The Dalai Lama awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal
Thursday, 14 September 2006, 12:00 p.m.
Once again the US is not shy of giving public recognition to the Dalai Lama as a great world leader and a man of peace. On 13 September, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to award His Holiness the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honour. The award is in recognition of the Dalai Lama’s advocacy of religious harmony, non-violence, and human rights throughout the world and for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Tibet issue though dialogue with the Chinese leadership. The bill enjoyed broad bi-partisan support, with 387 co-sponsors drawn from both political parties in the House and Senate, representing more than two-thirds of Congress.
On hearing the news, Barbara Keeley, MP for Worsley and member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet said: “I am thrilled to see that the Dalai Lama has been awarded to Congressional Gold Medal. This award recognises the Dalai Lama has a pivotal role in trying to bring peace between Tibet and China and maintaining harmony in the life of the Tibetan people, despite all the difficulties of their situation.â€Â
Fredrick Hyde-Chambers, Chairman of the world’s oldest Tibet support group, the Tibet Society of the UK, added “with the increase in China’s oppression in Tibet and denigration of the Dalai Lama, this award is a particularly timely recognition of the Dalai Lama’s ongoing non-violent commitment to achieve a resolution to the Tibet issue that will enable Tibetans to manage their own affairs and be of benefit to Chinaâ€Â.
The vehemence with which China continues to condemn the Dalai Lama is increasingly frenzied. On hearing the news of the Congressional award, China accused the United States of undermining bilateral ties by honouring the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader with the highest civilian honour. At a regular briefing, Qin Gang, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said the decision to give the award “has sent very serious wrong signal to the Tibet independence forces and very seriously interferes with China’s internal affairs and damages China-U.S. relations … we express our strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition”
He continued: “Tibet is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and widely recognised by the international community, including the US Government. The words and deeds of the Dalai Lama for several decades have shown that he is political exile who has been long engaged in splitting activities under the disguise of religion and never ever stopped his Tibet independence activities.”
This extreme stance from China does not come as a surprise to Philippa Carrick of the Tibet Society who commented, “China is in danger of world ridicule for its continued absurd and fictitious accusations against the Dalai Lama as being a splittist and still seeking independence. These accusations fly in the face of the middle way policy adopted by the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile since 1997 that clearly proposes and seeks a peaceful resolution for Tibet through meaningful autonomy. It is very encouraging that the US has recognised the Dalai Lama with the Congressional award, perhaps the United Kingdom can follow this up with some recognition or award or at least our government can publicly send its warmest congratulations?â€Â
Past recipients of the Gold Medal include George Washington, Pope John Paul II, and other Nobel Peace Laureates, such as Nelson Mandela and Elie Wiesel.
The Tibet Society, UK
(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration.)