(TibetanReview.net, Feb29’16) – Around a hundred Tibetan American leaders and supporters of the Tibetan campaign from across the United States have gathered in Washington, DC, to lobby over Feb 29 – Mar 1 for continued congressional support for Tibet and the Tibetan people.
Those taking part in the lobby will ask Members of Congress to support continued funding of ongoing Tibet programs; advocate for Tibetan political prisoners; promote access to Tibetan areas for US officials, journalists, and citizens; and hold Chinese leaders accountable on Tibet, said Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) Feb 26.
“The US Congress has played an important role in the lives of the Tibetan people over the last decades, both in exile and inside Tibet,” ICT President Matteo Mecacci was quoted as saying. “In 2015, Congress undertook several concrete initiatives, adopting resolutions and organizing hearings, as well as arranging a historic Congressional delegation to Tibet; this work continues to critically challenge China’s policies in Tibet.”
“As Tibetan-Americans, we are engaging the political process,” said Tencho Gyatso, Associate Director of ICT, was quoted as saying. “Living in a democracy, we have a responsibility to speak out on behalf of the six million Tibetans who are silenced by the Chinese government’s oppressive policies.”
This is the eighth annual Tibet lobby day being held in the US capital.