[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 143 (Tuesday, October 6, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CONGRATULING THE DALAI LAMA ON HIS TRIUMPHS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 6, 2009

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Dalai 
Lama as the first-ever Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize honoree. The award 
acknowledges the Dalai Lama's role as an unsung hero in the fight for 
human rights. He is already a Nobel Peace Prize and Congressional Gold 
Medal recipient.
  The Dalai Lama was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai 
Lama when he was two years old and enthroned at the age of 15. For more 
than 50 years, he has fought on behalf of Tibetan Buddhists and made 
history as the first Dalai Lama to travel to the West. The late 
Congressman Tom Lantos--who serves as the namesake for the prestigious 
award--was fittingly the first Congressman to invite a Dalai Lama to 
the U.S. Congress.
  The Dalai Lama serves as a role model to us all. His courageous 
spirit in the fight for equal rights, democracy, freedom, and religious 
harmony are the things that will help not only strengthen Tibet, but 
the world over.
  Annette Lantos and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice 
are committed to recognizing and applauding individuals who continue to 
fight for human rights in America and abroad, in the great spirit of my 
former colleague Congressman Lantos. May we join them--with enthusiasm 
and fervor--in that endeavor.

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