On March 20th I journeyed with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress to Daharamsala, India and met with the leader of Tibet, his holiness, the Dalai Lama. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.
As we approached the Dalai Lama's monastery we were greeted by thousands of Tibetans, young and old, and many of them impoverished. It was moving to see the hope on their faces, a hope that the U.S. Congress would help stop the oppression and torture of their fellow Tibetans.
My favorite part of the day was being greeted by Tibetan pre-school students, such as the young boy in this picture.
We heard compelling stories, including one from a 10 year girl who fled Tibet so she could live and practice her religion in Dharmsala. Her parents sent her with strangers to journey over the Himalayas so she could be raised with and educated by Tibetans monks in Daharamsala. Her parents feared she would be killed if she stayed in Tibet, especially with the current crackdown by the Chinese government. It's an all too familiar story in Tibet, where parents often send their infant children with strangers so they can be raised in their traditional religion. We also heard stories from exiles who fled Tibet after having been brutally tortured by the Chinese government for merely practicing their religion and preserving their culture.
Later in the day, many of my colleagues and I were brought to tears as we sat in on a small class and heard from torture victims who had been held in prison by the Chinese government. One woman explained that she was held for 29 years in a Chinese prison for practicing her religion. She's now in her late 80's and serves as a teachers' aide, helping to educate young Tibetan students who seek the truth. The best part of the day was being met by young preschool students who were anxious to greet us with hand painted Tibetan and U.S. flags. I've include a photo here of me with one of the young students.
The most memorable part of the day was hearing from his Holiness about how we as Americans could assist in calling for the end of oppression and torture of Tibetans. Basically, the call of action was to speak about their longing to live autonomously in China, practice their religion openly and educate the world about the need to accept Tibetans in other countries as well. The Dalai Lama was gracious, pointed and compassionate in his open appeal for assistance. He didn't ask us to boycott the upcoming Olympic games in China, but instead urged the press and the world community to visit and see for themselves the conditions that Tibetans are subjected to. One simple request by all accounts but daunting because each hour Tibetans are being tortured and killed and left to starve and die because they chose to practice their religion.
I ask my fellow Americans, especially Chinese Americans, and the world community to join my colleagues and me in calling for the halting of persecutions, torture and forced sterilization of the Tibetans in China. Only when China realizes the great harm they are creating as the world focuses on them will they stop. They must look in the mirror and see themselves as the world becomes more aware of their horrendous crimes against humanity and the people of Tibet.