Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume and I thank our esteemed Chairman from California.
I rise in enthusiastic support of this House Resolution which conveys the continued deep concern of both the Congress and the American people for the plight of the people of Tibet, a concern first demonstrated by our late Committee Chairman, Tom Lantos.
Our Chairman Mr. Berman continues this human rights legacy.
I am honored to join with Congressman Holt in co-sponsoring this resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese communist rule.
The history of the Tibetan people for the past half century has been one of grace under fire and of courage in the face of extreme adversity.
Beijing’s communist overseers displayed once again their calloused hostility to the cultural, religious, and linguistic rights of the Tibetan people by their harsh and bloody crackdown in Tibet
exactly one year ago.
The iron grip of Beijing, however, cannot silence, cannot repress, and cannot extinguish the resilient Buddhist spirit of the people who occupy the land known as the “Rooftop of the World.”
The forced exile of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and his flight into India fifty years ago is a continuing source of profound sorrow for the people of Tibet.
This resolution also takes note of the warmth and support with which the government and people of India have greeted the Dalai Lama and other exiles from Tibet.
Tibet’s tragic loss of its spiritual leader, however, has proved to be the world’s gain. No steadier voice on the issues of religious freedom and human rights has been heard in the corridors of power than that of the quiet, but determined voice of the Dalai Lama.
He has risen from being a humble refugee to becoming both a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and the conscience of the civilized world.
The Chinese Foreign Minister is in Washington this very week for an official visit the very week that we commemorate the Tibet uprising.
Just prior to his departure from Beijing for Washington, the Chinese Foreign Minister stated: “The Dalai side still insists on establishing a so-called Greater Tibet on a quarter of China’s territory – you call this person a religious figure?”
This resolution can serve as a response.
The U.S. Congress has a message for the Foreign Minister of China’s Communist regime: the Dalai Lama is not only a religious figure but a person of such renown that he was granted the Congressional Gold Medal.
I was honored to serve as one of the sponsors for legislation awarding the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal during the last Congress.
Our message to the Chinese regime is contained in the forceful language of this resolution calling for the preservation of the religious and human rights of the people of Tibet.
The U.S. government must keep faith with the people of Tibet.
We must press the Chinese regime on issues of human rights and religious freedom in Tibet.
The US Congress will not fail in our commitment to Tibet and to its people.
Now is the time for us all to reflect on the enormous resilience of a captive Tibet and its suffering people over the past five decades.
Now is the time to call on the communist leaders in Beijing, sitting behind the walls of their enclosed compound, to hear the international cry for justice in Tibet.
Now is the time for our colleagues to reconfirm their full support for the Dalai Lama and for his oppressed people.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Thank you.
