CHINA OUT OF TIBET !!

HOUSE RESOLUTION 1077

Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its
crackdown in Tibet and enter into a substantive dialogue with His Holiness
the Dalai Lama to find a negotiated solution that respects the distinctive
language, culture, religious identity, and fundamental freedoms of all
Tibetans, and for other purposes. Whereas March 10, 2008, marked the 49th
anniversary of a historic uprising against Chinese rule over the Tibetan
people, which forced His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, to escape into exile
in India;

Whereas Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns in and around Lhasa were blocked by
Chinese authorities from staging peaceful demonstrations on this anniversary
date and were met with excessive force by the Chinese authorities;

Whereas protests by Tibetans spread inside the Tibet Autonomous Region and
other Tibetan areas of China;

Whereas the accumulated grievances of almost six decades of cultural,
religious, economic, and linguistic repression of the Tibetan people by the
Government of the People's Republic of China has resulted in resentments
which are at the root of the Tibetan protests;

Whereas resentment of the Chinese Government by the Tibetan people has
increased sharply since 2005 as a result of Chinese policies, laws, and
regulations that have reduced economic opportunity for Tibetans and severely
eroded the ability of Tibetans to preserve their distinctive language,
culture, and religious identity;

Whereas the response by the Chinese Government to the Tibetan protests was
disproportionate and extreme, reportedly resulting in the deaths of hundreds
and the detention of thousands of Tibetans;

Whereas there have been reports that some Tibetans engaged in rioting that
may have resulted in the destruction of government and private property, as
well as the deaths of civilians;

Whereas His Holiness the Dalai Lama has used his leadership to promote
democracy, freedom, and peace for the Tibetan people through a negotiated
settlement of the Tibet issue, based on autonomy within the context of
China;

Whereas six rounds of dialogue between representatives of the Dalai Lama and
Chinese officials have not resulted in meaningful progress;

Whereas the Chinese Government has rebuffed calls by the President of the
United States, the United States Congress, and world leaders to respond
positively to the Dalai Lama's willingness to be personally involved in
discussions with Chinese leaders on the future of Tibet;

Whereas the Chinese Government has denigrated the Dalai Lama, labeling him
as "a splittist" and "a wolf in monk's robes", thereby further alienating
Tibetans who consider the Dalai Lama their spiritual leader;

Whereas the Dalai Lama was recognized for his contribution to world peace
when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989;

Whereas the United States Congress, in recognition of the Dalai Lama's
outstanding moral and religious leadership and his advocacy of nonviolence,
awarded him with the Congressional Gold Medal on October 17, 2007;

Whereas the Chinese Government has failed to honor its commitment to improve
the human rights situation in China as a condition for Beijing being
selected as the site for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games;

Whereas the Chinese Government has impeded the access of international
journalists to Tibetan areas of China and distorted reports of events
surrounding the Tibetan protests, thereby violating the commitment it made
that "there will be no restrictions on media reporting and movement of
journalists up to and including the Olympic Games";

Whereas for many years, the Chinese Government has restricted the ability of
foreign journalists and foreign government officials, including United
States Government officials, to freely travel in Tibetan areas of China,
thereby curtailing access to information on the situation in Tibetan areas;

Whereas the Chinese Government's use of propaganda during the protests to
demonize Tibetans and incite ethnic nationalism is exacerbating ethnic
tensions and is counterproductive to resolving the situation;

Whereas the United States Department of State included the People's Republic
of China among the group of countries described as "the most systematic
violators of human rights" in the introduction of the 2006 Country Reports
on Human Rights Practices and in previous Human Rights Reports, but did not
do so in the 2007 Human Rights Report, despite no evidence of significant
improvements in the human rights situation in China in the past year; and

Whereas it is the policy of the United States "to support the aspirations of
the Tibetan people to safeguard their distinct identity" and "to support
economic development, cultural preservation, health care, and education and
environmental sustainability for Tibetans inside Tibet", in accordance with
the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note): Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives-

(1) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its
crackdown on nonviolent Tibetan protestors and its continuing cultural,
religious, economic, and linguistic repression inside Tibet;

(2) calls on the Chinese Government to begin a results-based dialogue,
without preconditions, directly with His Holiness the Dalai Lama to address
the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people and provide for a long-term
solution that respects the human rights and dignity of every Tibetan;

(3) calls on the Chinese Government to allow independent international
monitors and journalists, free and unfettered access to the Tibet Autonomous
Region and all other Tibetan areas of China for the purpose of monitoring
and documenting events surrounding the Tibetan protests and to verify that
individuals injured receive adequate medical care;

(4) calls on the Chinese Government to immediately release all Tibetans who
are imprisoned for nonviolently expressing opposition to Chinese Government
policies in Tibet;

(5) calls on the United States Department of State to publicly issue a
statement reconsidering its decision not to include the People's Republic of
China among the group of countries described as "the world's most systematic
human rights violators" in the introduction of the 2007 Country Reports on
Human Rights Practices; and

(6) calls on the United States Department of State to fully implement the
Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note), including the stipulation
that the Secretary of State "seek to establish an office in Lhasa, Tibet to
monitor political, economic and cultural developments in Tibet", and also to
provide consular protection and citizen services in emergencies, and further
urges that the agreement to permit China to open further diplomatic missions
in the United States should be contingent upon the establishment of a United
States Government office in Lhasa.