Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019
Floor Speech
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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him and my colleague on the other side of the aisle for this resolution.
Madam Speaker, I had the honor and the privilege of visiting the Dalai Lama, and I welcome this opportunity to speak of his work and the danger he and his people face.
H.R. 4331 is a bipartisan and bicameral bill to update and strengthen the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 in light of new human rights, religious, and environmental challenges the Tibetan people face today.
In the 18 years since the original Tibetan Policy Act became law, human rights in Tibet has grown worse. The Chinese Government has refused any discussions with Tibetan leaders and has threatened to select Tibetan Buddhist leaders, in clear violation of international religious freedom and Tibetan Buddhist practices.
The new Tibet Policy and Support Act before us today writes into law U.S. policy that the succession or reincarnation of Buddhist leaders is a religious matter to be determined by the Tibetan Buddhist community alone.
Among other provisions, interference in the process of recognizing a successor or reincarnation of the Dalai Lama would result in targeted financial, economic, and visa-related sanctions.
When the Dalai Lama visited the Nation's capital in 2011, I introduced a resolution welcoming Tibet's spiritual leader and recognizing his lifelong commitment to world peace and human rights.
The Dalai Lama welcomed me into his home in 2008 as part of a congressional delegation led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the additional time.
Tibetan children, monks, and exiles lined the streets to greet our delegation in 2008.
Our congressional visit heightened attention to continuing cultural genocide and brutality in Tibet. Our delegation had a meeting and lunch with the Nobel Prize-winning Dalai Lama and his government in exile.
The Dalai Lama and his people have nothing to fight with except their own nonviolent determination and the willingness of free people everywhere to raise their voices.
The Tibet Policy and Support Act before us today is important to convey and reinforce the understanding that the United States will never cease working to assure complete freedom for the Dalai Lama and his people.
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