[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 8, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H2048-H2058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA TO END ITS CRACKDOWN IN TIBET

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (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.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1077

       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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Berman) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include

[[Page H2049]]

extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I would first like to thank our Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, 
for introducing this important resolution. Speaker Pelosi's commitment 
to human rights generally, and Tibetan human rights specifically, is 
deep, well established, and unwavering.
  For two decades in Congress, from her earlier stage as a junior 
Member to her current position as Speaker, she has used her powerful 
voice to speak on behalf of the Tibetan people. The bipartisan 
delegation that she recently led to Dharmsala to meet with the Dalai 
Lama and her authorship of this resolution demonstrate her continuing 
dedication on the Tibetan issue. I am, and all of us in this body 
should be, grateful for her leadership.
  China's response to Tibetan protests over the last month has been 
tragically predictable. For half a century, the Tibetan people have 
struggled under the repressive policies of the Chinese authorities. And 
sadly, the current crackdown is only the most recent example of 
Beijing's mistreatment of Tibetans.
  As the world watched events unfold inside China, we were sickened not 
only by the shock of seeing images of Chinese authorities beating 
Tibetans in the street, but also by the realization that these are 
images that we have seen before, and fear we may see again.
  It was this legacy of repression that caused Tibetan monks to take to 
the streets on March 10th to peacefully protest Beijing's ongoing 
denial of religious, cultural, and human rights for the Tibetan people. 
And sadly, it was the same legacy that caused Beijing to respond with 
excessive force and a propaganda campaign designed to stoke Chinese 
nationalism by demonizing Tibetans and their spiritual leader, His 
Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
  If China wishes to be viewed by the world as a truly responsible 
power, it must put an immediate end to its shortsighted policies 
towards Tibet which are morally reprehensible, irresponsible and 
dangerous.
  Beijing cannot credibly claim that is seeks genuine reconciliation 
with the Tibetan people when its policies force Buddhist monks to 
denounce their allegiance to the Dalai Lama, deny educational and 
economic opportunities to Tibetans, and threaten Tibetan culture by 
encouraging an overwhelming influx of Han Chinese migrants into Tibetan 
areas. This resolution not only condemns Beijing's crackdown on Tibetan 
protesters, it also urges China to begin to move away from its policy 
of repression and incitement of ethnic tensions.
  The resolution calls on Beijing to allow international monitors to 
assess the situation in Tibetan areas in China and ensure that those 
injured in the protest receive adequate medical treatment.
  In addition, the resolution urges Beijing to hold direct and results-
based discussions with the Dalai Lama in order to come to a resolution 
of the Tibetan issue, one that respects Chinese territorial integrity 
and sovereignty, but at the same time provides genuine religious and 
cultural autonomy for Tibetans.
  The resolution instructs the Department of State to reconsider its 
decision not to include China among the countries with the worst human 
rights records in the Department's 2007 Human Rights Report.
  Madam Speaker, at this point, once again, I would like to thank 
Speaker Pelosi for introducing this important resolution, which I 
strongly support, and ask my colleagues to do the same.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong and enthusiastic support of this 
resolution which forcefully criticizes the current bloody crackdown 
that is taking place in Tibet. This resolution also condemns Beijing's 
almost six decades of suppression of the religious, linguistic, 
economic, and cultural rights of the people of Tibet.
  It was my great honor, Madam Speaker, to sponsor legislation which 
resulted in the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest 
honor that we can bestow in the United States Congress, to His 
Holiness, the Dalai Lama, last October. My late friend and colleague 
from across the aisle, Congressman Tom Lantos, and I worked together to 
ensure that His Holiness received the official recognition that he so 
richly deserves.
  The Dalai Lama, who is also a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, has won 
the admiration of all of us, not only for his spiritual guidance, but 
also for his principled stand upholding the human rights of the captive 
people of Tibet.
  Beijing's cynical and crass campaign to denigrate His Holiness both 
inside and outside of Tibet has drawn the anger of both the Dalai 
Lama's followers, as well as people of good will throughout the globe. 
Beijing has called His Holiness ``a splittist'' and ``a wolf in monk's 
clothing.'' The Chinese Embassy even recently sent out a computer link 
to offices here on Capitol Hill ludicrously comparing His Holiness to 
Nazis.
  The people of Tibet can no longer silently bear these continued 
insults directed at their spiritual leader, a man respected as an 
advocate of peace, of compassion, and good will. A boiling point was 
reached on March 10th, the anniversary of the 1959 uprising in Tibet 
and subsequent flight of the Dalai Lama into exile in India. When 
demonstrators broke out in Lhasa, Beijing responded with an iron fist. 
In implementing a bloody crackdown, Beijing ignored its past pledge to 
the International Olympic Committee to improve the human rights 
situation in China prior to this summer's Olympics. Chinese authorities 
even denied foreign diplomats and journalists all access to Tibet.
  With increasing numbers of American tourists traveling to Tibet every 
year, the United States has a legitimate interest in having diplomatic 
access to Tibet for consular services. But there should be no further 
openings of more Chinese consulates in the United States until China 
stops its repression of religious and ethnic minorities and stops 
violating the fundamental human rights of its own citizens.
  The crackdown continued until April 3, when Chinese troops fired into 
a peaceful crowd of demonstrators outside a Tibetan temple in southwest 
China. The crowd had been protesting the arrest of two monks who were 
found in possession of photographs of the Dalai Lama. Eight were 
killed, including members of the Buddhist clergy.
  But the Chinese regime has not only been responsible for shedding 
innocent Tibetan blood, in Darfur, in Burma, in North Korea, and inside 
China itself, bloody repression continues unabated.

                              {time}  1930

  This lack of liberty will further diminish the light of the Olympic 
torch. The progression of that torch from London and Paris to San 
Francisco has become a focal point for those who would raise their 
voices concerning the immense human rights abuses of the Chinese 
regime.
  What has begun in Tibet will not stay in Tibet. Already there are 
reports of unrest among the Uyghur minority as well. Beijing's 
continued repression and denial of human rights will become the chief 
focal point of international attention in the summer of the Beijing 
Olympics. And, Madam Speaker, if the present repression continues, the 
Beijing games will indeed become the ``Genocide Olympics.''
  I urge all of my colleagues to join in vigorous approval and support 
for this resolution.
  With that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and I ask 
unanimous consent that my good friend the gentleman from New Jersey 
(Mr. Smith) be allowed to manage the remainder of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes of 
time to a member of the committee, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson-Lee).
  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Let me thank the distinguished chairman and

[[Page H2050]]

as well the ranking member of the full committee, to the Speaker of the 
House for her continued leadership. And I am always reminded of the 
late Chairman Tom Lantos and his commitment to the people of Tibet.
  Madam Speaker, I've had the honor and privilege of being with the 
people of Tibet in their temples, listening to their plea, walking 
alongside of them, admiring and respecting their tenacity, 
determination, and their love of freedom and peace. As well, the Dalai 
Lama has visited not only this community but also the State of Texas, 
and we have had the pleasure of seeing him be a guiding force for 
peace.
  It is time now for this resolution and the call that it makes for the 
People's Republic to shine the light on Tibet and give them the rights 
of engagement and discussion because what we are facing are 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. It has resulted in these resentments, and 
it has resulted in this oppression in the expression of the Tibetan 
people.
  As this Olympic torch travels around the world, you will see the 
people who are peace loving and loving human rights standing up. As it 
comes to my city, as it goes to other cities, there will be those of us 
who stand against it. In fact, we have called upon the Chinese 
Ambassador to wake up and to recognize that the world is crying out for 
justice for the Tibetan people.
  The resolution calls on this particular government, the Chinese 
Government, to begin a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, to bring about 
respect, to allow international monitors and journalists. I truly 
believe it is time now for the world to stand up.
  And so to my colleagues, it is important that this resolution be 
passed. I believe we should be in front of the Chinese Embassy here in 
Washington, D.C., petitioning that government to hear the cry of the 
Tibetan people, to respect the Dalai Lama, and to bring finally peace 
and freedom and, yes, democracy to a peace-loving people. The 
oppressors cannot oppress the oppressed forever, and we stand against 
it. This resolution speaks to a resolution. We ask for the agreement.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong 
support of 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 represents the distinctive language, culture, 
religious identity, and fundamental freedoms of all Tibetans, and for 
other purposes, introduced by my distinguished colleague from 
California, Representative Nancy Pelosi. This important and timely 
legislation calls for an imperative dialogue which will set forth the 
road to peace and stability.
  In recent days, the news has been littered with reports of human 
rights abuses by the Chinese government regarding Tibetan dissent. As 
we approach the 2008 Olympics that will be held in China, it is 
imperative that we look into the reports of violations of basic human 
rights by the Chinese government.
  On March 4th, Tibetan monks began peaceful protests in the Tibetan 
capitol, Lhasa, which escalated into violence resulting in a staunch 
crackdown by the Chinese government, the effects of which have yet to 
be seen as international media has been strictly restricted in the 
area. What began as a peaceful protest for religious freedom and 
autonomy has resulted in Beijing admittedly sending thousands of 
paramilitary troops and police to the region in order to maintain 
``peace and stability.''
  March 14, 2008 marked the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan people's 
historic uprising against the Chinese government that forced His 
Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile in India, where he still resides. 
When Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns attempted to assemble in peaceful 
demonstration on this anniversary, they were met with excessive force 
by Chinese authorities. Last month's riots in the Tibetan capitol of 
Lhasa have once again drawn international interest to the plight of the 
Tibetan people in their struggle for autonomy and religious freedom. 
The Chinese government has reported that more than 1,000 people have 
been captured or turned themselves in, in relation to their 
participation in said riots.
  Last week, Amnesty International released a report stating that 
despite claims that hosting the Olympics will lead to Chinese 
observance of international human rights law, the approach of this 
historic event has actually lead to a crackdown of dissent on the part 
of the Chinese government. Just one day after the release of Amnesty 
International's report, Hu Jia, a Chinese activist who has publicized 
human rights abuses across China, was sentenced to three and a half 
years in prison for ``inciting subversion of state power and the 
socialist system.''

