of the United States authority behind the resolution which will 
be critical of or condemn human rights violations in China before the 
International Commission on Human Rights, which is going to start 
meeting on March 16.
  I have a letter which was translated into English--but I am going to 
keep this forever, because I think it is such a great thing--from Wei 
Jingsheng, which he wrote out in my office on Friday. This is an appeal 
by Wei, who spent 18 years in prison and had the courage to stand up 
for what he believes in. He will be nominated for the Nobel Peace 
Prize.
  This is the request to the U.S. Senate to please go on record this 
week, before the International Commission on Human Rights meets, 
strongly behind a resolution calling on the President to do what the 
President has promised to do, calling on the administration to do what 
they promised to do, which is to move forward on a resolution at this 
Human Rights Commission in Geneva which will be critical of, or 
condemn,

[[Page S1675]]

the human rights in China, including the crushing of the culture and 
history and the people in Tibet.
  Mr. President, silence on our part would be betrayal. It would be 
unconscionable. Our country is a great country because we support human 
rights. We support the freedoms of people. We support the idea that 
people should not be persecuted because of their religious practices. 
They should not be persecuted because they have the courage to 
challenge governments if one of those governments is left, or right, or 
center.
  I said it yesterday, but I will say it one more time today. I hope we 
will work with the President. We are going to get a strong vote for 
this resolution. I hope the President and the administration will do 
the right thing. I have myself been calling the State Department. I 
think Secretary Albright wants to move forward on this. I have not had 
a chance to talk to her. She is, of course, abroad, working on another 
very important question about what is happening to people in Kosovo--
and rightfully so--trying to lead an international effort and making it 
clear to Milosevic that Serbia cannot with impunity do this to the 
people in Kosovo. I believe she is a strong advocate on human rights.
  I talked to Strobe Talbott and to Sandy Berger. I have been putting 
calls in to their offices, and I think it is important that this week 
the administration come out with a clear position which would be a 
reasonable position, doing just what the President has said we ought to 
do. We don't link it to trade agreements, though I think we should. But 
this is the right place--at this U.N. Human Rights Commission--to be 
talking about these human rights violations.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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