The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TIBETAN REFUGEES” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S6864 on Aug. 5, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TIBETAN REFUGEES
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to call attention to language in Senate Report 111-237 accompanying the fiscal year 2011 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill, which passed out of the Appropriations Committee on July 29, 2010.
That language notes the committee's concern with recent events in Nepal, where Tibetan refugees have been forcibly turned over to Chinese border police. This contradicts Nepal's long and generous history of providing safe passage for Tibetans on route to India, and it is inconsistent with international law. In the past, Nepal has provided safe haven, and the United States, the United Nations, and other donors have provided the funds necessary to care for these people in transit.
This is a matter of grave concern to the Congress and to people everywhere who know of the danger of arrest and imprisonment and the physical hardships Tibetans face, fleeing their homeland by crossing the Himalayas with little more than the clothes on their backs. I hope the Nepali Government will take note of the committee's concern and take immediate steps to reaffirm its policy of permitting Tibetan refugees to travel safely to India.
I ask unanimous consent that this language in Report 111-237 be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
``Tibetan Refugees.--The Committee is concerned with recent actions by the Government of Nepal to prevent safe passage for Tibetan refugees, including reports that some fleeing Tibetans have been turned over to Chinese border authorities. The Committee urges the Government of Nepal to reaffirm its long tradition of permitting Tibetans to safely transit Nepal, and continues to support assistance for these refugees as well as Tibetans who have resettled in India.''
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