  I wish to discuss briefly the importance of the relationship between 
the United States, China and Tibet and highlight some important 
legislation that I have supported to provide assistance to the human 
rights situation in Tibet. As we are well aware, controversy exists 
over Tibet's current political status as a part of China. This 
precarious relationship between China and Tibet has prompted U.S. 
congressional actions in support of Tibet's status and traditions.
  Tibet has been under active Beijing rule since between 1949-1951, 
when the newly established communist government of the People's 
Republic of China, PRC, sent military troops to occupy Tibet. It was 
some years later, in 1959, that the Dalai Lama, who is still respected 
and regarded as the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, along with 
his followers, fled from Tibet and went into exile in India.
  As reports of human rights abuses and political activities surfaced 
regarding China's continuing repressive social and political controls 
in Tibet, it garnered more interest and congressional consideration in 
the late 1980s. Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, is the 
unrivaled spiritual and cultural leader of the Tibetan people. 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 People's Republic of China. 
For his efforts on behalf of humanity, the Dalai Lama was awarded the 
Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Most recently in 2006, I lent my support to 
S. Res. 2784, awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest 
expression of national appreciation for exceptional service, to the 
Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. I appreciate his efforts to promote peace 
and non-violence throughout the globe, and his efforts to find 
democratic reconciliation for the Tibetan people through his ``Middle 
Way'' approach. I am grateful for the extensive work that the Dalai 
Lama has done for his country and on behalf of humanity.

  Congress has taken a particular interest in the affairs of Tibet. 
Beginning in 1987, Congress passed non-binding measures declaring that 
the United States should make Tibet's situation a higher policy 
priority and urged China to establish a constructive dialogue with the 
Dalai Lama.
  As a Member of Congress, I am interested in the welfare and human 
rights affairs of the Tibetan people and have previously proposed an 
amendment to provide $2 million in the Economic Support Fund for 
monitoring the human rights situation in Tibet and for training and 
education of Tibetans in democracy activities and an additional $2 
million in the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the 
Tibetan refugee program.
  Madam Speaker, I am a staunch advocate for human rights and desire to 
see the plight of the Tibetan people rectified. As such, I strongly 
support H. Res. 1077 and call upon my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this important legislation.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), the coauthor of this 
resolution who recently returned from Dharamsala, where he met with the 
Dalai Lama.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution and in solidarity 
with the Tibetan people in this trying time. The recent events in Tibet 
have captured the attention of this body and the American people. We as 
Americans are both saddened and outraged by the Chinese Government's 
crackdown on peaceful protests in Tibet.
  This body must be clear in its support of fundamental human rights. 
Tibetans deserve the right to preserve their culture, heritage, 
language, and religion.
  The Chinese Government has argued that this crackdown was in response 
to violent protest by the Tibetan people. However, the government 
dismissed outside journalists from the region and has restricted their 
ability to accurately report on the situation. Meanwhile, Americans 
traveling in China in recent weeks have revealed that their televisions 
went black when the international media reported on Tibet.
  This restriction of freedom is consistent with China's historically 
abysmal human rights record. While it would be simpler to believe that 
the Chinese Government's assertion that its crackdown was a just 
response to violent protest, the very fact that

[[Page H2051]]

China has gone to such great lengths to control the flow of information 
on the protests makes such an assertion a great stretch of credulity.
  I had the honor of meeting with Tibet's spiritual leader and historic 
head of state, the Dalai Lama, last month shortly after the protests 
began. His Holiness made very clear his opposition to the acts of 
violence taking place in Tibet. Since his exile 49 years ago, the Dalai 
Lama has consistently advocated for a peaceful resolution to the 
tension between Tibet and China. If there is to be a real solution to 
the problem, the Chinese Government must engage in dialogue with the 
Dalai Lama with the intention of finding a lasting resolution for both 
parties.
  In the coming months, China will open its doors to the world and show 
its best face. We've heard a lot in this country recently about 
transparency, and this body responded by implementing greater 
transparency in our government. Now is the time for China to take 
responsibility for its actions and implement heightened transparency to 
the world community on the situation in Tibet and on the conduct of its 
own government.
  The stage is set for China to demonstrate a newfound commitment to 
human rights and peace. This institution and the world are watching 
expectantly. Let us hope that the Chinese Government receives the 
message loud and clear that all pressures remain on the table in 
protecting the rights of the Tibetan people.
  Madam Speaker, the Tibetan people have waited 49 years for their 
freedom. Their patience is wearing thin. If China wishes to be 
considered an equal among the leaders of the world, it must act like 
one by standing for basic human rights in Tibet.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to a 
member of our committee, a stalwart fighter for human rights, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).
  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, first of all, let me thank our Speaker for 
her unyielding stand regarding China's human rights record in Tibet and 
its association with the genocidal government of the Sudan.
  This resolution calls on China to end its crackdown on nonviolent 
protestors in Tibet and to talk with His Holiness the Dalai Lama to 
address the very legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people. It sends 
a clear message to China that the United States does not condone 
violence and repression against the Tibetan people.
  This resolution is also timely as the Olympic torch will make its 
only stop in North America tomorrow when it comes to the Speaker's 
district in San Francisco, California, right across the bay from my 
home district.
  As host of the Olympic games, China is facing calls to live up to the 
Olympic spirit of peace and brotherhood and sisterhood that the torch 
represents. China's actions in Tibet and its ongoing support for the 
genocidal regime in Sudan run contrary to that Olympic spirit.
  Madam Speaker, China must play by the rules when it comes to human 
rights and to genocide. Now is the time to begin this dialogue with His 
Holiness the Dalai Lama. There are legitimate grievances of the Tibetan 
people which must be addressed, and who better to have this dialogue 
with than His Holiness the Dalai Lama?
  I want to thank the Speaker for really carrying the torch for freedom 
and human rights and dignity of the Tibetan people. This resolution 
heeds the call of the international community and puts this body on the 
right side of history.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
distinguished gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).
  Mr. SHAYS. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1077, introduced by our 
Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, calling on the Government of China to end its 
crackdown in Tibet and to enter into a substantive dialogue with His 
Holiness the Dalai Lama.
  The recent violence in Tibet, which was triggered by the Buddhist 
monks asking for religious freedoms, should be a great concern to 
everyone concerned about human rights. China needs to end the violence 
and engage in open and honest dialogue with the Dalai Lama to achieve 
peace and reconciliation. China must come to realize that Tibetans 
deserve more autonomy and the world community will not be silent until 
they achieve it.
  As a member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, I am very 
concerned about human rights in China but in particular the political 
and religious freedoms of Tibetans. I urge the resolution's adoption 
and appreciate this resolution coming to the floor.
  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin).
  (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from 
California will control the time.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution.
  China has a law that includes protections for the distinctive 
culture, language, and identity of ethnic minority citizens. Its 
Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law guarantees ethnic minorities the ``right 
to administer their internal affairs.'' More specifically, the term 
``regional ethnic autonomy'' reflects ``the state's full respect for . 
. . ethnic minorities' rights to administer their internal affairs.'' 
Madam Speaker, China in recent weeks has reflected anything but ``the 
state's full respect'' of ethnic minority rights nor of basic human 
rights recognized in both Chinese and international law.
  Protest activity has included instances of rioting resulting in 
destruction of property and death of Tibetans and non-Tibetans alike. 
This is unacceptable in any context. But most protest activity, while 
at times disorderly, has been nonviolent. The Chinese Government's 
reaction, however, has revealed a level of hostility towards Tibetans 
not seen in decades and has heightened fears for the Tibetan people.
  The Chinese Government would do well to consider a number of concrete 
steps to address the current crisis, and I would ask, Madam Speaker, 
that a list of such steps prepared by the staff of the Congressional-
Executive Commission on China be submitted for the Record.

