rule twenty the chair will postpone further proceedings today on the motion to suspend the rules on which are recorded or the yesterday's are ordered or on which the vote is objected to wonderful us six of rule twenty record vote on the postponed question will be taken tomorrow the house will be in order members take your conversations off the floor help will be in order members to call conversations off the floor pursuant to the rule the gentleman from california mr berman and the gentlewoman from florida mislead them well each control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from california madam speaker i ask unanimous consent  all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration but out objection madam speaker iraq has strong support of this resolution you myself such time as i may consume the gentleman is recognized madam speaker as first like to ask our speaker nancy pelosi for enter do sing this important resolution speaker pelosi is commitment to human rights generally and tibetans human rights specifically is deep well established and unwavering for two decades in congress from earliest days as a junior member to or current position offer ship of this resolution demonstrate her continuing dedication on the debate an issue i am and all of us in this body should be grateful for her leadership china's response to debate and protest over the last month has been tragically predictable for half a century the dependent people have struggled under the repressive policies of the chinese authorities and sadly the current crackdown is only the most recent example of beijing mistreatment of tibetans as the world watched events unfold inside china we were sickened not only by the shock of seeing images of chinese authorities beating to benton's in the street but also by the realisation that these are images we have seen before and fear we may see again it was this legacy of repression that caused tibet monks to take to the streets on march tenth to peacefully protest beijing's ongoing denial  religious cultural and human rights for the dependent people and sadly it was the same legacy that caused beijing to respond with excessive force and a propaganda campaign designed to stoke chinese nationalism by shortsighted policies towards tibet which are morally reprehensible irresponsible and dangerous beijing cannot credibly claim that it seeks genuine reconciliation with the dependent people when its policies forced buddhist areas this resolution no i don't need condemns beijing's crackdown on tibet and protesters it also urges china to begin to move away from its policy of refreshen repression and incitement of ethnic tensions the resolution calls on beijing to allow international monitors to assess the situation in tibet marius in china and ensure that those injured in the protests receive adequate medical treatment in addition the resolution urges beijing to hold direct and results based discussions with the dial lama in order to come to a resolution of the tibetan issue one that respects chinese territorial integrity and sovereignty but at the same time provides genuine religious and cultural authority for tibetans the resolution instructs the department of state to reconsider its decision not to include china among the countries with the world's human worst human rights records in the department's two thousand and seven human rights report at this point i would like once again madam speaker to thank speaker pelosi for introducing this important resolution which i strongly support and ask my colleagues to do the same i reserve the balance of my time criticizes the current bloody crackdown that is taking place in tibet this resolution also condemns beijing's almost six decades of suppression of the religious linguistic economic and cultural rights of the people of tibet it was my great honor madam speaker to sponsor legislation which resulted in the awarding of the congressional gold medal the highest honor that we can in the united states congress to his holiness the dalai lama last october my late friend and colleague from across the aisle congressman tom lantos and i work together to ensure that his holiness receive the official recognition that he so richly deserves the dalai lama was also a noble peace prize recipient recipient has won the admiration of all of us not only for his spiritual guidance but also for his principled his principled stand up holding the hue in right of the captive people of tibet beijing cynical and crass campaign to denigrate his holiness both inside and outside of tibet has drawn the anger of both the dalai lama's followers as well as people of goodwill throughout the globe beijing has called his hol a split is and a wolf in monk's clothing the chinese embassy even recently sent a can't computer link to our offices here on capitol hill ludicrously comparing his holiness to nazis the people of tibet can no longer little or no longer silently bear these continued insults directed at their spiritual leader and man respected as an advocate of peace of compassion and goodwill a boiling point was reached on march tenth the anniversary of the one nine hundred fifty nine uprising in tibet and subsequent flight of the dalai lama into exile in india when demonstrators broke out in lhasa beijing responded with an iron fist in implementing a bloody crackdown beijing ignored its past pledge to the international olympic committee to improve the human rights situation in china prior to this summer's olympics chinese authorities even denied foreign diplomats and journalists all access it with increasing numbers of american tourists traveling to divest every year the united states has a legitimate interest in having diplomatic access to the bet for consular services but there should be no further openings of more chinese consulates in the united states until china stops this repression in a religious and ethnic minorities and stop violating the fundamental  rights of its own citizens the crackdown continued until april third when chinese troops fired into a peaceful