Please write to your Senator now and show your support for this bill.

You can help to ensure that the bill is passed by the Senate by writing to your Senator and expressing the need for a Consulate in Tibet, which will provide a permanant US presence in the area and enable them to report fully on the human rights situation in Tibet.

The passing of the bill has apparently angered the Chinese authorities, demonstrating that they are concerned about US representatives being able to monitor human rights from within Tibet; something which the Chinese State has always been keen to avoid.

You can copy the letter below and send it to your Senator via post or e-mail. If you receive a response from your representative, please email us to let us know so that we can monitor whether they sign the bill and encourage them and other US politicians to support Tibet.

A supporter recently received a very positive response from influential Senator Joseph Lieberman, which you can read here. Write to your Senator now and help push for action to free Tibet!


Sample letter


DATE

Dear NAME OF SENATOR,

I am writing to you to voice my support for H.R. 2410 and to
encourage you to support this important legislation which is now with
the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Of particular importance to me is Section 287 and, specifically, the
paragraph which outlines an intention to open a United States
consulate in Lhasa, Tibet:

"The Secretary shall seek to establish a United States consulate in
Lhasa, Tibet, to provide services to United States citizens traveling
to Tibet and to monitor political, economic, and cultural
developments in Tibet, including Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Sichuan,
Gansu, and Yunnan provinces."

The 2008 US Department of State Human Rights Report on China was
particularly critical of China's recent and widely reported human
rights abuses in Tibet, stating that the human rights situation in
Tibet has "deteriorated severely during the year."

Even now, more than one year after protests against Chinese rule
swept across Tibet, more than 1000 Tibetans detained for their
alleged role in the protests remain unaccounted for. Tibet remains
under a state of de facto martial law with an overt military presence
on the streets of major Tibetan towns and with severe restrictions on
movement and communications still in place. And two Tibetans have
been sentenced to death amid grave concerns that the evidence
based in at least one case upon a confession is unsound and that
the convictions are therefore unsafe.

Tibet has been largely closed off to independent observers and the
international media for over a year now, allowing the Chinese
authorities to act with impunity. There is a pressing need to make
the Chinese government accountable for its ongoing and worsening
human rights abuses in Tibet and the opening of a US consulate in
Tibet would represent an effective first step towards introducing
greater accountability for Chinese government actions.

I urge you to follow up on the grave concerns expressed in the 2008
State Department's Human Rights Report section on Tibet by doing
everything in your power to support the passage of HR 2410 through
the committee stage and to its final enactment.

Sincerely,


Name
Address
Zip code