 Addendum to Floor Statement of Representative Sander Levin, Chairman, 
              Congressional-Executive Commission on China


                      Addressing Tibetan Protests

       1. Distinguish between peaceful protestors and rioters, 
     honor the Chinese Constitution's reference to the freedoms of 
     speech and association, and do not treat peaceful protest as 
     a crime;
       2. Provide a detailed account of Tibetan protest activity 
     in each location where such activity took place;
       3. Provide details about each person detained or charged 
     with a crime, including each person's name, the charges (if 
     any) against each person, the name and location of the 
     prosecuting office (``procuratorate'') and court handling 
     each case, and the name of each facility where a person is 
     detained or imprisoned;
       4. Allow access by diplomats and other international 
     observers to the trials of people charged with protest-
     related crimes;
       5. Allow international observers and journalists immediate 
     and unfettered access to Tibetan areas of China;
       6. Ensure that security officials fulfill their obligations 
     under Articles 64(2) and 71(2) of China's Criminal Procedure 
     Law to inform relatives and work places (monasteries in the 
     case of monks) where detainees are being held;
       7. Encourage and facilitate the filing of compensation 
     suits under Chinese law in cases of alleged wrongful arrest, 
     detention, punishment and other official abuses during the 
     recent protests;
       8. Permit international observers to monitor closely the 
     implementation of China's new Regulation on Open Government 
     Information, which comes into force on May 1, 2008, with 
     special emphasis on implementation in Tibetan areas.
       9. Strictly enforce the Regulations on Reporting Activities 
     in China by Foreign Journalists During the Beijing Olympic 
     Games and the Preparatory Period, with special emphasis on 
     access to and in Tibetan areas of China.
       10. Commence direct talks between the Chinese government 
     and the Dalai Lama.

  The commission monitors and reports on human rights and rule of law 
developments in China on an ongoing basis, and I encourage all to visit 
the commission's Web site, www.cecc.gov, to subscribe to the online 
newsletter and to use the commission's work to remain up to date on 
developments in China.
  The resolution of Tibetan grievances can only occur with direct talks 
between the Chinese Government and the

[[Page H2052]]

Dalai Lama. The international spotlight will remain long after the 
ceremonies of the Olympic Summer Games. As China plays an increasingly 
important role in the international community, other countries will 
appropriately assess China's fulfillment of the commitments it has made 
in both Chinese and international law, including legal and 
constitutional commitments to ethnic minorities.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas, an esteemed member of the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs (Mr. Poe).
  Mr. POE. I thank the gentleman for yielding time.
  Madam Speaker, Tibet is being denied the basic human rights of 
freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the freedom to seek 
grievances against its own government.
  China, the bully of Asia, literally is beating up on the small 
religious Tibetan community. China puts down dissent by the use of the 
bloody club and the firearm. And China suppresses the world press that 
tries to report on what they are doing by issuing scripted propaganda 
papers about these peaceful Tibetan people, propaganda that we have not 
seen since Hitler's Nazi Germany.
  China's ugly personality of brutality and oppression is now being 
seen by all of the world. And as China tries to carry the Olympic torch 
throughout the world, the flame of the torch is setting peoples in this 
world on fire in support of the people of Tibet.

                              {time}  1945

  So China must cease its oppression of its own people or face 
international rebuke and international condemnation, including 
condemnation by this body.
  I support the people of Tibet, and I urge passage of this resolution. 
And I want to thank the chairman for bringing this resolution so 
quickly to the House floor.
  Ms. LEE. I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Holt) who is a member of the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence.
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
  I am pleased to join the Speaker of the House today as an original 
cosponsor of this important legislation to address the rights of the 
people of Tibet. Across the globe, people are speaking out in support 
of the people of Tibet. And today, Congress is making a strong 
statement. And no one outside Tibet has been more clear and more 
eloquent than the Speaker of the House.
  I recently had the honor to join the Speaker as a member of a 
congressional delegation to India. We were with the spiritual leader, 
the Dalai Lama, and we saw and heard thousands of Tibetan refugees 
cheering America, I'm pleased to say, but pleading and pleading with us 
not to forget Tibet.
  Tibet has been under the heavy hand of China for almost five decades, 
and the situation has deteriorated with China brutally suppressing 
Tibetans and systematically and relentlessly eradicating Tibetan 
culture. Our delegation was moved to see and hear the pleadings of 
Tibetans of all ages who have braved Himalayan crossings to escape 
oppression, some weeks ago, some years ago. And the Dalai Lama gives 
them hope and calls on the world not to forget those who have fled and 
those who are left in Tibet. And we, too, should give them hope.
  I have in my office a crayon-drawn Tibetan flag given to me during 
our delegation's visit to the Tibetan Children's Village, and I keep 
this flag in my office because it reminds me of the human toll of the 
situation. Children and adults flee the villages of Tibet and cross the 
highest range of mountains in the world to reach the promise of a life 
where they can preserve their culture and have freedom. The journey is 
treacherous, but children try to escape the oppression in Tibet.
  I am pleased that all the members of this important trip joined the 
Speaker in introducing this resolution. Both Democrats and Republicans 
agree that the Chinese Government needs to end the violent crackdown on 
nonviolent Tibetan protesters. Furthermore, it is long past time for 
the Chinese Government to begin, without preconditions, a dialogue with 
His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and ensure that human rights and dignity 
of all Tibetans are protected, to address the legitimate grievances of 
the Tibetan people, to safeguard the people and their distinctive 
identity, to support economic development, cultural preservation, 
health care, education and environmental sustainability.
  This important resolution reminds the world and China of our 
commitment to the people of Tibet.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter).
  Mr. McCOTTER. Madam Speaker, we stand at a historic moment. In the 
stream of history, it is oftentimes overlooked as we circumnavigate 
around time, fate and circumstance the momentous era and the momentous 
deeds which must be undertaken. This is one of them.
  I thank the Speaker for bringing this resolution. I thank her for 
bringing with it the moral weight of her opposition to Communist 
China's abysmal human rights record throughout her career in this 
Congress, and for uniting Republicans and Democrats behind it.
  But at this moment, I am also reminded of someone who is no longer 
with us, someone from whom I learned very much. That man is the late 
Chairman Tom Lantos, a man who embodied the human spirit in its ability 
to triumph over evil. How many people in this Congress understood the 
moment when the tanks rolled into Budapest and the Soviets went into 
Hungary, that that was a seminal moment in the Cold War, that the 
desire to breathe free, of the Hungarian people, could not be quelled 
by tanks and could only be quenched by freedom? And throughout the 
history of the Cold War, their example was emulated by others, 
including the Czechs in 1968, and of course the Poles, and that 
eventually brought down the Soviet Union.
  Today, what may appear a resolution of the moment for a specific 
incident is not that. It is our generation's Budapest. It is this 
generation of Americans who get to witness the Tibetans trying to 
breathe free from beneath the Communist yoke of the Chinese regime. And 
as we Republicans and Democrats stand together today, we stand with 
them, and we send a clarion message to the Communist Chinese 
Government. They will be free. And as the Olympic torch goes from town 
to town and you see people gathering together of all political 
persuasions and all walks of life to protest the abominable suppression 
of the Tibetans, let us remember that we here have come together to 
make sure that the torch of Lady Liberty still shines bright as a 
beacon of hope for all the world.
  Ms. LEE. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, a 
member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congresswoman Hilda 
Solis.
  Ms. SOLIS. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening in strong support of 
House Resolution 1077.
  At the end of March, I traveled to India with Speaker  Nancy Pelosi 
and a congressional delegation and met with the leader of Tibet, His 
Holiness, the Dalai Lama. We met young Tibetan children in India and 
saw hope in their eyes for a better future. We were greeted by many 
thousands and thousands of Tibetans along the road as we traveled up 
the mountain where they lived. Yet we heard stories of violence and 
torture inflicted by the Chinese Government on the Tibetan people and 
protesters. We learned of recent Chinese policies and laws that have 
limited the economic opportunities for Tibetans in China and severely 
endangered the Tibetan culture, religion and their language, in fact, 
their whole being.
  Tibetans have fled to India to be able to practice their religion in 
peace and preserve their culture with dignity and respect. The Dalai 
Lama spoke to us about his desire for peace and his longing to live 
autonomously, not independent of, but autonomously in China so that 
Tibetans could practice their religion openly.
  I, too, share his desire. House Resolution 1077 calls on China to end 
its repression inside Tibet, release prisoners who participated in 
nonviolent protest, and to begin a dialogue, a true dialogue with the 
Dalai Lama to find a solution for Tibet that respects human rights. The 
resolution calls for access for journalists so that the world can see, 
hear and view the situation in Tibet.
  The Tibetan people are at a critical point in their movement to live 
peacefully and autonomously. We must

