[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 51 (Friday, March 22, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S2602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 619--HONORING THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UPRISING OF 
               THE PEOPLE OF TIBET IN DEFENSE OF FREEDOM

  Mr. CRUZ submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 619

       Whereas, on October 7, 1950, forces of the People's 
     Liberation Army (PLA) entered Tibet with the goal of imposing 
     Chinese Communist rule on the people of Tibet and subjugating 
     it to the rule of the People's Republic of China;
       Whereas the Tibetan people resisted peacefully in defense 
     of their freedom, faith, and culture and have sought to 
     protect their national identity from the progressive 
     encroachment by the Chinese Communist Party, and continue to 
     do so;
       Whereas, on March 10, 1959, hundreds of thousands of 
     Tibetans gathered in Lhasa to prevent a reported PLA plot to 
     abduct the Dalai Lama;
       Whereas, on March 12, 1959, approximately 5,000 women 
     joined in those demonstrations for their national identity 
     and freedom;
       Whereas the Chinese Communist Party subsequently executed 
     many of those women for their participation;
       Whereas, on the evening of March 17, 1959, artillery shells 
     landed near the residence of the Dalai Lama;
       Whereas the Dalai Lama decided to leave Lhasa for India, 
     where he arrived on March 30, 1959;
       Whereas protests continued after the Dalai Lama's departure 
     and spread across the city and region;
       Whereas PLA soldiers in central Tibet eventually killed an 
     estimated 86,000 Tibetans;
       Whereas, as a result of the widespread slaughter of 
     Tibetans in and after the Lhasa Uprising, a 1959 finding by 
     the International Commission of Jurists found that the 
     People's Republic of China's treatment of Tibetans 
     constituted genocide;
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has deepened its 
     repression of the people of Tibet, exploits Tibet's natural 
     resources to advance the interests of the Chinese Communist 
     Party, and seeks to undermine freedom of religion and 
     conscience in Tibet by determining the spiritual succession 
     of the Dalai Lama;
       Whereas, for 65 years, the Dalai Lama continues to defend 
     the cause of Tibetan freedom and national identity on the 
     global stage; and
       Whereas the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 et 
     seq.) provided for a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues 
     in the Department of State, tasked to ``coordinate United 
     States Government policies, programs, and projects'', but the 
     Secretary of State has not designated a non-concurrent 
     appointment to that position: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) stands with the people of Tibet and the Dalai Lama in 
     their continuing defense of their freedom and national 
     identity;
       (2) condemns the Chinese Communist Party for its repression 
     of the people of Tibet, its exploitation of Tibet's natural 
     resources, and its efforts to undermine freedom of religion 
     and conscience in Tibet, including through efforts to 
     determine the spiritual succession of the Dalai Lama;
       (3) recommits to the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 as the 
     basis of United States engagement with Tibet and its people;
       (4) calls upon the President to--
       (A) ensure that the voice, vote, and diplomatic capital of 
     the United States are utilized to address and counter China's 
     repression of the people of Tibet; and
       (B) include mention of the legitimate aspirations of the 
     people of Tibet to freedom and national identity in all 
     engagements with the People's Republic of China and 
     particularly in engagements that include the human rights 
     situation in that country; and
       (5) calls upon the Secretary of State to ensure independent 
     focus on Tibet by designating a non-concurrent appointment to 
     the position of Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.

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