[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 24, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2652-S2653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 TIBET

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to draw the Senate's attention to 
the ongoing, intensifying and intolerable oppression occurring in 
Tibet.
  Over the past year, at least 32 Tibetans, most of them young men and 
women, have set themselves on fire to protest Chinese policies that are 
infringing on Tibetan self-governance, cultural traditions and 
religious beliefs and practices. Of them, it is believed that at least 
23 have died. Eleven have self-immolated in the past 2 months alone. 
These incidents do not represent a temporary deviation from a peaceful 
norm but are instead the latest response to a tragic, and unfortunately

[[Page S2653]]

lengthy, history of religious and cultural controls, human rights 
violations and oppression of the Tibetan people.
  Reports from Tibet indicate that the Chinese government is further 
restricting access to foreign journalists and tightening security 
throughout the region. Chinese police and other officials in Tibet are 
forcing some nuns and monks to publicly denounce the Dalai Lama. 
Schools in some provinces have been forced by the government to switch 
their official language of instruction from Tibetan to Mandarin 
Chinese. These policies, among others, have incited Tibetans to protest 
and fight for the survival of their cultural identity and basic 
freedoms.
  In recent weeks, a state-run Chinese website and news agency accused 
the Dalai Lama of encouraging Tibetans to set themselves on fire and of 
advocating ``Nazi'' racial policies. Mr. President, many of us in the 
Senate have had the privilege of meeting the Dalai Lama and I am proud 
to consider him a friend. It is baseless, offensive, and deplorable to 
slander the Dalai Lama in this way or to suggest that he is inciting 
violence. He is a man whose entire life has been devoted to peace.
  For decades, the Dalai Lama has sought to work with the Chinese 
government to reach a peaceful resolution over Tibet's political 
status. The Dalai Lama has, time and time again, extended a hand of 
friendship to Beijing, which has consistently responded by drastically 
misrepresenting his views and accusing him of inciting violence, 
perhaps to draw attention away from their own brutal actions. The 
Chinese government must know that violent crackdowns and cultural 
genocide will never be condoned.
  We share many interests with China and the future can bring our two 
countries closer. China's tremendous economic transformation in the 
past few decades has brought great benefits to the Chinese people and 
has spurred economic development in other countries. That said, the 
economic emergence of China and its increased presence on the world 
stage must be accompanied by respect for human rights. China cannot be 
a global leader while crushing peaceful dissent in its own backyard, 
destroying the culture of the Tibetan people, and imprisoning Tibetan 
leaders.
  I want to mention one of these imprisoned leaders, Tenzin Delek 
Rinpoche. Tenzin Delek was recognized by the Dalai Lama as a 
reincarnate lama in the 1980s. He was detained in April 2002 on charges 
of exploding bombs and spreading politically charged leaflets and, 
following a closed trial, sentenced to death on December 2, 2002. After 
appeal, Tenzin Delek's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. No 
evidence of his involvement in any illegal activity has ever been made 
public. In fact, before being detained, Tenzin Delek was well-known for 
educating children in rural areas and helping to build monasteries. 
Tenzin Delek's imprisonment is just one of the many examples of 
persecution of Tibetan leaders that appear to be motivated by a desire 
to curb Tibetan religious and cultural expression.
  Many Tibetan protestors, both imprisoned and free, are not seeking 
independence from China. Tibetan leaders, including the Dalai Lama and 
the Tibetan Prime Minister, Lobsang Sangay, who I was pleased to meet 
earlier this year, have explicitly stated that they support the Middle-
Way' policy, which seeks autonomy for Tibet within the People's 
Republic of China. Tibetans are not fighting for separation from China; 
they are fighting for the freedom of religious belief guaranteed to 
them by the Chinese Constitution. They are fighting for the security of 
their monks and monasteries. They are fighting for freedom of 
expression, association, and assembly, for personal liberty, for 
unrestricted media access, and for the fundamental principles of 
democracy that we in the United States take for granted.
  We cannot and will not abandon the Tibetan people, who have long been 
our unwavering friends. We will stand by them to protect the principles 
of democracy in the face of China's repressive policies. Together, the 
Tibetans and the Chinese can peacefully reach a solution that meets the 
needs and aspirations of both peoples. It is imperative that we support 
peaceful dialogue and discourage violent confrontation whenever it 
occurs, whether supported by the Chinese authorities or Tibetan 
protestors.
  I am a cosponsor of Senator Feinstein's resolution, S. Res. 356, A 
Resolution Expressing Support for the People of Tibet, and I urge other 
Senators to do so. We can foster closer, cooperative relations with 
China, but until China works with Tibetan leaders to pursue a new way 
forward, their reputation in the community of nations, and their 
ability to act as a global power, will remain tarnished. I hope that, 
in the years to come, the young Tibetans who sacrificed their lives in 
the past year will be remembered as the catalysts for a political 
dialogue that cemented a peaceful future for both Tibet and China.

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