Derechos Humanos / Human Rights

Washington DC, May 29.– U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) unveiled a bipartisan, bicameral bill to amend federal law promoting dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the PRC.

“The Chinese Communist Party continues to oppress the Tibetan people. Tibetans are subject to the CCP’s mass surveillance and censorship tactics and are arbitrarily killed or imprisoned for expressing their desire for freedom,” Rep. McCaul said. “I am proud to introduce this bipartisan bill to reject the CCP’s claims that their tyranny over Tibet is legitimate and will assert the Tibetan people have a say in their own future.”

The Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act, H.R. 533/S.138, seeks to empower the United States government to achieve its long-standing goal of helping Tibetans and PRC authorities peacefully resolve their differences through dialogue, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers, which notes that there has been no formal dialogue between the two since 2010.

Very little is said about Tibet and much less about the tragic story of the Panchen Lama, kidnapped by the Chinese government. He is second only to the Dalai Lama in spiritual authority and he is expected to reincarnate in a child. Following the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, a search was undertaken to discover his reincarnation. In 1995 the Dalai Lama recognized six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama, but this choice was rejected by the Chinese government, which took the boy into custody. Instead, the Chinese government "appointed" Gyancain Norbu the 11th Panchen Lama in late 1995.

This year, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima would be 34 years old. Three days after he was recognized the Chinese authorities abducted the Panchen Lama —a six-year-old child— and his parents, imprisoning them in an unknown location. Since then, nobody knows where he is, or even if he is alive, let alone whether under indoctrination he is even aware of his past or his important role in the future of Tibetan Buddhism.

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Panchen Lama has traditionally played a role in the recognition of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, just as the Dalai Lama, in turn, recognizes the Panchen Lama. China’s intentions here are brutally obvious. The Communist regime abducted the Panchen Lama recognized by the Dalai Lama and, against our spiritual process, selected a boy of their own so that they can hope to control the identification of the next Dalai Lama.

Meanwhile, the repression to achieve the complete subjugation of the Tibetan people and the eradication of their culture and national identity continues in force.