The Resolve Tibet Act introduced in the United States Congress is gaining support from various world leaders, including United Kingdom Member of Parliament Navendu Mishra, and Australian Senator Janet Rice, as well as the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reports the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), a non government organisation working to promote democratic freedom for Tibetans.
Navendu Mishra
Navendu Mishra, 33, expressed his support for the bill in a recent statement criticising the violation of human rights, religious freedom and destruction of culture by China. “Indeed, a bipartisan bill introduced by US lawmakers … would make it official government policy that Tibetans have the right to ‘self-determination’ as well as putting in legislation that the dispute over Tibet’s status remains ‘unresolved,’” wrote Mishra. He added that the Resolve Tibet Act will aid His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s work saying, “for governments around the world to support Tibet, bring China to the negotiating table, and ensure that all rights of Tibetans are respected.”
Australian Senator Janet Rice
Australian Senator Janet Rice who is a long term Tibet supporter and has served her government for two decades, mentioned Tibet in a speech she gave to Parliament. In her speech, Rice read the Convention’s declaration, which calls on parliaments to “hold their governments accountable for upholding international law in regard to Tibet” which includes:
- respecting and promoting the inalienable right to self-determination,
- refraining from recognising the Chinese government’s claim to sovereignty over Tibet, treating Tibet as an occupied country and not as a part of China, and
- taking coordinated action to achieve a resolution to the China-Tibet conflict through dialogue and negotiations between the parties without preconditions
“I have come back to this place from the convention fired up about the role that Australia and this Senate can play to achieve justice for the people of Tibet,” she said.
The bill, Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act, was introduced by US Representatives Jim McGovern, Chairman of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China, and Michael McCaul, Lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on July 13. This bill will recognise Tibet’s status as unresolved under international law and support the Tibetan people’s right to self- determination. This bill aims to ;ut pressure on China to resume negotiations with the envoys of the Dalai Lama for the first time since 2010.
The Central Tibetan Administration, also known as the Tibetan Government-in-exile, has welcomed the introduction of the new bill to strengthen the United States’ policy of promoting dialogue between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Dalai Lama and his representatives toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Tibet and the PRC.
The Resolve Tibet Act is currently gathering cosponsors in the House and ICT has announced that they will be hosting a Tibet Lobby Day in Washington, DC on September 22-23, together with fellow organisations: lobby day participants will ask their representatives to support Tibet and to cosponsor the Resolve Tibet Act.
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