[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 56 (Wednesday, April 9, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E552]
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

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                               speech of

                        HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 8, 2008

  Mr. MICHAUD. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to support 
H. Res. 1077 and to speak about the alarming human rights situation in 
Tibet and the People's Republic of China.
  In recent weeks, we have seen citizens of the world rising up against 
the Chinese Government's crackdown in Tibet and requesting that the 
communist regime end human rights abuses. The crackdown by the Chinese 
Government resulted in more than 100 deaths of Tibetans and the 
detention of thousands more. The Chinese government has also impeded 
the access of international journalists to Tibetan areas of China. It 
is time for this body to stand with these protests and act to protect 
Tibetans and Chinese citizens from further violence.
  Despite the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Government's 
human rights record remains poor. Tibetans are not the only victims of 
China's human rights abuses. We must not forget the persecution of 
Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Falun Gong, democracy advocates, AIDS 
victims, journalists, and lawyers in China. There have been numerous 
abuses in China tied to the upcoming Olympic Games, including media and 
Internet censorship, sentences on charges of state subversion of 
government critics and forced evictions. Human rights advocates are 
being imprisoned for criticizing the Government's human rights record.
  The Chinese Government wants to use the 2008 Summer Olympic Games to 
showcase the progress their country has made. It is my hope that the 
Chinese Government will take immediate and substantial strides to 
resolve the situation in Tibet and to address domestic human rights 
issues in China. Until that time, the voices of this Congress and the 
world should continue to apply pressure on the Chinese Government. The 
Summer Olympic Games offer the international community the opportunity 
to speak up against ongoing abuses in China.
  Human rights should be our first priority and our first requirement 
when we engage with countries. It is our duty to use our economic and 
diplomatic leverage to make sure that fundamental rights are protected 
in the world.
  I urge my colleagues in Congress to support H. Res. 1077, which calls 
on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its 
crackdown in Tibet and to engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama. The 
Dalai Lama's movement is not radical, and it is not violent. It is time 
for the Chinese to end their brutal treatment of the Tibetan people. It 
is time for the Tibetan people to experience the inalienable freedoms 
and human rights that all free peoples should enjoy. Again, I urge my 
colleagues to support H. Res. 1077.

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