NEW YORK, November 3 – Felicitating President George W. Bush on his reelection, Dr. Nawang Rabgyal, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas, thanked the United States of America for its concern and sympathy for the plight of Tibet.
Dr. Rabgyal expressed the Tibetan people’s appreciation for President Bush’s two meetings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Congressional resolution that led to the landmark Tibet Policy Act of 2002.
“These and many other expressions of US support for Tibet, coming as they do from both the Administration and Congress, serve to lift the spirit of our suffering brothers and sister in Tibet,” Dr. Rabgyal said.
Dr. Rabgyal articulated his sense of sadness with the situation inside Tibet, “which continues to deteriorate as China implements ever new policies to intimidate the Tibetan people and wipe out our cultural identity.”
“To make the matter worse, the methods of repression and Sinicization have become so subtle and insidious these days that the international community, watching from outside, finds it difficult to monitor or pinpoint them,” Dr. Rabgyal said.
The following is the full text of Dr. Rabgyal’s letter to President Bush:
Your Excellency,
On behalf of Tibetans living in North America, I would like to congratulate you on your re-election as President of the United States of America.
As you prepare for your second term in office, I take this opportunity to inform you of our people’s sincere appreciation for your concern and sympathy for the cause of freedom and human dignity in Tibet.
I cannot overemphasize the significance to our people of Your Excellency’s two meetings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2001 and 2003. We are also deeply grateful to Congress for its landmark Tibet Policy Act of 2002. These and many other expressions of US support for Tibet, coming as they do from both the Administration and Congress, serve to lift the spirit of our suffering brothers and sister in Tibet. They also send unmistakable signals of US commitment to just causes to other freedom movements round the world.
Having said this, I must also record my deep sadness with the situation inside Tibet, which continues to deteriorate as China implements ever new policies to intimidate the Tibetan people and wipe out our cultural identity. To make the matter worse, the methods of repression and Sinicization have become so subtle and insidious these days that the international community, watching from outside, finds it difficult to monitor or pinpoint them.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has for many years proposed a “Middle Way approach” to resolving the issue of Tibet. This approach seeks to bring the Chinese leadership to the negotiation table so that the two sides can work together and find a solution that guarantees substantive autonomy for Tibet without undermining the unity and stability of China. The ultimate goal of this approach is to create an environment where Tibetans and Chinese can live together as brothers and sisters, respecting and benefiting each other in perpetuity.
We are convinced that this approach, if successful, will become a model for conflict resolutions in other parts of the world.
Therefore, I request Your Excellency’s continued support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue of Tibet.
With the assurance of my highest esteem,
Yours sincerely,
Nawang Rabgyal
Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
