Give the man a Medal
President George W. Bush signed into law a bill to present to the Dalai Lama a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the US Congress.
The decision to honor the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, who is still widely revered in his Chinese occupied home land, caused outrage in Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang denounced the decision, which he said “seriously interferes with China’s internal affairs and damages China-US relations.”
The Chinese government considers the Dalai Lama a political dissident who works from his exile in India to gain Tibet’s independence.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet and sought refuge in northern India in 1959 following a failed and bloody uprising against Chinese rule.
China demands the Dalai Lama firmly state Tibet and Taiwan are inalienable parts of China if he wants to step foot again in the land of his birth.
Insisting that it freed Tibet from a “feudal” regime the Chinese government argues that since the “Democratic Reform” of 1959, it has pushed Tibet towards prosperity with modern industry and communications.
But the government-in-exile and Tibetan activists hold that the flood of Han Chinese settlements and persecution has devastated their Buddhist-based culture.
The Dalai Lama has struggled for nearly half a century to better the lives of the Tibetan people. He has toured 44 countries, been received by three US presidents and was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, which China also criticized.
The proposal to honor the Dalai Lama with a Congressional Gold Medal was co-sponsored by 73 of the 100 senators.
Other non-Americans who have been awarded the Congressional medal include Britain’s World War II prime minister, Winston Churchill; Albanian-born humanitarian Mother Teresa; and Nelson Mandela, the first president of post-apartheid South Africa.
