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 re-
ligion; 
Whereas in 1949, the armed forces of the People’s Republic 
of China took over the eastern areas of the traditional Ti-
betan homeland, and by March 1951 occupied the Ti-
betan capital of Lhasa and laid siege to Tibetan govern-
ment 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 in-
stitution of the Dalai Lama, local self government and 
continuation of the Tibetan political system, and the au-
tonomy 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 ac-
tions to undermine self-government and to rumors that 
Chinese authorities planned to detain Tenzin Gyatso, His 
Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual and tem-
poral leader of the Tibetan people;
•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 Ti-
betan 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 terri-
tory controlled by the armed forces of the People’s Re-
public 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 ad-
miration 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 pre-
serve their identity in the face of the assimilationist poli-
cies of the People’s Republic of China; 
Whereas over the years the United States Congress has sent 
strong and clear messages condemning the Chinese Gov-
ernment’s repression of the human rights of Tibetans, in-
•HRES 226 EH 
cluding restrictions on the free practice of religion, deten-
tion 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 recogni-
tion 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 gen-
uine 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 [Chi-
nese] government’s human rights record in Tibetan areas 
of China deteriorated severely during the year. Authori-
ties continued to commit serious human rights abuses, in-
cluding torture, arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial detention, 
and house arrest. Official repression of freedoms of 
speech, religion, association, and movement increased sig-
nificantly following the outbreak of protests across the 
Tibetan plateau in the spring. The preservation and de-
velopment of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and lin-
guistic heritage continued to be of concern.’’; and 
Whereas the envoys of the Dalai Lama presented in Novem-
ber 2008, at the request of Chinese officials, a Memo-
•HRES 226 EH 
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 persever-
ance 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 popu-
lation for the last 50 years; 
(3) calls upon the Government of the People’s Re-
public of China to respond to the Dalai Lama’s initia-
tives to find a lasting solution to the Tibetan issue, cease 
its repression of the Tibetan people, and to lift imme-
diately 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