[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 48 (Thursday, April 25, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3448-S3449]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

  SENATE RESOLUTION 252--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING 
 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN TIBET, THE PANCHEN LAMA, AND THE NEED FOR 
   DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP AND THE DALAI LAMA OR HIS 
                            REPRESENTATIVES

  Mr. WELLSTONE submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 252

       Whereas Hu Jintao, Vice President of the People's Republic 
     of China and former Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous 
     Region, will visit the United States in April and May of 
     2002;
       Whereas Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was taken from his home by 
     Chinese authorities on May 17, 1995, at the age of 6, shortly 
     after being recognized as the 11th incarnation of the Panchen 
     Lama by the Dalai Lama;
       Whereas the forced disappearance of the Panchen Lama 
     violates fundamental freedoms enshrined in international 
     human rights covenants to which the People's Republic of 
     China is a party, including the Convention on the Rights of 
     the Child;
       Whereas the use of religious belief as the primary criteria 
     for repression against Tibetans reflects a continuing pattern 
     of grave human rights violations that have occurred since the 
     invasion of Tibet in 1949-50;
       Whereas the State Department Country Reports on Human 
     Rights Practices for 2001 states that repressive social and 
     political controls continue to limit the fundamental freedoms 
     of Tibetans and risk undermining Tibet's unique cultural, 
     religious, and linguistic heritage, and that repeated 
     requests for access to the Panchen Lama to confirm his well-
     being and whereabouts have been denied; and
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     has failed to respond positively to efforts by the Dalai Lama 
     to enter into dialogue based on his proposal for genuine 
     autonomy within the People's Republic of China with a view to 
     safeguarding the distinct identity of Tibet and protecting 
     the human rights of the Tibetan people: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) Vice President Hu Jintao should be made aware of 
     congressional concern for the Panchen Lama and the need to 
     resolve the situation in Tibet through dialogue with the 
     Dalai Lama or his representatives; and
       (2) the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     should--
       (A) release the Panchen Lama and allow him to pursue his 
     traditional role at Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Tibet; and
       (B) enter into dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his 
     representatives in order to find a negotiated solution for 
     genuine autonomy that respects the rights of all Tibetans.

 Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge and 
celebrate the 13th birthday of Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the boy recognized 
by the Dalai Lama in 1995 as the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen 
Lama, Tibet's second highest spiritual leader.
  As you may know, shortly after the Dalai Lama recognized Gedhun 
Choekyi Nyima as the Panchen Lama in 1995, the Chinese government 
abducted him with his family. He was 6 years old at the time. Today, 
the Panchen Lama remains in detention, and his whereabouts are unknown. 
For the past 7 years repeated requests from both governments and 
private humanitarian organizations to meet with the boy have been 
denied. It is intolerable that the Chinese leadership is using this 
young child in their efforts to tighten their grip on Tibet. On his 
13th birthday, he remains one of the world's youngest political and 
religious prisoners.
  Tibetans are persecuted for their religious beliefs. Prior to the 
Chinese invasion of 1950, Tibet was a deeply religious society. 
Religion remains an integral part of the daily lives of Tibetans, and 
it forms the social fabric connecting them to the land. Since the 
Chinese take over, religious practice and belief have come at a great 
cost. Over 6,000 monasteries and sacred places have been destroyed by 
the Chinese. Religious leaders are incarcerated with great frequency. 
They are forced to perform ``reeducation labor,'' and often subjected 
to torture, including electric shock, rape, and other serious forms of 
abuse.
  The Chinese Government continues to exert power over Tibetans by 
requiring monks to sign a declaration rejecting independence for Tibet, 
rejecting the Panchen Lama, rejecting and denouncing the Dalai Lama, 
recognizing the unity of China and Tibet, and ignoring the voice of 
America. Monks who refuse to accept these terms risk expulsion from 
their monasteries, or possible incarceration. Fleeing is the only other 
option for Tibetans who refuse to accept these terms. Historically, up 
to 3,000 Tibetans enter Nepal each year to escape the conditions.
  Religious persecution is not the only type of persecution in Tibet. 
Tibetans are also subject to political imprisonment. A few months ago, 
I had the honor of meeting with Ngawang Choephel, a former Fulbright 
scholar who taught at Middlebury College in Vermont, who was imprisoned 
in 1995. What was his crime, the crime for which his brave mother 
labored intensively to have him freed? He was arrested and jailed for 
espionage while filming a documentary on performing arts in Tibet. 
After serving more than 6 years, he was released on a medical parole. 
Regrettably, his story is emblematic of the daily struggles faced by 
Tibetans.
  China has consistently used excessive military force to stifle 
dissent, which has resulted in untold cases of arbitrary arrests, 
imprisonment, torture, and execution. Moreover, the Tibetan people are 
denied the rights to self determination, freedom of speech, assembly, 
movement, expression and travel, rights enshrined in the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights. Population transfers, environmental 
degradation, forced abortions and sterilizations, and the systematic 
destruction of the Tibetan language and culture continue unabated.
  The problems in Tibet go beyond continuing human rights violations. 
As long as the Tibetan people are denied the right to self 
determination, human rights violations and political unrest will 
continue. For almost 40 years Chinese oppression in Tibet has been met 
by resistance. However, despite over four decades of force and 
intimidation, the Tibetan people have proven again and again that they 
will not succumb. Until a negotiated settlement is reached, Tibet will 
remain a contentious and potentially destabilizing issue for China. The 
only way to settle the question of Tibet is for the Chinese leadership 
to enter into negotiations with the Dalai Lama or his representatives.
  Both publicly and privately, the Dalai Lama has stated his 
willingness to negotiate with the Chinese in his own words, ``anywhere, 
anytime, and with no pre-conditions.'' Thus far, Beijing has refused to 
even consider talking to him. Despite the fact that the Dalai Lama is 
respected worldwide as a spiritual leader and was awarded the Nobel 
Peace Prize, Chinese Communist party leaders continue to eschew 
dialogue.
  Next week, Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit the United States 
for the first time. Many believe that he will be the next Premier of 
China. As you may know, Hu Jintao was the Party Secretary in the Tibet 
Autonomous Region, TAR, from 1988 to 1992. During his tenure as Party 
Secretary, Hu Jintao made a name for himself as a tough administrator 
of Beijing's control mechanisms in Tibet, including the use of deadly 
force against unarmed Tibetan protestors.
  Despite Hu Jintao's record as TAR Party Secretary, I, like some 
Tibetans, remain hopeful that he can play a positive role in the 
future. Because Hu has direct experience with the sentiments of 
Tibetans, he could be more responsive to Tibetan interests than past 
Chinese leaders. On November 9, 2001, Hu told journalists in Berlin, 
``I have been in Tibet for almost 4 years and I am very familiar with 
the situation.'' It is a positive factor that Hu Jintao knows 
conditions in Tibet from first-hand experience.
  In light of his visit, I am introducing a resolution in the Senate 
calling for

[[Page S3449]]

the release of the Panchen Lama. With this action, I am also hoping to 
see a serious and substantive discussion of the continued human rights 
violations in China and Tibet. I will continue to communicate these 
objectives directly to the administration and the Chinese leadership. 
Specifically, I strongly believe we should urge the Chinese leadership: 
To release the Panchen Lama and allow him to pursue his traditional 
role at Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Tibet; and to enter into dialogue 
with the Dalai Lama or his representatives in order to find a 
negotiated solution for genuine autonomy that respects the rights of 
all Tibetans.
  Today, across America Tibetans and their supporters are staging 
events to draw international attention and support for Tibet. This 
includes five Tibetan men who are biking from the state capitol in St. 
Paul, MN, to the Chinese Embassy in Chicago. There, they are calling 
for the release of the Panchen Lama, the second highest leader in 
Tibetan Buddhism. Today, I ask that the Senate join their cause. Free 
the Panchen Lama.
  I offer my deepest respect and prayers to them and to the countless 
brave men and women who have lost their lives in the struggle to bring 
freedom and democracy to Tibet. It is my hope that the United States 
will be ``on the right side of history'' by pressing hard for 
negotiations and a peaceful solution to the Tibetan situation, in 
accordance with U.N. resolutions.
  Finally, I would like to commend the Tibetan people, who under the 
leadership of the Dalai Lama, have remained steadfast in their 
commitment to non-violence. While in other parts of the world 
individuals seeking freedom have employed any means available, 
including violence and terrorism, the Tibetans have not altered from 
the path of nonviolence, even while their homeland, their families, 
their religion, and their culture are decimated. To turn away from the 
Tibetan people in their hour of need, would send a message to the world 
that the international community does not care about what is just. I 
urge Tibetans to stay the course of nonviolence.

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