Res. No. 802
Resolution calling upon the Council of the City of New York to support (1) the conclusion of the United States Congress that Tibet, including those areas incorporated into the Chinese Provinces of Sichuan, Young, Gansu and Qinghai, is an occupied country under the established principles of international law and whose true representatives are the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Government-in-exile as recognized by the Tibetan people; (2) the recommendations of the International Commission of Jurists for China to enter into negotiations for a solution to the question of Tibet based on the will of the Tibetan people; and (3) the right of the Tibetan people to control economic development in Tibet and calls upon individuals and companies doing business in Tibet to follow the development guidelines of the Tibetan Government-in-exile.
By Council Members Quinn, Freed and Robinson; also Council Members Foster and Michels
Whereas, The People's Republic of China invaded the independent country of Tibet in 1949-50, and has committed "acts of genocide" according to the International Commission of Jurists; and
Whereas, The People's Republic of China is currently committing systematic human rights violations in Tibet, including death in detention, torture, disappearances, arbitrary arrests, detention without public trial, denial of free speech and free press, coerced sterilizations and abortions, suppression of Tibetan Buddhism, destruction of Tibetan culture, and widespread racism and discrimination against the Tibetan people; and
Whereas, The United States Congress has stated that "Tibet, including those areas incorporated into the Chinese Provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai, is an occupied country under the established principles of international law and whose true representatives are the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Government-in-exile as recognized by the Tibetan people"; and
Whereas, The United Nations General Assembly passed Resolutions 1353 (XIV), 1723 (XVI) and 2079 (XX), calling for the cessation of practices which deprive the Tibetan people of their fundamental human rights and freedoms, including their right to self-determination; and
Whereas, In December 1997, the International Commission of Jurists reported that "repression in Tibet has increased steadily since the 1994 Third International Forum on Work in Tibet" and concluded that "Tibetans are a 'people under alien subjugation', entitled under international law to the right to self-determination"; and
Whereas, The People's Republic of China seeks to absorb Tibet into China and is conducting economic development in Tibet contrary to the wishes of the Tibetan people; and
Whereas, The Tibetan Government-in-exile advocates economic development in Tibet but has recommended the following development guidelines for individuals and companies doing business in Tibet: (1) that development should be small-scale, decentralized initiatives in which Tibetans have control; (2) that development initiatives should be preceded by social, cultural and environmental impact assessments; (3) that any development which intensifies and promotes the transfer of Chinese to Tibet or which leads to the destruction of Tibet's fragile environment should be opposed; (4) that development projects should involve systematic and meaningful participation of the Tibetan people in all phases, including training, employment, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; and (5) that development projects should respect Tibetan cultural and social structures and the aspirations of the Tibetan people; and
Whereas, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, recipient of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, has repeatedly tried to conduct negotiations with China concerning the status of Tibet without preconditions, but China has refused to agree to these negotiations; and
Whereas, The Tibetan freedom movement is based on Buddhist non-violent principles, even in the face of brutal Chinese repression and the Tibetan people have called upon the world community to actively support their struggle for human rights, economic justice and self-determination; and
Whereas, The International Commission of Jurists recommended to the People's Republic of China to (1) enter into discussions with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-exile on a solution to the question of Tibet based on the will of the Tibetan people; (2) respect the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people; (3) end those practices which threaten to erode the distinct cultural, religious and national identity of the Tibetan people; and
Whereas, The Council City of New York supports the rights of the Tibetan people in their struggle for human rights, economic justice and self-determination; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York supports the conclusion of the United States Congress that Tibet, including those areas incorporated into the Chinese Provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai, is an occupied country under the established principles of international law and whose true representatives are the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Government in exile as recognized by the Tibetan people, and let it be further
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York supports the recommendations of the International Commission of Jurists for China to enter into negotiations for a solution to the question of Tibet based on the will of the Tibetan people, and let it be further
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York supports right of the Tibetan people to control economic development in Tibet and calls upon individuals and companies doing business in Tibet to follow the development guidelines of the Tibetan Government-in-exile.
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Created on 03/22/00 3:34 PM
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