[[Page H2053]]

stand with them. We must also be a beacon of hope for them and for 
those thousands of children that we saw at the orphanage there. They 
greeted us with hearts open to us with flags both representing the U.S. 
Government and the Tibetan people.
  I stand here, Members, strongly supportive of House Resolution 1077 
and ask you to join with us and the Speaker of the House for its swift 
passage.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Again, without objection, the gentleman from 
California regains control of the time.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining 
on both sides.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. There are 5\1/2\ minutes remaining for the 
gentleman from California. There are 6\1/2\ minutes remaining for the 
gentleman from New Jersey.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee).
  Mr. INSLEE. Madam Speaker, due to the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, we 
were able to experience a profound and moving time in Dharamsala, 
India, 2 weeks ago, and it was profound for two reasons. One, when you 
talk to a Buddhist monk who has walked for 5 days through the Himalayan 
mountains to escape suppression and obtain some modicum of religious 
liberty, it would move the hardest of hearts. And we talked to monks 
who had that experience, monks who couldn't even show a little 
medallion with a picture of the Dalai Lama on their chest without 
having to go to jail in Tibet under the control of the Chinese 
Government. It was profound in that sense, but it was profound in 
meeting the Dalai Lama, as well, a person of great humor, great grace, 
great courage and great nonviolence. And he has asked for an 
investigation of what has gone on in Tibet, to quash what the Chinese 
Government has been saying about him, saying that he has instigated 
this violence. Anyone who makes that claim couldn't distinguish between 
Mahatma Gandhi and Che Guevara.
  And I take great umbrage at this assertion that somehow he has been 
the reason for violence. His position has been reasonable. He has asked 
for a dialogue with the Chinese Government. He has asked for an 
investigation to what happened in Tibet. He has not called for a 
boycott of the Olympics, an extremely reasonable position given what 
his people have undergone.
  His aspirations for China I think should be the world's, that as 
China grows into a great economic power, let it seek to be a great 
power in the sense of morality and humanity. My district has a growing 
relationship with China selling jets, software and agricultural 
products. And we like to see the economic potential of China. But that 
has to be married, to become a great nation, with a commitment to 
humanity, morality and religious freedom. This is consistent not only 
with America's core values, but international values in the Olympic 
spirit. We hope we move in that direction.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, at this time, may I ask unanimous consent 
that we be granted an additional 10 minutes, 5 minutes for the 
majority, 5 minutes for the minority, on the time already allotted for 
this resolution debate.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. Steve Kagen.
  Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, what kind of nation would we be if we 
wouldn't stand up to speak out in favor of liberty everywhere in the 
world?
  It was on January 6, 1941, right here in this chamber that President 
Franklin Delano Roosevelt enunciated and outlined for us the four 
essential human freedoms, freedoms that this Nation fought several 
world wars for and won. Freedom of speech everywhere in the world, 
freedom from fear, freedom from want, and freedom to worship God 
everywhere in the world.
  The people of Tibet tonight must hear that we, the people of these 
United States, are on their side. And we encourage the current 
leadership of China to support these four essential human freedoms 
everywhere in the world.
  Madam Speaker, very shortly, there will be some Olympic games held in 
China, Olympic games and Olympic spirit, based upon fair competition, 
fair and open competition on a level playing field. Isn't it time, we 
might also ask, that China begins to compete with us on a fair and 
level playing field, and in particular with regard to Paper Valley in 
which I live in Wisconsin, isn't it time that they stopped dumping 
illegal paper into our domestic marketplaces?
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution because we 
must support these four essential human freedoms everywhere in the 
world.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  First of all, I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for introducing this 
very important resolution of which I am very proud to be one of the 
cosponsors, and especially for the trip, along with other Members of 
the House, that you led to India to be at the side of His Holiness, the 
Dalai Lama, in this hour of terrible suffering for the Tibetan people.
  Madam Speaker, tonight we are here to speak frankly about what the 
Chinese Government is doing in Tibet. Last week, Lodi Gyari, His 
Holiness' Special Envoy, told me and others on the Congressional Human 
Rights Caucus that Tibet has ``become, particularly in the last few 
weeks, in every sense an occupied nation, brutally occupied by armed 
forces.''
  Madam Speaker, despite the fact that there is an extensive news 
blackout, the grim consequences have gotten out.

                              {time}  2000

  Chinese soldiers and police have shot large numbers of people. The 
death toll is now well over 150. We don't have any idea how many have 
been wounded, how many are right now lying, wounded or dying, in attics 
and cellars, because they know that if they go to the hospital, they 
will simply disappear into the Chinese Laogai.
  The Chinese Government has been subjecting Tibetans to mass arrests. 
They have searched whole sections of cities, house by house. Chinese 
officials admit to nearly 2,000 arrests. The China Commission estimates 
that there are at least 1,000 more. Frankly, I wonder if there might be 
thousands more, since there are large areas of Tibet from which nothing 
has been heard in weeks, where phone lines and cell towers and e-mail 
have been simply turned off.
  Many thousands of monks are now being held under house arrest or in 
lockdown. Chinese riot police have surrounded some Buddhist monasteries 
and are letting no one get in and no one get out. Many have been 
tortured. I would remind my colleagues that we are seeing now, in a 
massive way, what has been ongoing and pervasive for decades.
  I chaired a hearing in 1995, Madam Speaker. We heard from six 
survivors of the Laogai. One of those was Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan monk 
who spent 24 years in prison. When we invited him to come and speak, he 
brought with him some instruments of torture that are routinely 
employed and used in a horrific manner against men and women in the 
Chinese concentration camps. He told us that many people die of 
starvation. But when he brought those instruments, he couldn't even get 
past our Capitol Police. They stopped him. We had to come down and get 
him through.
  Then, when he held up those batons that are used in the mouth and 
elsewhere in order to provide electric shocks, he actually broke down. 
He held it up and he said, ``This is what went into my mouth as a 
Buddhist monk and into the mouths of many other people to shock and to 
deface,'' and he has trouble swallowing to this day.
  He talked about these self-tightening handcuffs, and held up his 
wrists and showed us the marks on his body, not just on his wrists, but 
elsewhere. He talked about piercing with bayonets. And this is routine. 
I would encourage Members to realize what goes on each and every day, 
but now in a more pronounced way, in a more massive way, against the 
people of Tibet, through the use of torture.
  The Chinese Government, Madam Speaker, what they are doing right now 
is exactly what happened in some of the parts of the world ruled from 
the Communists. Who can forget the Soviet invasion of Hungary, which 
was still felt on the streets of Budapest in the 1980s, even though 
that happened