crowd of demonstrators outside at tibet and temple in southwest china the crowd had been protesting the arrest of two monks who were found in possession of photographs of the dalai lama eight were killed including members of the buddhist clergy but the chinese regime has not only been responsible for shedding innocent tibetan blood and dar for in burma in north korea and inside china itself bloody repression continues unabated this lack of liberty will further diminish the light of the olympic torch the progression of that torch from london and paris to san francisco has become a focal point for those who would raise their voices concerning the immense human rights abuses of the chinese regime what has begun in to bet will not stay in tibet already there are reports of unrest among the wee girl minority as well beijing's continued repression and denial of human rights will become the chief focal point of international attention in the summer of the beijing olympics and madam speaker if the present repression continues the beijing games will indeed become the genocide olympics i urge all of my colleagues to join in vigorous approval and support with this resolution and with that madam madam speaker i reserve the balance of my time and i ask unanimous consent that my good friend the gentleman from new jersey mr smith be allowed to manage the remainder of our time without objection thank you madam speaker for weprin priestess the gentleman from california right and i'm very pleased man a speaker to yield two minutes of time to a member of the committee the gentle lady from texas sheila jackson l and gentlewoman from texas is recognized for two minutes after five minutes spent on objection let me thank the distinguished chairman and as well the ranking member of the full committee to the speaker of the house for her continued leadership and i'm always reminded of the late chairman tom lantos in his commitment to the people of tibet i've had the honor and privilege of being with the people of tibet in their temples listening to their plea walking alongside of them admiring him respecting their tenacity determination and their love of freedom and peace as well the dalai lama has visited not only this community but also the state of texas and we've had the pleasure of seeing him be a guiding force for peace it is time now that this revolution in the call that it makes for the people's republic to shine the light on tibet and give them the rights of engagement and discussion because what we facing is an accumulated grievances of almost six decades of cultural religious economic and linguistic repression of the vet and people by the government of the people's republic of china it has resulted in these resentments and it has resulted in this oppression and the expression of the tibetan people as if olympic torch travels around the world you will see the people who are peace loving and loving human rights standing up as it comes to my city as it goes to other cities there will be those of us who stand against it in fact we have called upon the chinese ambassador to wake up and to recognize that the world is crying out for justice for the tibetan people the resolution calls on this particular government the chinese government to begin a dialogue with the dalai lama to bring about respect to allow an international monitors and journalists i truly believe that it is time now for the world to stand up and so to my colleagues it is important  resolution be passed i believe we should be in front of the chinese embassy here in washington d c but to shinning that government to hear the cry of the tibetan people to respect the dalai lama and to bring finally peace and freedom and yes democracy to a peace loving people the oppresses cannot oppress the oppressed forever and we stand against that this resolution speaks to a resolution we ask for the agreement i yield back the gentleman from new support of this resolution and in solidarity with the tibetan people with this trying time the recent events in tibet of captured the attention of this body and the american people we as americans are both say open and outraged by the chinese government's crackdown on peaceful protests in tibet this body must be clear in its support of fundamental human rights tibetans deserve the right to preserve their culture heritage language and religion the chinese government has argued that this crackdown was in response to violent protests by the tibetan people however the government dismissed outside journalists from the region and has restricted their ability to accurately report on the situation meanwhile americans traveling in china in recent weeks have revealed that their televisions went black when the international media reported on tibet this restriction of freedom is consistent with china's historically abysmal human rights record while it would be simpler to believe that the chinese government's assertion that its crackdown was a just response to violent protests the very fact that china has gone to such great lengths to control a flow of information on the protests makes such an assertion a great stretch of credulously i had the honor of meeting with tibet's spiritual leader a historic head of state the dalai lama last month shortly after the protests began his holiness made it very clear that his opposition to the acts of violence taking place in tibet and since his exile forty nine years ago the dalai lama has consistently advocated for a peaceful resolution to the tension between tibet and china if there is to be a real solution to the problem the chinese government must engage in dialogue with the dalai lama with the intention of finding a lasting resolution for both parties in the coming months china will open its doors to the world and show its best face we've heard a lot in this country recently about transparency and this body responded by implementing greater transparency in our government now is the time for china to take responsibility for its actions and implement hype and transparency to the world community