By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 22: The US Senate passed the key legislation Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 (TPSA) on Tuesday and is now expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump. It strengthens the US policy on the issue of reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, reaffirming that the right to choose rests exclusively within the authority of the current Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhists, and the Tibetan people. And the US government will impose sanctions against Chinese government officials if any interference is reported.
TPSA is a revised bill from the historic Tibet Policy Act of 2002, which addressed Tibetan people’s human rights, environmental rights, religious freedom, and the welfare of Tibetan democracy in exile. The bipartisan bill commended the Tibetan spiritual leader for his implementation of democratic governance and also applauded the exile community for successfully adopting the system to choose their own leaders. Moreover, it formally recognized the Dharamshala-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also known as the exile Tibetan government, as the sole legitimate institution that reflects the aspirations of the Tibetan diaspora.
As the head of CTA, Dr, Lobsang Sangay expressed gratitude towards the US Congress for passing the monumental bill on Tibet, especially Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell. He also thanked Congressmen Jim McGovern and Chris Smith, and Senators Marco Rubio and Ben Cardin for their leadership in introducing the bill in both the House and the Senate.
“The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 is a tribute to the great legacy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to the courage and solidarity of six million Tibetans inside Tibet . . . This is a victory for the Tibetan freedom struggle,” remarked the CTA President on the passage of the bill. TPSA introduced new key provisions protecting the environment and water resources on the Tibetan plateau. It recognizes the importance of Tibetan grassland stewardship as opposed to the forced resettlement of the nomads by the authorities which affects the climate in Tibet drastically.
In addition, TPSA authorizes a number of appropriations for Tibet and Tibet related issues for each fiscal year from 2021 to 2025; $1,000,000 for the Office of the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues; $675,000 for the Tibetan scholarship program established under the Human Rights, Refugee, and Other Foreign Relations Provisions Act of 1996; $575,000 to carry out “Ngawang Choephel Exchange Programs”; humanitarian assistance through food, medicine, clothing, medical and vocational training for Tibetan refugees in South Asia; $8,000,000 to support activities for Tibetan communities in TAR and in other communities in China; $6,000,000 for programs to promote and preserve Tibetan culture and language development; $3,000,000 for strengthening the capacity of Tibetan institutions for governance, information, research and international outreach; $3,344,000 and $4,060,000 for Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) respectively for reporting on Tibet and Tibetans.
The Washington-based rights group International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said that the bill would dramatically upgrade the US support for Tibetans, “By passing the TPSA, Congress has not only upgraded its overall support for Tibet, but specifically laid a marker down on the global stage declaring that the international community will not accept China’s interference in the Dalai Lama’s succession and will oppose China’s human rights abuses in Tibet for as long as they continue. China’s plan to appoint the next Dalai Lama is the culmination of its decades-long effort to destroy the Tibetan people’s unique religion, culture and identity, as well as their sacred and globally important environment. We thank the United States for its bold leadership and look forward to other countries adopting their own versions of this legislation.”
One Response
We have lost our ancient nation built by our ancestor Emperors, Songtsen Gampo, Tri-song Deutsan and Tri-Ralpachen. As if this was not enough, now even the soul of the nation that is the Dalai Lama is being stolen by anti-Buddhist CCP regime which sought to destroy our Buddhist civilisation and its Buddhist religion from the word go.
The regime who plundered and pillaged our monasteries, smashed to rubble the holy statues that adorned our thousands of monasteries and the holy scriptures that were decked in the libraries were ransacked and made into bon fires. The stupas that stood like sentinels of time on the length breadth of the country were demolished from their citadel and the winds wept in agony at the sight of such mammoth destruction of an ancient culture of peace and tranquility.
The Dalai Lama, the holiest heavenly reincarnation of the Buddha of compassion was demonised as a “slave owner” and a “feudal lord”.
The world’s most ruthless regime that is the CCP has done all this to our leader and Tibet’s precious religion and enslaved the six million Tibetans for the last six decades. 1.2 million Tibetans have died as a direct result of the Chinese invasion and 164 patriotic Tibetans have sacrificed their precious lives by burning themselves to high light the unbearable oppression perpetrated by the jackboot occupation of Tibet by communist China.
In spite of their denunciation of the Dalai Lama’s rule as “theocratic”, “feudal” and branding the Dalai Lama as a “slave owner”, alas, the CCP still wants the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the Dalai Lama was all what they had painted to be, why do they want him again? This exposes the the utter hypocrisy of the CCP which has fabricated and distorted facts. All the ills heaped upon the Dalai Lama are nothing more than crude propaganda, a figment of their imagination and racial vilification of Tibet’s leader and its people. If they had an iota of truth, they would have never even imagined of bringing the reincarnation of a “slave owner”, a “feudal lord”!!!! But the reality is, they are dying to have the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama!
The illegal occupation of Tibet has not legitimised Chinese sovereignty over Tibet. That is why, they want the ownership of the Dalai Lama to both cement their claim and use him as a pawn to bring peace to troubled Tibet.
We must realise that this is a non-negotiable issue. Communist China, which sought to destroy our Buddhism and its supreme leader has NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER for the future installation of the 15th Dalai Lama. The ENEMY OF THE DHARMA CANNOT HAVE THE SAVIOUR OF THE DHARMA.
The Dalai Lama’s return to earth is for the flourishing of the Dharma to help sentient beings and not to be a political pawn at the hands of an insidious regime.
The American policy reaffirming the RIGHT TO CHOOSE THE DALAI LAMA RESTS EXCLUSIVELY WITHIN THE AUTHORITY OF THE CURRENT DALAI LAMA, TIBETAN BUDDHISTS AND TIBETAN PEOPLE is most welcome. We urge western democracies like the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and Australia to make similar declarations.