(TibetanReview.net, May15’19) – A total of 32 US lawmakers have signed a letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, calling for a prompt implementation of two key laws passed by Congress in 2002 and 2018 to guide US policy on Tibet. The letter was released May 13 by Reps. James P McGovern (D-Mass.) and Christopher H Smith (R-NJ), co-chairs of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
In the letter, the members of Congress, coming from both the parties, have expressed “deep concern about the well-being of the Tibetan people under Chinese rule,” adding that “the repression in Tibet continues unabated.” The members felt that it was “therefore now more urgent than ever that the State Department fully implement current law on Tibet.”
Calling for strong support for Tibet to always underlie America’s relationship with Beijing, McGovern has said, “There is a strong, bipartisan, and growing majority in Congress that is deeply concerned about the situation in Tibet, and we encourage President Trump and Secretary Pompeo to join us by fully implementing both the Tibet Policy Act and the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act.”
On his part, Smith has said: “Members of Congress and the Administration must affirm the peaceful desires of the Tibetan people for greater autonomy and freedom within China. We should demand open access to Tibet by journalists and diplomats, and we should raise the cases of prisoners of conscience with Chinese officials. Congress passed the Tibet Policy Act of 2002 and the 2018 Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act to advance religious and political freedom in Tibet, and the Administration must act to fully implement these laws. US leadership on these issues is critical, and we must demonstrate that universally-recognized human rights, especially religious freedom, matter everywhere—especially in Tibet.”
Member of Congress who signed the letter were stated to be: 1. James McGovern (D-Mass), 2. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), 3. Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), 4. Ted S. Yoho (R-Fla.), 5. Nita M. Lowey (D-NY), 6. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), 7. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), 8. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.), 9. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), 10. Denver Lee Riggleman III (R-Va.), 11. Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-Va.), 12. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), 13. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), 14. John Ratcliffe (R-Tex.), 15. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), 16. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), 17. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), 18. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), 19. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), 20. Alan S. Lowenthal (D-Calif.), 21. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), 22. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), 23. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), 24. Albio Sires (D-NJ), 25. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), 26. Veronica Escobar (D-Tex.), 27. Ben McAdams (D-Utah), 28. John A. Yarmuth (D-Ky.), 29. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), 30. Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), 31. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), and 32. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ).
