US House of Representatives Tells China To End the Tibet Crackdown NOW! Dammit!

US House calls China to end Tibet crackdown

[link to afp.google.com]

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a resolution asking China to end its crackdown on protests in Tibet and to enter into a dialogue directly with the Dalai Lama.

The resolution, proposed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also called for independent monitors, journalists and medical personnel to be allowed into Tibet, and the release of all Tibetans held for non-violently expressing political views.

"It is long past time for Beijing to reassess its failed policy to attack and demonize the Dalai Lama and show the world it can have civilized discussions as a responsible world power," Pelosi said before the resolution was adopted by a vote of 413-1.

The senior Democratic lawmaker said the resolution was "a clear message that we support the fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people and a peaceful solution to the instability in Tibet."

A fortnight after anti-Chinese riots erupted in Tibet last month, Pelosi flew into Dharamshala, seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India, to pay the first high-level call on the Dalai Lama, angering Chinese officials.

Republican legislator Chris Smith said during the debate that the effects of China's crackdown "will hang heavily in the Tibetan air for decades.

"Never, since 1959, has the Chinese government's tyranny over Tibet been as cruel and raw as it is right now," he said.

Both Democrats and Republicans agree that the Chinese government "needs to end the violent crackdown on nonviolent Tibetan protesters," said Democratic representative Rush Holt. "Congress is making a strong statement," he said.

The violence in Tibet on March 14 came after days of peaceful protests in Lhasa against 57 years of Chinese rule and quickly spilled over into other parts of China inhabited by Tibetans.

Exiled Tibetan leaders say 150 people have died while China insists it has acted with restraint and killed no one, while blaming Tibetan "rioters" for the deaths of 20 people.

The unrest, the worst to hit the Himalayan region in decades, has come at an awkward time for Beijing as it prepares to host the Summer Olympics, attracting the attention of the entire world.