[[Page H2054]]

back in 1956. Tibet is now a cruel place, not the people, but the 
Chinese imposition of their crackdown.
  Madam Speaker, it should be noted and emphasized that the Tibetan 
people have not provoked the government into this newest wave of 
repression. It is the Chinese Government that has provoked the Tibetan 
people to protest, a protest that, perhaps because of the Buddhist 
emphasis on peace, has been overwhelmingly peaceful.
  As we all know, Tibet has been subjected to Chinese Communist tyranny 
since 1951. Since 1959, the Chinese Government is responsible for the 
deaths of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans--and that is a low 
estimate. The current number of Tibetans living in China is now about 
5.4 million people.
  I think Members should realize too that there has also been--and the 
Dalai Lama speaks about this when he speaks about his Five Points of 
Engagement--this population transfer, where the entire culture is being 
replaced by a Han Chinese culture. They are getting very good jobs. The 
incentive has been given them by the Chinese Government, in order to 
marginalize and decrease the Tibetan people, to make them more of a 
minority in their own land. What we are talking about here is nothing 
less than a planned destruction of a culture that has now gone to new 
lows with this recent crackdown.
  In fact, the Chinese Government's attitude toward Tibet can be seen 
in these two insults by Zhang Qingli, the Secretary of the Chinese 
Party of the Tibet Autonomous Region, who offered to the people these 
words. He said, ``The Communist Party is like the parent to the Tibetan 
people, and it is always considerate about what the children need.'' We 
are talking about a very abusive parent here. He also said, ``The 
Central Party Committee is the real Buddha for Tibetans.'' What a 
sacrilege! What a sacrilege! What a violation of fundamental human 
rights.
  I will say only a couple words about the Olympics, Madam Speaker. The 
IOC made a great mistake in allowing China to host the Olympics. Who 
can forget when they were vying for the 2000 Olympics and they let Wei 
Jingsheng out. Speaker Pelosi knows him very well. I met him in Beijing 
when he was let out, very briefly. As soon as they didn't get the 
Olympics, they rearrested him and beat him and tortured him. They 
finally let him out because he was close to death. But then the IOC 
awarded the Olympic venue to Beijing several years later.
  They shouldn't be held in a nation that cracks down on all kinds of 
political dissent and has a system of coercion where brothers and 
sisters are illegal as part of its one-child-per-couple policy, its 
forced abortion policy, and also a country that is responsible for 
killing so many Africans. The most recent is happening in Darfur. This 
really is, as my colleague Ms. Lee said earlier, the ``genocide 
Olympics.''
  That repression and those killing fields are ongoing today in Darfur. 
As we all know, some 4 million people died in Southern Sudan even 
before that, and it was the Chinese who enabled those killing fields as 
well.
  Finally, let me just say briefly to my colleagues that there are 
American companies who may be supporting this tyranny. I am afraid some 
of them are doing that, playing smaller or larger roles in the crushing 
of Tibet, working with the Chinese Internet Surveillance Bureau to 
block Web sites and blocking and tracking down Tibetans who send 
Internet reports of arrests and massacres.
  The New York Times has reported that the Chinese Government is 
indeed, and not unexpectedly, blocking Web sites to prevent uncensored 
news from reaching the Chinese people, including the Web sites of CNN, 
BBC, YouTube, Google and Yahoo.
  The Times has also reported that the Chinese Internet Surveillance 
Bureau has warned Tibetans about sharing factual news about the 
protests. They have said, and I quote them, this is the Chinese Bureau, 
``We inform Internet users that it is forbidden to post news about 
Tibet events . . . The Internet Surveillance Bureau will carry out 
filtering and censorship . . . Anyone infringing this ban will have 
their IP addresses sent to the police, who will then take the necessary 
steps.'' That means, Madam Speaker, arrests; that means, Madam Speaker, 
torture of those who simply try to share the truth as to what is going 
on in Tibet.
  Who can forget Shi Tao, the journalist who got 10 years simply for 
sending information to an NGO in New York about what the Chinese Bureau 
of Propaganda had told them they could not do with regard to the 
Tiananmen Square massacre? Now it is going on in Tibet, and the ugly 
cycle continues.
  As I think Members know, the Global Online Freedom Act legislation, 
which is pending and hopefully will come to the floor, would finally 
give us a full and thorough accounting as to this complicity, whether 
it be witting or unwitting, on the part of these Internet companies, so 
that we are not part of this tyrannical regime that is now so brutally 
suppressing, murdering and torturing Tibetan people and putting so many 
monks into prison, rather than letting them be in their monasteries, 
where they want to practice their faith.
  Madam Speaker, this is an excellent resolution you have brought to 
the floor. I congratulate you. This is bipartisanship, I believe, at 
its best. We are all in support of the Dalai Lama. You have led on this 
for so many years, and are doing so now as Speaker, and I hope we get 
very strong support for this, on behalf of the Tibetan people and on 
behalf of the Dalai Lama.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from California, the author of the resolution, the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives (Ms. Pelosi).
  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I 
thank him for his leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and 
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the 
committee, for their leadership in bringing this resolution to the 
floor. It isn't without a tear in the eye that we bring this to the 
floor and remember our colleague, Congressman Tom Lantos, and how 
important this resolution would have been to him.
  Twenty years ago when I was a new Member of Congress, Tom invited 
some of us to a meeting that I will never forget. It was with His 
Holiness the Dalai Lama. At that time he presented to us his proposal 
for autonomy for Tibet. That is over 20 years ago he has been preaching 
autonomy, and it is on that basis that we wanted him to have the 
opportunity to have full negotiations with the Chinese Government. They 
had said if he doesn't reject the idea of independence, that cannot 
happen. Well, he rejected independence 20 years ago, much to the dismay 
of those who want independence.
  But, in any event, Tom Lantos opened the door for many of us to meet 
with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Twenty years later, in the Capitol of 
the United States, under Tom's leadership and of that Congresswoman 
Ros-Lehtinen, we were able to present to His Holiness the Congressional 
Gold Medal, the highest honor that this body can bestow. I am proud to 
say that President Bush stood there side-by-side with His Holiness 
presenting our Congressional Gold Medal to him. No President before had 
been so courageous, and I appreciate and am proud that President Bush 
did that.
  Following that, we talked about taking a trip to India to talk about 
global warming, that our Energy Independence and Global Warming Task 
Force, which Mr. Markey and Mr. Sensenbrenner, who spoke so eloquently 
earlier, were in the lead on.
  When we planned the trip, we had accepted His Holiness' invitation to 
visit him in Dharamsala, without any thought that it would be at a 
controversial time. As fate would have it, we made our plans in 
December and January. When we got there in the middle of March, it was 
following the crackdown in Tibet of the peaceful demonstrators in Lhasa 
and in other parts of Tibet by the Chinese Government. It was stunning 
really to see the reaction of the Chinese to the simple observance of 
the 49th anniversary of the Dalai Lama being forced out of Tibet by the 
Chinese. As the monks demonstrated and protested, the Chinese 
government cracked down.
  While we were there, it was interesting to hear that the Government 
of China was saying that His Holiness was the instigator of violence in 
China,

[[Page H2055]]

that he had the ``heart of a jackal'' and all kind of animal 
references. We all love our animals, but they were not appropriate to 
His Holiness. We all know His Holiness to be the personification of 
nonviolence in the world, a bridge builder for peace and human 
understanding, as we said in our presentation of the Congressional Gold 
Medal to him.
  So we thought it must be our fate, it must be our karma, that we 
would be in Dharamsala at that time. As was indicated by some of our 
colleagues, Mr. Inslee mentioned that some monks had traveled for 5 
days over Himalayas to Dharamsala to tell us about the treatment they 
had received.
  Some of the people we met with, Mr. Smith, had been in prison for 
many years in China. One woman who was in her eighties had been in 
prison for over 25 years. We heard of the torture that was exacted upon 
them as recently as a matter of days before we were there. So the 
torture that you described that you heard about in your committee 
continues to this day, and we very tearfully received that information 
from the prisoners.
  But the point is that in Tibet you are arrested and repressed for 
what you believe; not even for acting upon your beliefs, but for what 
you believe, and that is something that flies in the face of everything 
we stand for as a country. That is why I was so pleased that the 
President stood there and showed bipartisan spirit, Democrats and 
Republicans coming together, as Mr. Smith mentioned. We have worked on 
this issue for many years and in a very bipartisan way in terms of 
China.
  Another place where China has influence that Mr. Smith and Mr. Wolf 
have been leaders has been in the Sudan. But for the Chinese's absolute 
insistence that they will not sanction the Sudan at the U.N., we could 
perhaps have an improvement in the human rights situation and the 
political situation in the Sudan.
  Many of us took a trip, many Members have been there, I led a 
delegation there with Mr. Clyburn to Darfur a couple of years ago and 
we saw firsthand the genocide that was going on there. It was horrible 
to see. We went to several camps. In one camp, 100,000 refugees were 
there. We saw the little children. The tiny ones really still had some 
brightness in their eyes. The older ones, they had seen too much.
  In this camp, in the evening when it would be cool, if the father 
went out to get firewood, he would be killed. If the mother went out, 
she could be raped. In any event, the children could be kidnapped. They 
had been displaced from their villages with compliance of the 
Government of Sudan.

