[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E426-E427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA ON TIBETAN UPRISING DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2005

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I request the attached copy of the annual 
statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama marking March 10, 2005 as the 
46th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising of 1959 be included in the 
Congressional Record.
  On March 10, 1959, the people of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa 
surrounded the home of the Dalai Lama in a brave effort to protect him 
from the Peoples' Liberation Army's guns that were trained on his 
compound from across the river. These Tibetans refused to leave even 
after the Chinese artillery fire began falling. On March 17, 1959, the 
Dalai Lama fled into exile in a futile effort to protect them; 
thousands died during the Chinese assault on the city, and thousands 
more died as the PLA moved to suppress a nationwide uprising against 
their increasingly repressive occupation of Tibet.
  Despite China's history of aggression and brutality, the Dalai Lama 
has worked for more than forty years to promote Tibetan self-
determination through non-violent means. I am proud that the U.S. 
Congress is a beacon of support for the Tibetan struggle. As the lead 
sponsor of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, I was pleased to see the 
Congress come together recently in support of a strong U.S. policy on 
Tibet.
  The Dalai Lama's release of his annual March 10 statement today 
highlights key points regarding for the Tibetan people and the world. 
Four decades of Chinese-led economic and social changes in Tibet have 
not primarily benefitted the Tibetan people. There continues to be 
instability in Tibet not because of ``splittist activities'', but 
because of a profound lack of human rights, religious freedom and self-
rule on the ground in Tibet. China itself has made tremendous economic 
progress during the past twenty or thirty years, but China's image in 
the world remains tarnished by her human rights records, undemocratic 
actions, the lack of the rule of law and the unequal implementation of 
autonomy rights regarding minorities. The renewed contact between the 
Tibetan and Chinese leadership, including the third round of meetings 
last September, are resulting in gradually improving interactions. It 
is my hope the future will continue to see improvements in the dialog.

The Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the 46th Anniversary of 
                   the Tibetan National Uprising Day

       On the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the Tibetan 
     People's Uprising, I convey my warm greetings to my fellow 
     Tibetans in Tibet and in exile and to our friends around the 
     world.
       During these more than four decades great changes have 
     taken place in Tibet. There has been a great deal of economic 
     progress along with development in infrastructure. The 
     Golmud-Lhasa railway link that is being built is a case in 
     point. However, during the

[[Page E427]]

     same period much has been written by independent journalists 
     and travelers to Tibet about the real situation in Tibet and 
     not what they have been shown. Most of them portray a very 
     different picture than what the Chinese government claims, 
     clearly criticizing China about the lack of human rights, 
     religious freedom and self-rule in Tibet. What has actually 
     happened and is still happening is that since the 
     establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region the real 
     authority has been solely held by Chinese leaders. As for the 
     Tibetan people, they have been facing suspicions and growing 
     restrictions. The lack of true ethnic equality and harmony 
     based on trust, and the absence of genuine stability in Tibet 
     clearly shows that things are not well in Tibet and that 
     basically there is a problem.
       Prominent and respected Tibetan leaders in Tibet have 
     spoken out on this from time to time and even suffered 
     because of their courageous acts. In the early 1960s, the 
     late Panchen Lama outlined the sufferings and aspirations of 
     the Tibetan people in his petition to the Chinese leaders. 
     Baba Phuntsok Wangyal, one of the foremost Tibetan communist 
     leaders, in his recent biography published in English dwells 
     at length on the need to meet the interests of the Tibetan 
     people. In fact, it is clear that most senior Tibetan 
     officials in Tibet deep in their hearts are extremely 
     dissatisfied.
       This year the Chinese government will mark the 40th 
     anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous 
     Region. There will be much fanfare and many commemorative 
     events to celebrate the occasion but these will be 
     meaningless when they do not reflect the ground realities. 
     For example, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural 
     Revolution were celebrated with great pomp as real 
     achievements at the time they took place.
       China has made tremendous economic progress during the past 
     more than two decades. China today is not what it was twenty 
     or thirty years ago. Much has changed in China. As a result 
     she has become a major player in the world and China rightly 
     deserves this position. It is a big nation with a huge 
     population and a rich and ancient civilization. However, 
     China's image is tarnished by her human rights records, 
     undemocratic actions, the lack of the rule of law and the 
     unequal implementation of autonomy rights regarding 
     minorities, including the Tibetans. All these are a cause for 
     more suspicion and distrust from the outside world. 
     Internally, they are an obstacle to unity and stability that 
     are of utmost importance to the leaders of the People's 
     Republic of China. In my view, it is important that as China 
     becomes a powerful and respectable nation she should be able 
     to adopt a reasonable policy with confidence.
       The world in general, of which China is a part, is changing 
     for the better. In recent times there is definitely a greater 
     awareness and appreciation for peace, non-violence, 
     democracy, justice and environmental protection. The recent 
     unprecedented response from governments and individuals 
     across the world to the tsunami disaster victims reaffirms 
     that the world is truly interdependent and the importance of 
     universal responsibility.
       My involvement in the affairs of Tibet is not for the 
     purpose of claiming certain personal rights or political 
     position for myself nor attempting to stake claims for the 
     Tibetan administration in exile. In 1992 in a formal 
     announcement I stated clearly that when we return to Tibet 
     with a certain degree of freedom I will not hold any office 
     in the Tibetan government or any other political position and 
     that the present Tibetan administration in exile will be 
     dissolved. Moreover, the Tibetans working in Tibet should 
     carry on the main responsibility of administering Tibet.
       I once again want to reassure the Chinese authorities that 
     as long as I am responsible for the affairs of Tibet we 
     remain fully committed to the Middle Way Approach of not 
     seeking independence for Tibet and are willing to remain 
     within the People's Republic of China. I am convinced that in 
     the long run such an approach is of benefit to the Tibetan 
     people for their material progress. It is encouraging that 
     there is support from various parts of the world for this 
     approach as being reasonable, realistic and of mutual benefit 
     to the Chinese and Tibetans. I am particularly encouraged by 
     the recognition and support that has come from certain 
     quarters of the intellectual circle from within China.
       I am happy with our renewed contacts with the Chinese 
     leadership and that the third round of meetings last 
     September shows that gradually our interactions are 
     improving. Now that our elected political leadership is 
     shouldering more responsibility in Tibetan affairs, I have 
     advised them to look into the issues raised by the Chinese 
     side during our third round of talks and to take steps to 
     address or clarify them as needed. We remain hopeful that 
     eventually we will be able to develop the necessary trust 
     and resolve this long-standing issue to our mutual 
     benefit.
       Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express 
     the Tibetan people's gratitude and appreciation to the people 
     and Government of India for their steadfast sympathy and 
     support. I very much feel a part of this nation not only 
     because of the centuries-old religious and cultural ties that 
     India and Tibet enjoyed but also because I and most of the 
     Tibetans in exile lived in India for the past 45 years.
       I offer my prayers to the brave men and women of Tibet who 
     gave their lives for the cause of Tibetan freedom.

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