Political Quotes

“I rise today with Senators Lieberman, Rubio, Boxer, Durbin, McCain, Webb, and Mark Udall to submit a resolution expressing our deep concern about the current situation in Tibet and our steadfast support for the Tibetan people. Once again, we have seen how harsh and counterproductive Chinese policies have heightened tensions and led to deadly violence. According to press reports and the International Campaign for Tibet, since the beginning of the Chinese New Year on Monday, security forces in Sichuan province have opened fire three times on Tibetans who gathered peacefully to protest Chinese policies on Tibet. At least six Tibetans have been killed and many more wounded. These attacks come on top of a recent spate of self-immolations mostly by Tibetan monks and nuns. Since March 2011, at least 16 Tibetans, including four this month alone, have set themselves on fire and at least 12 have died. I know I join my colleagues in mourning these tragic deaths and the death of Tibetans in this latest round of unrest. In addition, I call on Chinese security forces to exercise maximum restraint and stop targeting Tibetan protesters. Violence is not the answer to the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people. We must raise our voice with this resolution to call on Beijing to respect the right of Tibetans to practice their own religion freely and preserve their distinct cultural and linguistic identity.…”