                              {time}  2015

  All we need is strong international leadership to end that situation. 
China stands in the way. When we are talking about Tibet and when we 
are talking about the Olympics and we are talking about Tibet, we have 
to remember Burma as well and the house arrest also for all these many 
years.
  We have to remember what is happening in Darfur. I was reading in the 
paper the other day as the torch was going through Paris that one of 
the marchers, the carriers of the torch said that what was happening 
with the protesters was very unpleasant. I thought, you think that's 
unpleasant? Maybe you should be in the sub-human conditions that the 
refugees are in Darfur. If you think that's unpleasant, maybe you 
should be in a prison in Tibet for your faith and His Holiness, the 
Dalai Lama.
  You think that's unpleasant? Maybe you could still be in prison from 
the Tiananmen Square massacre. Some people are still in prison from 
that time.
  Mr. Smith knows well the fight we had at the time because shortly 
after, a couple of years after Tiananmen, we were still fighting for 
the release of the prisoners of Tiananmen. We had about a $5 billion a 
year trade deficit.
  We thought that that would give us so much leverage with the Chinese 
Government that surely if we threatened the most-favored nation status, 
as it was called then, that they would yield and release these 
prisoners because it meant $5 billion a year to them.
  Well, we didn't win. We didn't prevail in that situation.
  As I say, it was a Republican President and a Democratic President. 
We didn't get any better policy from either of them when it came to 
China. They told us that granting most-favored nation status, they 
changed the name to permanent normal trade relations because it sounded 
better, would, in fact, improve the political situation in China and 
improve our trade relationship with China.
  When these people are saying it's unpleasant, I think it's unpleasant 
to think that a $5 billion a year trade deficit is now $5 billion a 
week, $5 billion a week. That is a quarter of a trillion dollars a year 
trade deficit with China.
  Has it improved our trade relationship? I don't think so. Has it 
improved the human rights situation in China? I don't think so.
  Somewhere along the way we lost our way. We said at the time, some of 
us, if you choose to ride this tiger that is China, only China will 
decide when you can get off. China won the Olympics. Some of us 
supported resolutions in opposition to that, but they won the Olympics.
  I don't support a boycott of the Olympics. I think our athletes who 
have trained should be able to go there and compete. I think it should 
be treated as a sports event. Any time it tries to rise to the occasion 
of harmony, one world, one dream, a unifying factor, that is where it 
falls short, because the Chinese cannot on the one hand take the 
political upside of the credibility given to them at any welcoming 
ceremony and refuse to hear the other side of the political view that 
they are unworthy of making that claim.
  As we speak tonight as we are gathered here in this Chamber, in my 
City of San Francisco human rights activists are preparing for the 
torch to come through our city tomorrow, a city very committed to human 
rights. I was very proud that yesterday they were able to display a 
``One World, One Dream: Free Tibet'' banner across the Golden Gate 
Bridge. It's just frightening to think of how they were able to 
accomplish it, but they got their message across with, probably in my 
view, the most beautiful backdrop in the world for all the world to 
see.
  Tomorrow, as the torch goes through the city, people will voice their 
views on it. But, still tonight, Desmond Tutu is leading a prayer vigil 
in San Francisco in protest of what is happening with that torch going 
through.
  Probably the most insulting of all, though, is that China insists 
that the torch go through Tibet, that it go to Mount Everest and 
through Tibet on its way back to Beijing. That's the biggest insult, I 
think, of all. The world should not allow that to happen. What's right 
about that?
  When I was in Dharamsala, I had the privilege of addressing the crowd 
gathered in the square. I said at the time that the situation in Tibet 
challenges the conscience of the world. Indeed, the situation in Darfur 
challenges the conscience of the world, two places where China can 
change, make a difference. I also said that if we, the freedom-loving 
people throughout the world do not stand up for human rights in China 
and Tibet, then we lose all moral authority to talk about it any other 
place in the world.
  It is many years of activism on this subject, and lots of 
documentation, but, as Mr. Smith mentioned, we know so many of the 
people firsthand, such as Harry Wu, who had been imprisoned. Why this 
is important tonight is because what the Chinese did, the most 
excruciating form of torture that an oppressor can exact on a political 
prisoner is to say to him or her nobody even knows you are here. They 
don't even care about you anymore. Society has passed this issue by. 
It's no longer important. Your family is out there suffering, you are 
here forgotten, but the world does not remember you.
  Well, we are here tonight to say that the world does, a continuation 
of the work that Mr. Smith has referenced and others have referenced 
tonight about our calling to the attention of the world the names, the 
actual names of people who have been imprisoned for their beliefs, 
their religious beliefs, their political beliefs. This the resolution 
is very simple, and when we vote on it tomorrow, I hope we have an 
overwhelming vote.
  What it says to the Chinese Government, as they prepare for the 
Olympics in harmony, ``One World, One Dream: Free Tibet,'' is that they 
end the

[[Page H2056]]

