[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4976]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN RECOGNITION OF THE SANTA BARBARA SUMMIT FOR TIBET

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 10, 2013

  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the distinguished 
efforts of the Santa Barbara Summit for Tibet (SBST) in raising 
awareness about the vibrant culture, deep spirituality, and peaceful 
philosophy of the Tibetan people. SBST has worked diligently to ensure 
the Santa Barbara community is engaged on this issue of great 
importance.
   Recent acts of protest in Tibet have served as a disturbing reminder 
of the suffering that Tibetans continue to endure. We are witnessing 
the profound struggle of a people that seek to preserve their 
traditions and religion.
   SBST recently held the First Annual ``Tibet Week Awareness 
Celebration'' to honor the perseverance and resiliency of the Tibetan 
people and their culture, and to demonstrate our shared cultural 
values. This celebration will raise awareness in our community 
surrounding the struggle faced by Tibetans and promote the universal 
values of compassion and non-violent practices.
   To express my commitment to this issue, I recently joined many of my 
colleagues in the House of Representatives in sending President Obama a 
letter, urging him to prioritize addressing human rights issues in 
Tibet during his second term. Like SBST and the residents of Santa 
Barbara, I believe the U.S. should take a leading role to engage 
partner nations on measures to bring improvements in the human rights 
situation in Tibet.
   Today, we stand with the people of Tibet and express our solidarity 
with them and to all people suffering oppression around the world. As 
your Representative in Congress, I commend and thank you for your deep 
commitment to this issue.

                          ____________________