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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 226 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 226

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                        March 11, 2009.
Whereas for more than 2,000 years the people of Tibet have maintained a distinct 
        cultural identity, language, and religion;
Whereas in 1949, the armed forces of the People's Republic of China took over 
        the eastern areas of the traditional Tibetan homeland, and by March 1951 
        occupied the Tibetan capital of Lhasa and laid siege to Tibetan 
        government buildings;
Whereas in April 1951, under duress of military occupation, Tibetan government 
        officials signed the Seventeen Point agreement which provided for the 
        preservation of the institution of the Dalai Lama, local self government 
        and continuation of the Tibetan political system, and the autonomy for 
        Tibetans within the People's Republic of China;
Whereas on March 10, 1959, the Tibetan people rose up in Lhasa against Chinese 
        rule in response to Chinese actions to undermine self-government and to 
        rumors that Chinese authorities planned to detain Tenzin Gyatso, His 
        Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of the 
        Tibetan people;
Whereas on March 17, 1959, with the People's Liberation Army commencing an 
        assault on his residence, the Dalai Lama, in fear of his safety and his 
        ability to lead the Tibetan people, fled Lhasa;
Whereas upon his arrival in India, the Dalai Lama declared that he could do more 
        in exile to champion the rights and self-determination of Tibetans than 
        he could inside territory controlled by the armed forces of the People's 
        Republic of China;
Whereas the Dalai Lama was welcomed by the Government and people of India, a 
        testament to the close cultural and religious links between India and 
        Tibet and a mutual admiration for the philosophies of non-violence 
        espoused by Mahatma Gandhi and the 14th Dalai Lama;
Whereas under the leadership of the Dalai Lama, Tibetans overcame adversity and 
        hardship to establish vibrant exile communities in India, the United 
        States, Europe, and elsewhere in order to preserve Tibetan cultural 
        identity, language, and religion;
Whereas the Dalai Lama set out to instill democracy in the exile community, 
        which has led to the Central Tibetan Administration with its 
        democratically elected Executive and Legislative Branches, as well as a 
        Judicial Branch;
Whereas on March 10 every year Tibetans commemorate the circumstances that led 
        to the separation of the Dalai Lama from Tibet and the struggle of 
        Tibetans to preserve their identity in the face of the assimilationist 
        policies of the People's Republic of China;
Whereas over the years the United States Congress has sent strong and clear 
        messages condemning the Chinese Government's repression of the human 
        rights of Tibetans, including restrictions on the free practice of 
        religion, detention of political prisoners, and the disappearance of 
        Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama;
Whereas in October 2007, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama received the 
        Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his lifetime efforts to 
        promote peace worldwide and a non-violent resolution to the Tibet issue;
Whereas it is the objective of the United States Government, consistent across 
        administrations of different political parties, 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;
Whereas eight rounds of dialogue between the envoys of the Dalai Lama and 
        representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China have 
        failed to achieve any concrete and substantive results;
Whereas the 2008 United States Department of State's Country Report on Human 
        Rights states that ``The [Chinese] government's human rights record in 
        Tibetan areas of China deteriorated severely during the year. 
        Authorities continued to commit serious human rights abuses, including 
        torture, arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial detention, and house arrest. 
        Official repression of freedoms of speech, religion, association, and 
        movement increased significantly following the outbreak of protests 
        across the Tibetan plateau in the spring. The preservation and 
        development of Tibet's unique religious, cultural, and linguistic 
        heritage continued to be of concern.''; and
Whereas the envoys of the Dalai Lama presented in November 2008, at the request 
        of Chinese officials, a Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan 
        People outlining a plan for autonomy intended to be consistent with the 
        constitution of the People's Republic of China: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the Tibetan people for their perseverance in face of 
        hardship and adversity in Tibet and for creating a vibrant and 
        democratic community in exile that sustains the Tibetan identity;
            (2) recognizes the Government and people of India for their 
        generosity toward the Tibetan refugee population for the last 50 years;
            (3) calls upon the Government of the People's Republic of China to 
        respond to the Dalai Lama's initiatives to find a lasting solution to 
        the Tibetan issue, cease its repression of the Tibetan people, and to 
        lift immediately the harsh policies imposed on Tibetans, including 
        patriotic education campaigns, detention and abuses of those freely 
        expressing political views or relaying news about local conditions, and 
        limitations on travel and communications; and
            (4) calls upon the Administration to recommit to a sustained effort 
        consistent with the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, that employs diplomatic, 
        programmatic, and multilateral resources to press the People's Republic 
        of China to respect the Tibetans' identity and the human rights of the 
        Tibetan people.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.
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