on the situation in tibet and on the conduct of its own government the stage is set for china to demonstrate a newfound commitment to human rights and peace this institution in the world are watching expectantly let us hope that the chinese government receives the message loud and clear that all pressures remain on the table and protecting the rights of the tibetan people madam speaker th people have waited for the nine years for their freedom their patience is wearing thin if china wishes to be considered equal among the leaders of the world that must act like one by standing for basic human rights and sabbat i yield back t balance by time the gentleman from california man the speaker i'm pleased to yield to a member of our committee a stalwart to fighter for human rights the generally from california barbara lee the gentlewoman from california is recognized for two minutes thank you madam speaker first of all let me thank our speaker for her own yielding stand regarding china's human rights record in tibet and its association with the genocidal government of the sudan this resolution calls on china to end its crackdown on nonviolent protesters went to bed and to talk with his  ss the dalai lama to address the very legitimate grievances of the tibetan people it sends a clear message to china that the united states does not condone violence and repression repression against the tibetan people this resolution is also timely as the olympic torch will make its only stop in north america tomorrow when it comes to the speakers this is again san francisco california right across the bay from my home district a host of the olympic games china is facing calls to live up to the olympic spirit of peace and brotherhood and sisterhood that the torch represents china's actions in tibet and its ongoing support for the genocidal regime in sudan run contrary to that only unpick spirit madam speaker china must play by the rules when it comes to human rights and to genocide now is the time to begin this dialogue with his soul leanest the dalai lama there are legitimate grievances of the tibetan people which must to be addressed and who better to have this dialogue with than his holiness the dalai lama i want to thank the speaker for really carrying the torch for freedom and human rights and dignity of the tibetans people this resolution heed the call of the international community and put this body on the right side of history thank you and i ten seven seven introduced by our speaker nancy pelosi calling on the government of china to end its crackdown in tibet and to enter into substantive dialogue with his holiness the dalai lama the recent violence in tibet which was triggered by the buddhist monks asking for religious freedom should be a great concern to everyone concerned about human rights china needs to end the violence and engage in open and honest dialogue with the dalai lama to achieve peace and reconciliation china must come to realize that tibetans deserve more autonomy and the world community will not be silent until they achieve it as a member of the congressional human rights caucus i am very concerned about human rights in china but in particular the political and religious freedoms of tibetans i urged resolutions adoption and appreciate this resolution coming to the floor thank you very much without objection the gentleman from california will control the time and the gentleman is recognized the team in iraq is in strong support china has a law that includes protections for the distinctive culture language and tentative ethnic minority citizens its regional ethnic autonomy law guarantees ethnic minorities and i quote the right to administer their internal affairs and to quote more specifically the term regional ethnic autonomy reflection i can quote the states full respect for ethnic minorities rights to administer their internal affairs and speaker change in recent weeks has reflected anything but the states for respective ethnic minority rights nor basic human rights recognized in both chinese and international law protest activities included instances of rioting the shouting in destruction of property and death this is unacceptable in any context but most protest activity while the tangs disorderly has been nonviolent the chinese government reaction however has revealed a level of us still a detroit tibetans not seen in decades and has heightened fears for the tibetan people the chinese government would do well to consider a number of concrete steps to address the current crisis and i would ask madam speaker that a list of such steps be prepared by the staff of the congressional executive e c c to subscribe to the on line newsletter and to use the china the china conditions were to remain up to date and developments in china the resolution of  grievances can only occur with direct talks between the chinese government and the dallas the international spotlight will remain long after the ceremonies of the summit games as china plays an increasingly important role in international community other countries to appropriately assess china's fulfillment of the commitments as it is made in both chinese and international law gentleman is recognized thank the gentleman for yielding time amount of speaker tibet is being denied the basic human rights of freedom of speech freedom of religion and the freedom to see grievances against its own government china the bully of asia literally is beating up on the small religious tibet and community china puts down dissent by the use of the bloody club and the firearm and china suppresses the world press that tries to report on what they are doing by issuing scripted propaganda papers about these peaceful tibet and people propaganda that we have seen sense have not seen sets hitler's nazi germany china's ugly personality of brutality and oppression is now being seen by all of the world and as china tries to carry the olympic torch throughout the world the flame of the torch is setting peoples in this world alone far in support of the people of tibet so china