2001 SESSION

01-2376

08/09

HOUSE RESOLUTION 20

ANALYSIS

This house resolution supports the country of Tibet and encourages companies and governments to acknowledge the Tibetan government in exile.

01-2376

08/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand One

Whereas, the independent country of Tibet was invaded in 1949-50, and has ever since experienced problems with human rights violations, suppression of Tibetan Buddhism, destruction of Tibetan culture, and widespread racism and discrimination against Tibetans; and

Whereas, the United States Congress has stated that "Tibet, including those areas incorporated into the Chinese Provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai, is an occupied country under the established principles of international law whose true representatives are the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile as recognized by the Tibetan people;" and

Whereas, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolutions 1353 (XIV), 1773 (XVI), and 2079 (XX), calling for the cessation of practices which deprive the Tibetan people of their fundamental human rights and freedoms, including their right to self-determination; and

Whereas, the Tibetan government-in-exile advocates economic development in Tibet, but has stated that development should be small-scale, decentralized initiatives in which Tibetans have control, and that any development which intensifies and promotes the transfer of Chinese into Tibet or which leads to the destruction of Tibet's fragile environment should be opposed; and

Whereas, the leader of the Tibetan people, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, recipient of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, has repeatedly tried to conduct negotiations with China concerning the status of Tibet without preconditions; and

Whereas, the Tibetan freedom movement is based on Buddhist non-violent principles, even in the face of brutal repression, and the Tibetan people have called upon the world community to actively support their struggle for human rights, economic justice, and self-determination; and

Whereas, a viable solution to the question of Tibet is to support the recommendations of the International Commission of Jurists and the International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet which include the following:

To enter into discussions with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile on a solution to the question of Tibet based on the will of the Tibetan people;

To ensure respect for the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people;

To end those practices which threaten to erode the distinct cultural, religious and national identity of the Tibetan people. In particular, cease policies which result in the movement of Chinese to Tibetan territory;

To cooperate with the United Nations mechanisms for the protection of human rights;

To allow unrestricted access to Tibet by independent human rights monitors;

To support the right of the Tibetan people to control economic development in Tibet; and

To call upon individuals and companies doing business in Tibet to follow the development guidelines of the Tibetan government-in-exile; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the recommendations of the International Commission of Jurists and the International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet relative to the status of Tibet and the people of Tibet as listed in the text of this resolution be supported and endorsed.