Jeffrey Bader, Senior Director for East Asian Affairs for the National Security Council, says during a conference call Monday that he expects President Barack Obama to speak with Chinese leaders about Tibet. He adds that Obama will meet with the Dali Lama at the appropriate time. (0:13)
By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
President Obama’s inaugural visit to Asia was postponed due to the his and First Lady Michelle Obama’s participation in the memorial service on Tuesday for those killed in the Fort Hood tragedy.
Still, the President intends to tell Asian countries when he visits later this week that the U.S. is engaged and committed to strengthening alliances with Asia and helping Asian nations achieve prosperity and security, according to Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications.
Jeffrey Bader, Senior Director for East Asian Affairs for the National Security Council, said that the President plans to raise the issue of human rights while in China.
“I think the kinds of issues that are on our minds are the freedom of expression, access to information…and certainly Tibet. I have every reason to believe that the issue of Tibet will come up on the trip,” Bader said.
Bader did not foresee discussions with the Japanese government on the realignment of Futenma Air Base, which houses 47,000 U.S. military personnel on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. The base is set to relocate to a smaller facility in 2014.
“I don’t see the Okinawa base issue being a dominant or essential issue on this visit,” Bader said. “The new Japanese government is reviewing how it wishes to move forward on [the base issue].”
The President is scheduled to leave for Japan on Thursday, followed by visits to Singapore, China and South Korea.
By Marianna Levyash-Talk Radio News
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, arrived at the Light of Truth Awards Wednesday to honor and present awards to activists Julia Taft and Wang Lixioung.
The International Campaign for Tibet recognizes and salutes individuals or institutions that have contributed to the needs of Tibet.
The late Julia Taft was praised for her active involvement in Tibetian issues and in playing a crucial role for Tibetian human rights.
Wang Lixioung, who bravely risked himself and defied China to help organize the petition “Twelve Suggestions for Dealing with the Tibetian Situation”, in which more than 300 Chinese signed. All of these signatures represent people in the Republic of China that wanted to support Tibet and mark the Chinese policies in Tibet as “mistakes”.
The Dalai Lama was quoted as saying “I always say our supporters are not pro-Tibetan but pro-justice, pro-nonviolence.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and actor Richard Gere also participated in the ceremony.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says exiled Tibetan Dalai Lama’s rule has shown humility and kindness that is inspirational and fatherlike. (01:01)
The 14th Dalai Lama says U.S. weapons are powerful but not as powerful as American principles. (0:26)
by Julianne LaJeunesse- University of New Mexico
The 14th Dalai Lama was in Washington, D.C. Tuesday to receive a Lantos Foundation award for his human rights service, and despite a missing President Obama, the religious leader still offered kind words and advice for “America… the greatest democratic country.”
“I think American weapons, military forces, of course, is to some people… you can take seriously,” the Dalai Lama said. “But the real greatness of America is your ancestors, or the principles. These are, at any cost, you must preserve these principles. That is important.”
Some of those principles could be in question with the Obama administration’s decision not to receive the Dalai Lama this week. The White House says Obama will meet with the leader after a November session with China’s President Hu Jintao in Beijing, a decision which the Dalai Lama says he understands.
At the Lantos Foundation ceremony, which was created to further late Rep. Tom Lantos’ work on human rights and justice issues within U.S. policy making, John McCain (R- Ariz.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) praised the work of both Lantos, who died in 2008, and the Dalai Lama’s humanitarian efforts. McCain called the Dalai Lama “an example of a moral leader.”
McCain called the Dalai Lama, who won the Noble Peace Prize in 1989, a father to Tibet, despite the tensions between the exiled ruler and the Chinese government.
“For over half a century, he has led their struggle, petitioning governments and people of conscience throughout the world to lend their voice to the just demands of Tibetans,” McCain said. “He has endured the long trying years, and every setback for their cause, with an unyielding determination that is singular because of the patience, humility, and kindness that are his most admirable qualities.”
If Obama and the exiled leader don’t meet this year, it will mark the first time in 14 years that a U.S. president has not received the Dalai Lama. In 2007, the Dalai Lama received the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, a ceremony attended by President George W. Bush.
By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China held a roundtable discussion today on China and Tibet, and from it came calls for the Obama administration to place increased focus on human rights in Tibet. Elliot Sperling, Associate Professor of Tibetan Studies at Indiana University, said that China has created stability on the Tibetan region by “imposing an effective lockdown on Tibet” through “severe restrictions on movement and communication.” Sperling said that Chinese officials have blocked Internet and cell phone communication over the region and have held firm with the detention of people speaking out against the government.
Sperling highlighted that President Bill Clinton periodically threatened to revoke the Most Favored National Trade Status (or PNTR) with China if they did not reform human rights, but that revocation never happened. He felt that such empty threats were worse than if the President had said nothing. Sperling referenced Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s February 21st comment that human rights issues with China “can’t interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis, and the security crisis” and said that Mrs. Clinton can “commit to a forceful human right agenda” without empty threats. Sperling said that the Obama administration must support, “in absolute terms, the right of Tibetans to voice their aspirations peacefully.”
Today at Talk Radio News, the Washington Bureau will be covering Vice President Joe Biden’s announcement for funding to be given to Amtrak, a discussion on “A Year After the March 2008 Protests: Is China Promoting Stability in Tibet?,” a news conference on respiratory and immune disorders, a discussion “Iran: Internal Social and Political Dynamics,” a discussion on “Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty: A Reconciliation,” and a book discussion on “Life Equity: Realize your true Value and Pursue Your Passions at Any Stage In Life,” with author Representative Marsha Blackburn, (R-Tenn.).
In light China’s decision to allow the Olympic torch to pass through Tibet, Sharon Hom, the executive director of Human Rights in China, says that the International Olympic Committee has an obligation to oversee the actions of a host country. (0:41)
The summer Olympics and human rights in China were discussed at an event held by the National Endowment for Democracy. Panelists discussed a number of topics including China’s reluctance to permit an open media, response to opposition in Tibet, the Sichuan earthquake, and international pressure that calls for a more transparent Chinese government.
According to Sharon Hom, the executive director of Human Rights in China, assurances from Chinese officials that the Olympics would be a catalyst for increased democratization have largely been forgotten. Hom said that defenders of human rights continue to disappear or be jailed throughout China. She also added that the (International Olympic Committee) IOC has an obligation to oversee decisions made by an Olympic’s host country and should not buckle to the desires of the host as the IOC recently did in Athens by permitting the Olympic Torch Relay to pass through Tibet, an action she considers “provocative.” Sophie Richardson, the media director of Human Rights Watch, said that the numbers of dead from the earthquake in Sichuan province and riots in Tibet are still unknown due to the lack of a free press.
Richardson said China not only lacks democracy but also continues to support regimes that find little support worldwide. Richardson believes that governments in Zimbabwe and Myanmar still exist thanks to Chinese support. Richardson continued, saying that involving itself in foreign affairs contradicts China’s policy of noninterference.
Minky Worden, the editor of “China’s Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges” said that Olympic sponsors are unwilling to address human rights violations in China and thus contradict the actions of the Chinese government. She said the Olympic torch’s presence in Tibet is bad publicity for the three sponsors of the relay: Coca Cola, Lenovo, and Samsung. Richardson also said that defenders of human rights in China look outside of their country for support and that President Bush has an obligation to speak against certain Chinese policies.