must cease its oppression of its own people or face international rebuke and international condemnation including condemnation by this body i support the people of tibet and i urge passage of this resolution and i want to thank the chairman for bringing this resolution so quickly to the house floor and i yield back the gentlewoman from california i feel two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey mr holton a member of the permanent committee on intelligence the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes madam speaker i thank the general a d for yielding and i'm pleased to join the speaker of the house today as an original co sponsor of this important legislation to address the rights of the people of tibet across the globe people are speaking out in support of the people of tibet and today congress is making a strong statement and no one outside tibet has been more clear and more eloquent than the speaker of the house i recently had the honor to join the speaker as a member of a congressional delegation to india we were with the spiritual leader the dalai lama and we saw and heard thousands of tibetan refugees cheering america i am pleased to say but pleading and pleading with us not to forget tibet tibet has been under the heavy hand of china for almost five decades in the situation has deteriorated with china brutally suppressing tibetans and ago some years ago and the dalai lama gives them hope and calls on the world not to forget those who have fled and those who are left in tibet and we too should give them hope i have in my office a crayon drawn tibet and flag given to me during our delegations visit to the debate in children's village and i keep this flag in my office because it reminds me of the human toll of this situation children and adults flee the villages of tibet cross the highest range of mountains in the world to reach the promise of a life where they can preserve their culture and have freedom the journey is treacherous treacherous but children try to escape the oppression in tibet i'm pleased that all the members of this important trip joined a speaker in introducing this resolution both democrats and republicans agree that the chinese government needs to end the crackdown on violent tibet the violent crackdown on nonviolent tibet and protesters furthermore it's long past time for the chinese government to begin may i ask for thirty more seconds i have thirty  thirty think it is long past time for the chinese government to begin with precondition without preconditions a dialogue with his holiness the dalai lama and ensure that human rights and dignity of all tibetans are protected to address the legitimate grievances of the tibetan people to safeguard the people and their distinctive identity to support economic development cultural preservation health care education and environmental sustainability this important resolution reminds the we stand at a historic moment in the stream of history it is oftentimes overlooked as we certain navigate around time fate and circumstance the momentous era and the momentous deeds which must be undertaken this is one of them i thank the speaker for bringing this resolution i thank her for bringing with it the moral weight of her opposition to communist china's abysmal human rights record throughout her career in this congress and for uniting republicans and democrats behind it but at this moment i'm also reminded of someone who is no longer with us someone from whom i learned very much that man chairman tom lantos a man who embodied the human spirit and its ability to try and over evil how many people in this congress understood the moment when the tanks rolled into budapest in the soviets went into hungry that that was a seminal moment in the cold war that the desire to breathe free of the hungary and people could not be twelve by tanks and could only be quenched by freedom and throughout the history of the cold war was their example emulated by others including the czechs in sixty eight and of course the poles that eventually brought down the soviet union today would maybe appear a resolution of the the chinese regime and as we republicans and democrats stand together today we stand with them and we send a clarion message to the communist chinese government they will be free and as the olympic torch goes from town to town and you see people gathering together of all political persuasions and all walks of life to protest the abominable oppression of that about ns but us remember that we hear of come together madam speaker and i rise this evening in strong support of house resolution ten seventy seven at the end of march i traveled to india with speaker nancy pelosi and a congressional delegation and met with the leader of tibet his holiness the dalai lama we met young tibetan children in india and saw hold in their eyes for a better future we were greeted by many thousands thousands of tibetans along the road as we travelled up the mountain where they lived yet we heard stories of violence and torture inflicted by the chinese government on the tibetan people and protesters we learned of recent chinese policies and laws that have limited the economic opportunities for tibetans in china and severely endangered the debate and culture religion and their language in fact their whole being tibetans have fled to india to be able to practice their religion in peace and preserve their culture with dignity and respect the dalai lama spoke to us about his desire for peace and his longing to live autonomy psni not independent of but auton in china so that tibetans could practice their religion openly i to share his desire house resolution ten seventy seven calls on china to end its repression inside tibet release  participated in nonviolent protests and to begin a dialogue a true dialogue with the dalai lama to find a solution for tibet that respects human rights the resolution calls for access for journalists to the so that the world can see and hear and view the situation in tibet the tibetan people are at a critical point