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; 
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•HRES 226 EH 

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, in-
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cluding 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 Memo-
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randum 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 
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China to respect the Tibetans’ identity and the human 

rights of the Tibetan people. 

Attest: 

Clerk.