Chris Smith: “I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 337, calling for…”

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 337, calling for substantive dialogue without preconditions to help secure a negotiated agreement for the Tibetan people. I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), my friend and colleague, for his leadership in introducing this bipartisan resolution. This week, Madam Speaker, when so many voices around the world are joined in wishing his holiness the Dalai Lama a happy 80th birthday, it is a fitting time to recommit ourselves to Congress' longstanding support for the fundamental rights of the people of Tibet, because the situation in Tibet has never been more bleak. Those basic rights involve fundamental and foundational rights of freedom of religion. The recent State Department Human Rights Report offered a withering criticism of the Chinese Government's oversight of Tibet and Tibetan areas in China. It said: The government engaged in severe repression of Tibet's religious, cultural, and religious heritage by, among other means, strictly curtailing the civil rights of China's Tibetan population, including the rights of the freedom of speech, religion, association, assembly, and movement. Unfortunately, the regime's interference extends even to the most elemental aspects of Tibetan Buddhist practice.…”