By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, July 20: US President Donald Trump’s proposal of halting fund for Tibetans has been overturned by a congressional committee which approved a bill ensuring continued support from the US towards Tibet’s ‘democracy and human rights programs’.
The House Appropriations Committee, in a report accompanying the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill 2018, said that it would continue to support democracy and human rights programs for Tibet and the amount provided would not be less than the amounts provided in the fiscal year 2017.
It has proposed US$ 6 million to continue to assist the exiled Tibetan community in India and Nepal in the areas of education, skills development, entrepreneurship and development of the next generation of Tibetan leaders from such communities. It also aims at the preservation and protection of Tibetan culture.
The committee recommended a similar ‘Economic Support Fund’ of US$ 8 million for NGOs to support activities, which preserve cultural traditions and promote sustainable development, education, and environmental conservation in Tibetan communities in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and in other Tibetan communities in China.
Expressing concern over the reports of Nepal handing over Tibetan refugees to Chinese border authorities, the committee said, “The committee supports efforts by the Secretary of State to work with the Government of Nepal to provide safe transit for Tibetan refugees and legal protections to Tibetans residing in Nepal.”
Earlier this year, President Trump, in its first budget proposal since coming into power, proposed zero funds for Tibetans in 2018, a move seen as contrary to the decades old assistance provided by the US to Tibetans in preserving its unique identity and culture in exile.
In Trump’s proposal, Tibet Fund was removed and had proposed zero dollars against Ngawang Choephel Fellows, both of which are flagship initiatives in the exile Tibetan diaspora.
The office of House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi had also expressed its concern over the zeroing out of aid to the Tibetan community.
