III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 356 

Expressing support for the people of Tibet. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 30, 2012 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. RUBIO, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. 

DURBIN, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. WEBB, and Mr. UDALL of Colorado) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the people of Tibet. 

Whereas Tibet is the center of Tibetan Buddhism, and His 

Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the most revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

continues to enforce policies that infringe on fundamental 

freedoms of Tibetans, including punitive security measures against monasteries, mass arrests, and restrictions 

on freedom to practice religion; 

Whereas both the Dalai Lama and the Kalon Tripa, Dr. 

Lobsang Sangay, the prime minister democratically elected by the Tibetan exile community, have specifically stated that they do not seek independence for Tibet from 

China; 


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•SRES 356 IS 

Whereas, in his inaugural address on August 8, 2011, Kalon 

Tripa Sangay stated that he will ‘‘continue the MiddleWay policy, which seeks genuine autonomy for Tibet 

within the People’s Republic of China’’; 

Whereas, according to the Department of State’s 2011 Report on Tibet Negotiations, since 2002, nine rounds of 

talks between the Government of the People’s Republic of 

China and envoys of the Dalai Lama ‘‘have not borne 

concrete results’’; 

Whereas, despite persistent efforts by the Dalai Lama and 

his representatives, the Government of the People’s Republic of China and envoys of the Dalai Lama have not 

held any formal dialogue since January 2010; 

Whereas, since March 2011, at least 16 Tibetans have set 

themselves on fire, and at least 12 have died; 

Whereas the repressive policies of the Government of the People’s Republic of China have created an environment of 

despair, hopelessness, and frustration among many Tibetans; 

Whereas, on November 1, 2011, the United Nations Special 

Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Heiner 

Bielefeldt, expressed concern over ‘‘restrictive measures’’ 

implemented by the Government of the People’s Republic 

of China in Tibetan monasteries, stating that such measures ‘‘not only curtail the right to freedom of religion or 

belief, but further exacerbate the existing tensions, and 

are counterproductive’’ and affirming that ‘‘the right of 

members of the monastic community, and the wider community to freely practice their religion, should be fully respected and guaranteed by the Chinese Government’’; 


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•SRES 356 IS 

Whereas, on January 24, 2012, Maria Otero, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human 

Rights, and United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, issued a statement expressing concern 

about ‘‘reports of violence and continuing heightened tensions in Tibetan areas of China, including reports of security forces in Sichuan province opening fire on protesters, killing some and injuring others’’; 

Whereas the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China 

guarantees freedom of religious belief for all citizens, but 

the July-December 2010 International Religious Freedom 

Report of the Department of State states that ‘‘the [Chinese] government’s repression of religious freedom remained severe in the Tibet Autonomous Region and other 

Tibetan areas’’; 

Whereas, on March 10, 2011, His Holiness the Dalai Lama 

announced that he would relinquish his last remaining 

governmental duties in the Central Tibetan Administration, and would turn over political authority to the leadership democratically elected by Tibetans in exile; 

Whereas, on March 20, 2011, the Tibetan government in 

exile conducted competitive democratic elections that 

were monitored by international observers and deemed 

free, fair, and consistent with international standards; 

Whereas nearly 50,000 people in over 30 countries, more 

than half of all the eligible Tibetan exiles voters, participated in the March 20, 2011, elections; 

Whereas Dr. Lobsang Sangay was elected Kalon Tripa, or 

prime minister, of the Central Tibetan Administration 

after receiving 55 percent of votes in the March 20, 

2011, election and was inaugurated on August 8, 2011; 


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•SRES 356 IS 

Whereas Kalon Tripa Sangay was selected to study in the 

United States under the Department of State’s Tibetan 

Scholarship Program, earning a doctorate in law from 

Harvard University, and served as a Senior Fellow at the 

East Asian Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law 

School; 

Whereas Kalon Tripa Sangay, while at Harvard University, 

promoted dialogue among Tibetan exiles and Chinese students and visiting Chinese scholars to enhance mutual 

understanding and advance the prospects for reconciliation; and 

Whereas it is the objective of the United States Government, 

consistent across administrations of different political 

parties and as articulated in the Tibetan Policy Act of 

2002 (subtitle B of title VI of Public Law 107–228; 22 

U.S.C. 6901 note) to promote a substantive dialogue between the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

and the Dalai Lama or his representatives in order to secure genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people within 

China: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) mourns the death of Tibetans who have 

3 self-immolated and deplores the repressive policies 

4 targeting Tibetans; 

5 (2) calls on the Government of the People’s Re6 public of China to suspend implementation of reli7 gious control regulations, reassess religious and se8 curity policies implemented since 2008 in Tibet, and 

9 resume a dialogue with Tibetan Buddhist leaders, 


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•SRES 356 IS 

1 including the Dalai Lama or his representatives, to 

2 resolve underlying grievances; 

3 (3) calls on the Government of the People’s Re4 public of China to release all persons that have been 

5 arbitrarily detained; to cease the intimidation, har6 assment and detention of peaceful protestors; and to 

7 allow unrestricted access to journalists, foreign dip8 lomats, and international organizations to Tibet; 

9 (4) calls on the Secretary of State to seek from 

10 the Government of the People’s Republic of China a 

11 full accounting of the forcible removal of monks 

12 from Kirti Monastery, including an explanation of 

13 the pretext or conditions under which monks were 

14 removed and their current whereabouts; 

15 (5) commends His Holiness the Dalai Lama for 

16 his decision to devolve his political power in favor of 

17 a democratic system; 

18 (6) congratulates Tibetans living in exile for 

19 holding, on March 20, 2011, a competitive, multi20 candidate election that was free, fair, and met inter21 national electoral standards; 

22 (7) reaffirms the unwavering friendship between 

23 the people of the United States and the people of 

24 Tibet; and 

25 (8) both— 


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•SRES 356 IS 

1 (A) calls on the Department of State to 

2 fully implement the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 

3 (subtitle B of title VI of Public Law 107–228; 

4 22 U.S.C. 6901 note), including the stipulation 

5 that the Secretary of State seek ‘‘to establish 

6 an office in Lhasa, Tibet, to monitor political, 

7 economic, and cultural developments in Tibet’’, 

8 and also to provide consular protection and cit9 izen services in emergencies; and 

10 (B) urges that the agreement to permit 

11 China to open further diplomatic missions in 

12 the United States should be contingent upon 

13 the establishment of a United States Govern14 ment consulate in Lhasa, Tibet. 

Æ 


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