Recognise Tibet as an independent country: Rep. Scott Perry writes to President Trump

DHARAMSALA, 17 Dec: US House Representative Scott Perry has yet again called for the US’ recognition of  Tibet’s independence.

The Republican lawmaker from Pennsylvanian declared that “ Tibetans residing in Tibet’s original three provinces- Amdo, Kham and U-Tsang- have lived independently or with significant autonomy for hundreds of years; Tibet was a de facto independent country until the People’s Republic of China chose to illegally occupy the country in 1951” in a letter he wrote to President Donald Trump urging him to recognise Tibet as an independent country.

Congressman Perry has lauded President Trump for holding “China accountable for its criminal activities” in the missive while highlighting “numerous bills passed by the US Congress that have indicated Tibet’s status as an occupied country,” and declared erroneous, the laws passed by the Congress that “affirmed Tibet to be part of China.”

Calling out the US’ ambiguity approach when it comes to Tibet, the Congressman stated that “it is well past time to take a more definitive stance,” and that Tibet deserves “US’ recognition of their independence.”

“We either concede that we are not willing to challenge CCP’s grotesque violation of basic international norms – and give-up all pretence to that end – or else we can proceed with the logical conclusion of Congress’ historical support of Tibet: after many decades, the Tibetan people deserve our support for a country that is still theirs. They deserve US recognition other independence.”

Highlighting the worsening situation inside Chinese occupied Tibet, Representative Perry raised the issue of Tibetans being subjected to forced labour in the CCP’s latest bid to sinicize any citizen who is not Han Chinese, calling it “shameful and debased.”

Referring to the President as “perhaps the last and best hope that the Tibetan people have for independence,” the congressman expressed American’s believe in Trump’s “dedication to the cause of freedom and advent of peace in our world” and concluded the massive by expressing his hope that “in the face of the enormous evil being perpetrated by the CCP, you use the exalted position of the US presidency to secure  a brighter, independent future for millions of Tibetans.”

Earlier this year in May, the US lawmaker also introduced a bill to “authorize the President to recognize the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China as a separate, independent country, and for other purposes” in the lower house of the US Congress.

Rep Scott Perry has previously signed the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s bipartisan letter to the US Secretary of State in May 2019 that urged President Trump to promptly implement key legislations—Tibet Policy Act of 2002 and the 2018 Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act—passed by Congress to guide United States policy on Tibet.