The US Congressman McGovern leading 72 US lawmakers has written a letter to the President of United States, Barack Obama which instructs the out-going president to prioritize the issue of Tibet during his last few months at the office on Wednesday. The letter comes as result of no progress in the view of finding a solution to the issue of the Tibetan people led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
“We write to ask that you redouble efforts in support of the Tibetan people during your remaining months in office. We believe it is critically important to move beyond words to actions,” McGovern and House lawmakers wrote in the letter to President Obama. “The Tibetan people view the United States as their friend. It is time to honor that friendship with new, creative strategies to encourage meaningful dialogue, protect Tibetan rights, and preserve their unique cultural, religious and linguistic identity.”
The three page letter started with the mention of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to US in June this year which the described as, “It was an honor and a pleasure to be in his company, but his visit was also a reminder of how little progress has been made in addressing the grievances of the Tibetan people.” and the letter stated that this fact is the reason of writing this letter to redouble efforts in support of the Tibetan people during Obama’s remaining months in office.
Highlighting the most important points of concern, the letter specified three points, first, “The U.S. government should invite the Dalai Lama to every event, on every occasion, where his knowledge and decades of reflections would be helpful for addressing the world’s problems.”
The second is that “The U.S. government should facilitate the involvement of the Dalai Lama or his representatives in the global debate on climate change and its potential consequences.”
The third is “The transnational democratic experience of the Central Tibet Administration (CTA) should be highlighted in U.S. government initiatives that promote democratic governance.” which the letter stated as “This electoral process stands in sharp contrast to China’s authoritarian practices and offers an interesting, innovative model in an increasingly globalized world.”
The final point made by the letter is an urge to the President Obama to publically and regularly call for the immediate and unconditional release of all Tibetan political prisoners held by the PRC whose cases have been documented by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
Joining Congressman McGovern in the letter to President Obama were Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY), Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Nita Lowey (D-NY) and others. Read the full letter and full list of the signing lawmakers here.
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