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On the Hill: Dalai Lama envoy speaks at CHRC briefing
April 3, 2008
By Matthew Plocher
The Congressional Human Rights Caucus (CHRC) held a briefing on Thursday to discuss the Tibetan perspective on China’s recent crackdown in Lhasa and other instances of Tibetan activism. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) served as a co-chair, with Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-O.H.), Mark Kirk (R-I.L.), and Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-T.X.), also in attendance. The featured witness was Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Mr. Gyari provided an update on the current situation in Tibet, offering a clarifying account and appraisal of the Tibetan protests and the Chinese reprisals.
Smith emphasized that he was sure that Tibetan protesters were being tortured as he spoke, and that torture was endemic in Chinese jails. He went on to compare the Beijing Olympics to the Berlin Olympics of 1936, adding that the atrocities committed by the Chinese government in no way square with the feelings of peace, and solidarity that the Games are supposed to represent.
Gyari demanded that the Chinese government take responsibility for the unrest in and around Tibet and for the continually applied economic and cultural repression that prompted it. Additionally, Gyari sought to convey that it is in the United States’s interest to encourage China to change its Tibetan policies, as its cruel behavior reflected a deeper illness in the Chinese government that just as easily might affect U.S. relations with China one day. In this regard, he emphasized the importance of establishing an American or international presence in Tibet, but stressed that the U.S. would have to come soon, before Beijing had time to totally crush Tibetan dissent. Gyari also advocated for the establishment of an international body to conduct an investigation into the events in Lhasa, where a large number of Tibetans were reportedly killed.
Gyari also sought to explain why Beijing felt the need to react so harshly against the protestors and blame the Dalai Lama for the chaos. Simply put, Gyari said, the Dalai Lama is very popular in China, and his stance on nonviolence wins him respect. China is also gradually re-embracing Buddhism, Gyari noted, specifically Tibetan Buddhism, which also brings him adherents. Consequently, Beijing seeks to vilify His Holiness personally, in addition to its condemnation of the entire movement.
Smith asked if Gyari could wager a guess as to the number of people killed in the Lhasa violence, and whether or not he or the Dalai Lama had thought of petitioning the United Nations Human Rights Council, and if so, would a signed petition of support from the CHRC help. He furthermore suggested that the CHRC should support efforts to send small yet intensive congressional delegations to Tibet. Gyari said that to his knowledge, approximately 140 people had been killed, several hundred arrested, and scores wounded. He cautioned that it was hard to come by any exact number because of intense censoring. He claimed that the number of wounded was imprecise because many were turned away from hospitals, and many more were too afraid to seek help. Gyari agreed that a letter of support from the CHRC would help their appeal to the U.N. Human Rights Council, and encouraged Members of Congress to begin traveling to Tibet soon. He added that multiple trips to Tibet might lead to the establishment of an official consulate in the area, which would be a great step forward.
In response to inquiries from Kucinich, Gyari said that His Holiness has maintained a constant stance of approval for the Beijing Olympics and sees it as a possible pathway for change within China. However, according to Gyari, the Dali Lama is now against the Olympic torch relay traveling through Tibet, as he would consider it an insult given the recent events. Gyari also said that His Holiness has maintained a consistent position regarding Tibet’s autonomy. The Dalai Lama seeks first and foremost cultural recognition from Beijing and religious and cultural self-determination, he said.
Regarding Gyari’s suggestion of establishing an American consulate in Tibet, Kirk regretfully predicted that this would not happen in the near future due to poor security and extensive costs. However, he suggested that a single diplomat be moved to Lhasa full time. Gyari said that while this measure would be appreciated as well, Tibet is in need of a strong diplomatic presence from major nations, as diplomats from smaller, developing countries have often been “bought by Beijing” before they even arrived in Tibet.
In her remarks, Jackson-Lee noted that the day was the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s death, and favorably compared the work of Dr. King to that of Dalai Lama. She said that a global coalition was needed in order to truly convey the disillusionment and disappointment felt by those around the world because of China’s continual disrespect of human rights. The Olympics, in her opinion, represent a chance to influence China’s mindset and put it in on a path towards respect for the human rights of all its citizens.
With that, Gyari once again emphasized the Tibetan government-in-exile’s position: the Dalai Lama, in contrast to the stance of China’s state-controlled media, does not desire territorial independence. His Holiness simply seeks recognition for the legitimate cultural, societal, and religious differences between the Tibetan people and those of greater China; and on the grounds of these differences and historic precedence, full cultural and religious autonomy, with greater inclusion of the Tibetan people in developing the future of Tibet.
In his closing remarks, Smith reiterated his earlier opinion that Beijing’s continued coercion and control of entire population of China – not simply Tibet – totally discredits its worthiness as an Olympic host city. While the Dalai Lama and President Bush may approve of the Beijing Olympics, Smith said he wants China to know that a committed and growing number of Member of Congress have no desire to see the Olympics take place in Beijing, or for the United States to be a part of it. He tempered these impassioned remarks by explaining that it was the fault of the Chinese government, not the Chinese people, that the Beijing Olympics had been sullied. The Chinese government is the true enemy, both to Tibet and to the millions of innocent Chinese civilians caught in its brutal regime, Smith asserted.
Kucinich echoed Smith, asking how the world could watch the Olympic events in Beijing, but turn a blind eye to Lhasa. How can the world celebrate the Chinese culture on display at this Olympics, he continued, while allowing the destruction of the Tibetan way of life. |