in their movement to live peacefully and autonomy asli we must stand with them we must also be a beacon of hope for them and for those thousands of children that we saw at the orphanage there they greeted us with hearts of opened to us with flags both representing the u s government and the tibetan people i stand here members strongly supportive of house resolution ten seventy seven in ask you to join with us and the speaker of the house or it's with passage you back the balance of my time again without objection the gentleman from california regains control over the time  my inquire about how much time is remaining on both sides five and a half for the gentleman from california six and a half for the gentleman from new jersey madam speaker i'm pleased  two minutes to the gentleman from washington mr inslee the gentleman is recognized for two minutes best figure due to the leadership of nancy pelosi we were able to experience a profound and moving time in dar es salaam india two weeks ago it was profound for two reasons one when you talk to a buddhist monk whose walk for five days through their home are your mountains to escape  and obtain some modicum of religious liberty it would move the hardest of hearts and we talked amongst who'd had that experience monks who couldn't even show a little medallion with the picture of the dalai lama on their chest without having to go to jail in tibet under the control of the chinese government it was profound and that's but it was profound in meeting the dalai lama as well a person of great humor great grace great courage and great nonviolence and he has asked for an investigation of what has gone on in tibet to squash what the chinese government has been saying about him saying that he has instigated this violence anyone who makes that claim couldn't make couldn't distinguish between mahatma gandhi intrigue or vera and i take great umbrage at this assertion that somehow he has been the reason for violence his position has been reasonable he has asked for a dialogue with the chinese government he has asked for an investigation to what happened in tibet he has not called for a boycott of the olympics an extremely reasonable position given what his people have undergone and his aspirations for china i think should be the world's that as china grows into a great economic power let it seek to be a great power in the sense of morality and humanity my district has a growing relationship with china selling jets software agricultural products and we like to see the economic potential of china but that has to be married to become a great nation with a commitment to humanity and more ality and religious freedom this is consistent not only with america core values but international values in the olympic spirit we hope we move that direction the gentleman from california then a speaker at this time and i ask unanimous consent that we be granted an additional ten minutes five minutes for the majority five minutes for the minority on the time already allotted for this resolution debate is there an objection but on objection madam speaker i was pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin mr steve came the gentleman is recognize madam speaker what kind of nation would we be we wouldn't stand up to speak out in favor of liberty everywhere in the world it was on january sixth of one thousand nine hundred eighty one right here in this chamber th president franklin delano roosevelt enunciated and outlined for us the four essential human freedoms freedoms that this nation fought several world wars for and won freedom freedom of speech everywhere in the world freedom from fear freedom from want and freedom to worship god everywhere in the world the people of tibet tonight must hear that we the people of these united states are on their side and we encourage the current leadership of china to support these four essential human freedoms everywhere in the world madam speaker very shortly there will be some olympic games held in china olympic games in the limbic spirit based upon fair competition fair and open competition on a level playing field isn't it time we might also ask that china begins to compete with us on a fair and level playing field and in particular with regard to paper valley in which i live in wisconsin isn't it time that they stop dumping illegal paper into our domestic marketplaces madam speaker i rise in strong of just thank you then speak about speaker first of all i want to thank you speaker pelosi for induced introducing this very important resolution which i am very proud to be one of the cause sponsors and especially for your trip along with other members of the house but you let it  to india to be at the side of his holiness the dalai lama in this hour of terrible suffering for the tibetan people better speaker tonight we are here to speak frankly about what the chinese government is doing in tibet last week lodhi gary  the special envoy told me and others on the congressional human rights caucus that tibet has quote become a particularly in the last few weeks in every sense an occupied nation brutally occupied by armed forces bigger despite the fact that there's a an extensive news blackout the grim consequences have gotten out chinese soldiers and police have shot large numbers of people the death toll is now well over one hundred fifty we don't have any idea how many have been wounded how many are right now lying wounded or dying and addicts and sellers because they know that if they go to the hospital they will simply disappear into the chinese laogai the chinese government has been subjecting t to mass arrests they have searched whole sections of cities house by house chinese officials admit to nearly two thousand arrests the china commission estimates that there are at least one thousand more frankly i wonder if there might be thousands more says there are large areas of tibet from which nothing has been heard from in weeks where phone lines and cell towers and e mails have been simply turned off many thousands of monks are now being