(TibetanReview.net, Oct18’23) – US Senator Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, has on Oct 17 met with Sikyong (executive head) Mr Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and Hollywood star and Tibet activist Richard Gere “to discuss efforts to support basic rights in Tibet”, reported deseret.com Oct 18.
“Not only does the (Chinese Communist Party) carry out gross human rights abuses on the Tibetan people, but they aim to erase Tibetan culture completely,” the report quoted Romney as saying.
Gere, the board chairman of International Campaign for Tibet, Washington, had earlier visited Capitol Hill in Mar 2023 and met with congressional leaders and lobbied support for the Resolve Tibet Act.
The report said Gere and Tsering met with other Congressional leaders as well and the US State Department on Oct 17.
It noted that Romney had previously supported bills, like a measure in the bipartisan Strategic Competition Act of 2021 that says Tibetan Buddhists should have the religious freedom to choose the next Dalai Lama, instead of China making the decision.
Romney has previously served as the governor of Massachusetts and also stood as a candidate for the Republican nomination for president.
He currently serves on the Committee on Foreign Relations, apart from three other committees as well.