crackdown in Tibet, that they enter into substantive dialogue directly 
with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, that they allow independent monitors, 
journalists and others into Tibet and they also allow medical 
personnel. As was mentioned, people who have been beaten by the Chinese 
cannot receive medical assistance and they need that life-saving 
attention. That's what we are talking about here.
  As for the accusation that that jackal, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 
the instigator of violence in Tibet, started all of this, His Holiness 
called for and our delegation in Dharamsala associated ourselves with 
his call which was for an independent outside investigation as to how 
that all started. If they are going to accuse him, then they must be 
prepared to have an investigation to prove their point or to be proven 
wrong.
  When we were there, I just want to close by saying, because it was 
very moving for us, when we got off the airplane and we were driving to 
Dharamsala for miles and miles and miles and miles, and when we got to 
Dharamsala to the center of town, we were greeted by many Tibetans 
flying American flags. We take the pledge in the morning, and any time 
we see the flag, it is an emotional experience for us. But to see these 
people who have had to struggle so much for freedom pay homage to our 
flag was quite a remarkable thing.
  Here is one sign, which was my particular favorite. It said, ``Thank 
you for everything you have done for us so far.'' But all the American 
flags, the Tibetans flags, and, just again, it was a forest of flags 
there.
  Mr. Holt referenced the children, when we went to the children's 
school, thousands of adorable children, many of them separated from 
their families, because that's the only way they could be raised in a 
Tibetan culture which is now restrained. Here are these children, they 
drew, they had thousands of these. I brought many of them home, an 
American flag on one side and on the other side a Tibetan flag, ``Free 
Tibet, Free Tibet.'' It goes on, ``Long live His Holiness the Dalai 
Lama.''
  ``Long live the friendship between the United States and Tibet,'' a 
friendship that began when Franklin Roosevelt sent His Holiness, when 
he was a very little boy, a watch. That watch had the rising of the 
sun, the months of the year, the phases of the moon, and it did tell 
time too. It was a very special fit, a gold watch. His Holiness has 
said that he took that watch with him when he left Tibet, imagine, a 
piece of America in that flight to freedom.
  It is our wish that under the provisions of this legislation and the 
voices being heard all over the world now that those negotiations will 
take place between the Chinese Government and His Holiness the Dalai 
Lama. I, like many, have asked about the opening ceremonies. You don't 
want to boycott the Olympics, what about the opening ceremonies?
  I think we should, since the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, 
has put that on the table, it should stay there. Our President should 
hold back any decision about going to those opening ceremonies until he 
sees what progress could be made, what leverage we could use to have 
those negotiations take place so that before too long and while His 
Holiness is still in good health he can return to Tibet and, indeed, 
the Tibetan people in their autonomous state of Tibet can be free.
  I am very proud of this resolution. I couldn't be prouder of all the 
statements that were made this evening with all the passion and 
interest and history that went with it. I think it is a tribute to His 
Holiness, and I hope the vote tomorrow will be unequivocal about that. 
I am certain it will. I also they think that it is a tribute to our 
friend, Tom Lantos, who had been so faithful to this cause.
  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Smith.
  Mr. BERMAN. Thank you, Madam Speaker, for those wonderful worlds, for 
elevating this Chamber.
  Mr. FARR. Madam Speaker, in mid-March, the Chinese government 
conducted a bloody crackdown, grossly violating the human rights of the 
peaceful protestors in Tibet.
  The protest by the Tibetans touched a nerve and rapidly spread beyond 
the capital city of Lhasa into other areas of Tibet and around the 
world. The peaceful protest drew a violent and disproportionate 
reaction from the Chinese government who sought to tamp down the 
Tibetan desire for autonomy and self-determination. Not only did the 
Chinese government react with terrible force upon the protesters, the 
authorities also tried to discredit the Dalai Lama and his movement for 
a free Tibet.
  The Dalai Lama is as determined and committed to nonviolence as he is 
to seeing the emergence of a peaceful, prosperous, autonomous and self-
determined Tibet. The brutal crackdown that seeks to derail the 
inevitable movement toward a free Tibet resulted in the deaths of more 
than 100 Tibetans and caused a great deal of social upheaval.
  While we live a safe distance away from the struggle, comfortably 
ensconced in a liberal democratic society, we cannot act as though we 
do not have a role to play to support the Dalai Lama. We do.
  I am enormously grateful to Speaker Pelosi, who has offered this 
House resolution which calls upon the Chinese to end this crackdown. 
This violent reaction is shortsighted and unproductive and, 
furthermore, it's not the long-term solution that respects the human 
rights and dignity of every Tibetan.
  Rather, the Chinese Government must enter into a serious, substantive 
negotiation directly with the Dalai Lama and must allow independent 
monitors into Tibet. Only then will we be on the path toward a solution 
to this crisis. Furthermore, I join Speaker Pelosi and other supporters 
of a free Tibet, to ask for the immediate release of all Tibetans who 
were arrested for non-violent protest.
  I am pleased this evening to express my support for the struggle 
toward a free Tibet, and I would encourage all my colleagues to join me 
by supporting this important House resolution.
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House 
Resolution 1077, calling on the Government of the People's Republic of 
China to end its crackdown in Tibet. The resolution also calls for the 
Chinese Government to 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.
  The Dalai Lama has stated his willingness to accept cultural autonomy 
for Tibet under the Chinese Constitution. He has also been willing to 
negotiate with Beijing and has advanced a number of very moderate 
proposals regarding Tibet's future status. The Communist regime, 
however, has only met this attempt at accommodation with stiff 
opposition, and is currently instigating yet another crackdown in the 
lead up to the Beijing Olympics.
  To date, Congress has stood strongly by the Tibetan people as they 
bravely struggle for their rights:
  In 1991, Congress passed a resolution stating that Tibet is an 
occupied country.
  In September of 2007, Representative Rohrabacher introduced House 
Resolution 610, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives 
that the United States Government should take immediate steps to 
boycott the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in August 2008 unless the 
Chinese regime stops engaging in serious human rights abuses against 
its citizens and stops supporting serious human rights abuses by the 
Governments of Sudan, Burma, and North Korea against their citizens. I 
wholeheartedly support and cosponsor this measure.
  Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and I recently formed the Tibet Caucus 
and already have 8 new members.
  Congress awarded the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal.
  We cannot stand silently by and watch as another wave of brutality 
and oppression sweeps across the country by the Beijing regime. 
Congress must continue to stand by the Tibetan people and uphold their 
rights as human beings. I urge every Member of Congress to join the 
Tibetan Caucus, vote ``yes'' for House Resolution 1077, and urge the 
President of the United States to issue an executive order boycotting 
the Beijing Olympics and uphold the rights of the Tibetan people to 
ensure their voice is not silenced.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1077 
and I want to thank the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, for her 
leadership and commitment to the people of Tibet. For many years, in 
both words and deeds, she has stood by the people of Tibet, and called 
for the respect and support of their dignity, culture, heritage, and 
religion. And I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I believe Tibet is one of the most serious human 
rights and political freedom issues of our time.
  The violent response by Chinese military forces to peaceful protests 
that began in the Tibetan capital on March 11th is horrifying. I 
believe the United States and the international community must convey a 
strong condemnation of these acts, an accounting by China on the 
welfare and whereabouts of the many detained Buddhist monks and other 
Tibetan citizens who have been arrested, and facilitate access by 
international human rights monitors

[[Page H2057]]

and journalists to Tibetan areas, as requested by His Holiness, the 
Dalai Lama.
  The State Department's 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights describes 
a human rights situation in China and Tibet that continues to worsen 
while the repression of religious freedom has increased. There is very 
disturbing evidence of a pre-Olympic crackdown on religious leaders, 
journalists and lawyers in recent months. It is long past time for the 
government in Beijing to respect the human rights and religion of every 
Tibetan. Further, as the protests in Tibet began calling for greater 
economic opportunity and equality, they clearly call into question 
China's claims that its development of Tibet advances the prosperity of 
Tibetans as well as the ethnic Chinese Han who have been encouraged to 
migrate to Tibet and establish themselves there.
  Since I was first elected to Congress, I have worked with many of my 
House colleagues to press for greater freedom for Tibet and for the 
release of Tibetan prisoners of conscience who have been jailed by 
Chinese authorities, most of whom are imprisoned for their political 
and cultural beliefs. Personally, I believe Tibet should be restored as 
an independent nation, which it was prior to China's military invasion 
over 50 years ago. I deeply fear that China is successfully destroying 
a culture, religion and national heritage that have survived for 
thousands of years.
  The legislation before us this evening calls upon 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 identify, and fundamental freedoms of all Tibetans. It is not 
a call for independence. But it is a call for the Chinese Government to 
respond as a mature member of the international community. I hope that 
Beijing will understand much is required of a nation that desires to be 
a leader in regional and international affairs, including the capacity 
to genuinely negotiate differences and find solutions that are 
meaningful and acceptable to all.

  Madam Speaker, I have joined with my congressional colleagues, in a 
bipartisan fashion, on matters to Chinese authorities about the recent 
protests in Tibet. Over the past years I have also petitioned the 
Chinese Government on several individual cases, the most high profile 
of which would be the safety and well-being of the Pachan Lama. I have 
also asked my own government, at the highest levels, to advocate for 
the release of particular prisoners and for greater freedoms for the 
Tibetan people. I must admit, however, that I am very frustrated by the 
fact that the United States, like the rest of the international 
community, appears to voice reverence for the Tibetan culture and 
religion, while standing idly by and watching it be slowly eroded and 
dismantled year by year by the Chinese authorities. In the meantime, 
China continues to pursue its policies in Tibet, knowing there is no 
price to pay for its actions.
  This time, Madam Speaker, we must all act differently. There must be 
consequences for the brutal repression of Tibet. I hope the Chinese 
Government will heed the message of this resolution. I hope it will 
open a genuine dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and negotiate 
in good faith a just solution with and for the people of Tibet.
  I promise the sponsors of this bill that I will continue to join them 
and speak out on these matters and press President Bush, the 
international community, and the Chinese Government to respect the 
basic human rights of the Tibetan people. And passage of H. Res. 1077 
is the first step in moving this process forward.
  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1077, 
a resolution you introduced calling on the government of the People's 
Republic of China to end its crackdown in Tibet and to enter into a 
substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama to find a negotiated solution 
that respects the language, culture, and religious identity of the 
Tibetan people.
  Madam Speaker, freedom, dignity, and respect are universal rights 
that should know no boundaries. When these rights are nurtured and 
protected, peace, prosperity, and harmony flourish among people and 
nations. When these rights are restricted, repressed, and ignored, each 
of us has an obligation to speak out, otherwise the world suffers.
  Tibet has a long history of language, culture, and religion. Since 
the late 1500s, the teachings of the Dalai Lama and Buddhism have 
played integral roles in Tibet and throughout the world. The fact that 
Tibetans have lived under repressive conditions since China's crackdown 
in 1958, which led to the deaths of more than 10,000 Tibetans and sent 
the 14th Dalai Lama into exile, is inexcusable.
  The fact that China has failed to live up to its commitment to 
improve its human rights record is intolerable. The continued attempts 
by the Chinese Government to placate the international community with 
promises cannot go unchallenged any longer. If China wants to be 
recognized as a world leader, it should start acting like one. A good 
first step would be to allow for vigorous political debate rather than 
suppressing it.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and thank 
the distinguished gentlewoman from California, Madam Speaker, for her 
work on this issue.
  Mr. MARKEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
resolution, which calls upon China to end its repression in Tibet.
  I would also like to commend the Speaker for her long advocacy on 
behalf of the rights of the Tibetan people, and for bringing this bill 
before the House today.
  In Tibet, there is an ongoing struggle for basic human rights and 
human dignity. Our Nation has a moral obligation to make its views 
known to the Chinese Government regarding its oppression of the 
legitimate rights of the Tibetan people to practice their religion and 
express their culture.
  Last month, I was honored to join Speaker Pelosi in traveling to 
Dharamsala. We met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with leaders of 
the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, and with ordinary Tibetan people have 
been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge from Chinese political 
oppression.
  I was moved by the extraordinary struggle of the Tibetan people, and 
the stories I heard of the brutal repression that has been taking place 
in that country. All the Tibetan people are seeking is their right to 
be able to express their culture, language, and religion.
  The Dalai Lama made it absolutely clear to us that he is firmly and 
unequivocally committed to nonviolence, that he is not seeking 
independence but autonomy, and that he is seeking peaceful dialogue 
with the Chinese Government. The Dalai Lama is not seeking a boycott of 
the Olympic Games; he is seeking to return to his homeland with his 
people in peace.
  As I told Ambassador Zhou of China when I met with him last week, it 
is in the interest of China and Tibet to arrive at a lasting resolution 
of this dispute as soon as possible. China's reputation around the 
world, and its relations with other nations, will only continue to 
suffer if Beijing continues to ignore the world's call for action.
  This resolution calls upon China to begin a dialogue with the Dalai 
Lama, without preconditions, to address the legitimate grievances of 
the Tibetan people. I truly hope that the Chinese Government heeds this 
call, ends its repression of Tibetan rights, and enters into a genuine 
dialogue on Tibet's future.
  I urge adoption of the resolution.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res 1077 and to express my concern over recent and ongoing events in 
China. Since March 10th, when Tibetan protests began in Lhasa, there 
have been demonstrations in at least 48 locations. While there are some 
accounts of violent actions, most Tibetan protestors have been 
peaceful. Unfortunately, the Chinese government has not taken the same 
approach in responding to these protests and protestors. While we do 
not know the true number, it is estimated that at least 3,000 Tibetans 
may be under detention. And it is even more unclear how many people 
have perished because of the Chinese government's excessive response to 
these largely peaceful demonstrations.
  The Tibetans are a peace loving and resilient people, and even under 
the Chinese occupation they have been able to retain their culture. 
Unfortunately, while responding harshly, the Chinese government has 
also placed blame for the situation at the feet of the Dalai Lama. 
This, despite the fact that none of the purported evidence is linked 
directly to the Dalai Lama.
  As these demonstrations continue, it is important that the Chinese 
government distinguishes between the peaceful protestors and the 
rioters, and that it honor its own constitutionally guaranteed freedoms 
of speech, association, and demonstration.
  Passing this resolution today sends the message to the Chinese 
Government that this is what we expect, and that we will not turn a 
blind eye to their actions. On the contrary, we are closely monitoring 
what occurs in Tibet and will continue to do so. As China's engagement 
in the international community continues to grow, we must call on the 
Chinese government to honor the commitments it has made to both Chinese 
and international law. This resolution does just that, and I strongly 
support its passage.
  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res.1077.
  I would like to first commend the Speaker on her timely resolution 
that calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end 
its crackdown in Tibet and to open a dialogue with His Holiness the 
Dalai Lama.
  Importantly, this resolution calls on the Chinese Government to 
release all Tibetan prisoners who were detained for their nonviolent 
expression of opposition to Chinese policy towards Tibet, something 
with which I very much agree.

