United States Senators have introduced a resolution calling for China to abandon religious control regulations in Tibet and open up channels of communication with Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The six US senators have also called for the release of all those “arbitrarily detained” and to put an end to the intimidation tactics being used against peaceful Tibetan protesters. Their resolution also calls for the “unrestricted access of journalists, foreign diplomats and international organizations to Tibet.” The resolution was introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein, with support from Senators Barbara Boxer, Dick Durbin, Mark Udall, Joe Lieberman, Marco Rubio, John McCain, and Jim Webb, among others.
According to this article, Feinstein said “I urge the administration to work with our friends and allies in the international community and call on the Chinese Government to begin a substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama on national reconciliation, respect for the Tibetan culture, and meaningful autonomy for Tibet.”
In related news…
Berkeley City Council just passed its own resolution in support of Tibet on the eve of China’s Vice-President Xi Jinping’s recent trip to California. Passed unanimously by the Berkeley City Council on Tuesday night, the resolution acknowledges the great sacrifice of those who have lost their lives due to self-immolation in Tibet while calling for Tibetan autonomy and a return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet. The resolution was cosponsored by Tenzin Mingyur Paldon of UC Berkeley and Noah Sochet of the Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission.
(Photo by Laszlo Ilyes via Flickr, using a CC-BY license.)