[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 13048]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   INAUGURATION OF DR. LOBSANG SANGAY

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, on August 8, 2011, in the small town of 
Dharamsala in northern India, a modest ceremony was held to inaugurate 
the new Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration. The new 
Prime Minister's name is Dr. Lobsang Sangay, and I had the opportunity, 
together with some of my distinguished colleagues, to meet him last 
month.
  Dr. Sangay assumes office at an important moment in Tibetan history. 
Indeed, his election marks a significant milestone in the advancement 
of Tibetan democracy, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama earlier this year 
announced his decision to devolve fully his political authority to the 
elected leadership, now led by Dr. Sangay.
  At a time when dictators in many parts of the world have proven 
themselves willing to slaughter their own people rather than cede an 
iota of power, the decision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to surrender 
his political authority in favor of democracy is both inspiring and 
significant. It was also a wise decision that will strengthen the 
legitimacy of the Tibetan cause among the international community and 
sustain it for decades to come.
  The election that brought Dr. Sangay to power involved voting by tens 
of thousands of Tibetans living in exile in over 30 countries, from 
Belgium to Bhutan. In my home State of Connecticut, nearly 100 Tibetan 
Americans took part in this election.
  Dr. Sangay, a 43-year-old academic who holds a doctorate from Harvard 
Law School, was elected Prime Minister with 55 percent of the vote. Now 
the executive authority of the Central Tibetan Authority rests solely 
on his shoulders.
  I came away from my conversation with Dr. Sangay deeply impressed. He 
is a young man of considerable intellect and accomplishment, and I am 
certain that he will prove to be a leader of courage and conviction. 
The Tibetan people have chosen wisely in electing him as their Prime 
Minister.
  During our meeting, Dr. Sangay affirmed his commitment to the Dalai 
Lama's ``Middle Way Approach,'' which seeks genuine autonomy for Tibet, 
not independence, and I was encouraged by his determination to meet the 
challenge of finding a solution for the Tibet issue.
  Unfortunately, the situation for the 6 million Tibetans living under 
Chinese rule today remains deeply troubling. This is a community that 
has never been permitted to participate in a free and fair election of 
the sort that just took place among Tibetans in exile. In fact, this is 
a community that is governed by authorities who have deemed that 
carrying a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or a 
simple photograph of his Holiness the Dalai Lama to be illegal and 
punishable acts. It is a community that has faced brutal repression and 
violence and that has, for decades, been denied their fundamental 
rights, including the freedoms of expression, assembly, and 
association.
  I hope that the self-fulfillment of democratic governance exercised 
by Tibetan refugees can provide hope and inspiration to those in Tibet 
and China who yearn for the fundamental freedom to choose their own 
government and leaders.
  While the U.S. government does not officially recognize the Central 
Tibetan Administration, we do work with them though a variety of 
programs to help Tibetan refugees. As the United States continues its 
outreach to civil society and nongovernmental groups, and its promotion 
of democracy around the world, I hope we should enhance our engagement 
with the Central Tibetan Administration and Dr. Sangay.
  Moreover, when Lobsang Sangay returns to Washington this fall, I hope 
many doors will be open to him. What the Dalai Lama and his fellow 
Tibetan refugees have accomplished is worthy and deserving of our 
attention and respect.

                          ____________________