US House calls China to end Tibet crackdown

SINO DAILY

US interested in setting up Tibet consulate
The US State Department would like to set up a consulate in Tibet where China so far has allowed limited and insufficient access to US diplomats, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday. "We are looking at the possibility of a consulate in Tibet," Rice told the Senate Appropriations Committee. The United States "has been very active in making the case to the Chinese that they are going to be better off to deal with moderate forces on Tibet like the Dalai Lama, that they should open a dialogue with him," she added. Rice told the committee that the United States "pressed for consular access for diplomats into Tibet. We got some limited access, but frankly it wasn't good enough." Commenting on the possibility of a consulate in the capital Lhasa, she said "it's on the internal list to take a look (at) when we could do it." Violence erupted in Tibet on March 14 after days of peaceful protests in Lhasa against 57 years of Chinese rule and quickly spilled over into other parts of China inhabited by Tibetans. Exiled Tibetan leaders say 150 people have died in the Chinese crackdown on the demonstrations. China insists it has acted with restraint and killed no one, while blaming Tibetan "rioters" for the deaths of 20 people. Washington has repeatedly urged China to act with restraint against protestors there and open a dialogue with Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) April 9, 2008
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a resolution asking China to end its crackdown on protests in Tibet and to enter into a dialogue directly with the Dalai Lama.

The resolution, proposed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also called for independent monitors, journalists and medical personnel to be allowed into Tibet, and the release of all Tibetans held for non-violently expressing political views.

"It is long past time for Beijing to reassess its failed policy to attack and demonize the Dalai Lama and show the world it can have civilized discussions as a responsible world power," Pelosi said before the resolution was adopted by a vote of 413-1.

The senior Democratic lawmaker said the resolution was "a clear message that we support the fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people and a peaceful solution to the instability in Tibet."

A fortnight after anti-Chinese riots erupted in Tibet last month, Pelosi flew into Dharamshala, seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India, to pay the first high-level call on the Dalai Lama, angering Chinese officials.

Republican legislator Chris Smith said during the debate that the effects of China's crackdown "will hang heavily in the Tibetan air for decades.

"Never, since 1959, has the Chinese government's tyranny over Tibet been as cruel and raw as it is right now," he said.

Both Democrats and Republicans agree that the Chinese government "needs to end the violent crackdown on nonviolent Tibetan protesters," said Democratic representative Rush Holt. "Congress is making a strong statement," he said.

The violence in Tibet on March 14 came after days of peaceful protests in Lhasa against 57 years of Chinese rule and quickly spilled over into other parts of China inhabited by Tibetans.

Exiled Tibetan leaders say 150 people have died while China insists it has acted with restraint and killed no one, while blaming Tibetan "rioters" for the deaths of 20 people.

The unrest, the worst to hit the Himalayan region in decades, has come at an awkward time for Beijing as it prepares to host the Summer Olympics, attracting the attention of the entire world.

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China Says 170 Monks Arrested; As More Protests In Front Of Foreign Reporters

Beijing (AFP) April 9, 2008
About 170 monks are being held in temporary custody in northwest China following last month's unrest in ethnic Tibetan areas, state media reported.

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