[[Page H2058]]

  In 2002, the Tibetan Policy Act was ushered through Congress under 
the leadership of former chairmen Lantos and Hyde, and signed into law. 
Amongst its components was a U.S. commitment to the economic and 
cultural preservation of Tibetans inside Tibet. I believe that this 
resolution reaffirms this commitment.
  For decades, Beijing has oppressed the Tibetan people. As the State 
Department's most recent annual report on human rights found, tight 
control on religious expression and denial of other basic human rights 
are cause for serious concern. China's further crackdowns on peaceful 
protestors of the Olympic torch relay serve to further affirm the State 
Department's report.
  At the center of international media coverage of China's crackdown on 
Tibetan Buddhism is Radio Free Asia, a non-profit broadcast corporation 
that provides alternative news sources in repressive countries. In 
addition to covering the abuses wrought against the Tibetans, Radio 
Free Asia has also documented the Chinese destruction of precious 
Tibetan religious relics and manuscripts. It is not just the ethnic 
discrimination against Tibetans that gives me pause, but also the 
efforts to erase their culture.
  I commend Radio Free Asia on their tireless efforts to broadcast 
truth, and I commend you, Madam Speaker, on your work on this 
resolution.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, as the Chinese 
Government was repressing peaceful Tibetan protests last month, I 
visited Dharamshala, India--the recognized home of Tibetans in exile--
with Speaker Pelosi and several of my colleagues.
  I had the honor and privilege to meet His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, 
and I was moved by the infinite patience and courage he exudes in the 
face of overwhelming odds. I was touched by the large population of 
Tibetans in exile who worry about family members they have left behind. 
These are people who left their homeland due to repression of religion 
and language by the Chinese Government and the constant violations of 
basic human rights and dignity in their own land.
  The Speaker, along with everyone else on our trip, was incensed at 
the atrocities conducted by China. Our first order of business upon 
returning to the United States was to draft this important resolution 
before the House today.
  Through this resolution, we call 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 and to begin a dialogue directly with His 
Holiness the Dalai Lama.
  The freedom of press is something we take for granted in the United 
States but Tibetans unfortunately do not enjoy this privilege, as all 
press inside Tibet, and all of China in fact, is closely monitored and 
controlled by the state. This resolution calls on the Chinese 
Government to allow independent international monitors and journalists, 
free and unfettered access to Tibet.
  It is clear by the conviction and sentencing of human rights activist 
Hu Jia, who has been an outspoken critic of the human rights record of 
the Chinese Government and called on the international community to 
hold Beijing responsible for the promises it made when bidding to host 
the Olympic games, that China has no intention of unilaterally changing 
it's human rights record. The government of China has been and 
continues to be an abuser of basic human rights despite the State 
Department decision to not include China in a list of countries that 
most systemically violate human rights. This resolution asks the United 
States Department of State to publicly issue a statement reconsidering 
its decision.
  The cause of the Tibetan people is a desire for freedom of religion, 
freedom to speak their own language, and to express their unique 
identity. It is a cause every American can relate to. I urge my 
colleagues to vote in support of this resolution--to vote in support of 
Tibet.
  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, we've read and seen on the news the 
accounting of numerous deaths following the anti-government protests in 
the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The proindependence protests were 
initiated by ethnic Tibetans commemorating the 49th anniversary of the 
failed 1959 uprising that sent the Dalai Lama into exile. China is now 
facing mounting international pressure, including the U.S., to 
demonstrate restraint in dealing with the dissent.
  I support the aspirations of the Tibetan people to peacefully protest 
for independence and safeguard their distinct identity by promoting the 
elimination of all forms of racial, religious, and linguistic 
discrimination against them. The People's Republic of China, PRC, has 
failed miserably to guarantee the preservation of these rights for the 
Tibetan people and as a result, Tibetans remain plagued by poverty, 
illiteracy, and a limited infrastructure.
  I was privileged to participate in the Speaker's congressional 
delegation to India last month when we visited the Dalai Lama in 
Dharamsala. During our visit we discussed the tragic violence that has 
been taking place in Tibet with the Dalai Lama and we agreed that an 
open dialogue with the PRC and international pressure are the most 
effective methods at our disposal for ending the crisis.
  This resolution was born out of those discussions with the Dalai 
Lama. It condemns the government of the PRC for its bloody suppression 
of the Tibetan people and calls on the government of the PRC to invite 
the Dalai Lama to China for the purpose of dialogue to resolve the root 
causes of unrest in the Tibetan areas of China.
  Free expression and the right to dissent are defining elements of a 
democracy. That's why it is essential for us to speak out in 
condemnation of China's repression of religion, its complicity in the 
Sudanese atrocities in Darfur and its oppression of Tibet.
  I urge my colleagues to pass this important resolution.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, today, the 2008 Olympic torch arrives 
for the first time on American soil. It almost didn't make it. After 
violence erupted in Paris and London between police and demonstrators 
protesting Chinese human rights abuses, there were serious discussions 
about ending the torch's journey across the world before it arrived in 
the United States.
  Despite ongoing complaints by the international community about 
China's human rights abuses--and its restrictions on freedoms of 
speech--China refuses to take corrective action.
  This resolution is an attempt to pressure the Chinese Government to 
address international concerns of human rights abuses in that country. 
This resolution is also a reaction to six decades of cultural and 
religious repression of the Tibetan people. Now is the time to bring 
the suffering of the Tibetan people to an end. I ask my colleagues to 
join me in supporting this resolution to encourage the People's 
Republic of China to enter into discussions with the Dalai Lama and 
respect the human rights of all its citizens.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1077.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________