By Preeti Koirala
The State of Vermont is one of the most beautiful places in the United States. Especially during winter, thousands of foreign and domestic tourists visit the numerous ski resorts of Vermont to be close to nature and celebrate Christmas. From basic goose sighting to watching the lovely sunset over the green mountains, travel to Vermont can be a lifetime experience. When this writer along with a few college friends visited the 300 mile Catamount Trail, the longest cross-country ski trail in the US, we made it a point to ski from the Mountain Top Chittenden to the famous blueberry hill down to Edson Hill and a farm resort in Stowe.
US Senator Leahy (File photo)
US Senator Leahy (File photo)
Unfortunately, this picturesque American State has been made infamous by its erratic, loose speaking but longest serving Senator Patrick Leahy. Last year on June 25th Vice-President Dick Cheney, serving his role as President of the Senate, appeared in the Chamber for a photo session. A chance meeting with Senator Leahy became a heated argument about the Vice-President’s ties with Halliburton co., an international energy corporation. The Vice-President became so angry over this unnecessary, silly remark at an awkward place in front of dozens of on-lookers and photographers that he used the most abusive 4 letter word along with a 3 letter possessive pronoun to Senator Leahy. Next day, this incident was on the headlines all over the United States.
Senator Leahy’s association with various lobbies and interest groups, accepting money from Christian organizations, and pro-Jew groups is well known. What is his lifetime passion and what is directly associated with his repeated senseless remarks on Nepal is his relationship with the Free-Tibet Movement lobby. In his own official website he says, “I have long been concerned with the situation in Tibet, and have supported several pieces of legislation that criticize China’s systematic destruction of Tibetan culture and violations of human rights in Tibet”.
This the real reason behind Leahy’s ridiculous comments on the present government of Nepal which many view as being very friendly towards China. It is neither his love for democracy or human rights in Nepal nor his interest to see a peaceful resolution of the Maoist insurgency. He wants Nepal to shun the 50 year old one-China policy and embrace a softer line towards the Free Tibet Movement. That’s it. It is plain and simple. If His Majesty’s government of Nepal were to invite the exiled Dalai Lama for a visit to Lumbini and Kathmandu, Leahy would be the happiest man and he will instantly turn a great supporter of February 1st royal takeover.
For example, on October 11, 1988, Senator Leahy led a senate delegation to the People’s Republic of China. On what should have been a courteous exchange visit with the Chinese turned out to be a ‘fact-finding mission on Tibet’. He returned to Capital Hill and instead of being grateful to Chinese hospitality called on the Congress and the administration along with the international human rights community to be forceful in deploring China’s behavior in Tibet. He further said, “we must not fail to stand by any person whose human rights is being violated for political or other reasons in Tibet, as we would for anyone in the same condition anywhere in the world.” Senator Leahy also published a list of over 100 Tibetan political prisoners, with the hope that every member of senate would adopt at least one prisoner.”
Senator Leahy makes himself available even in small get-together and fund-raising dinners such as the one held on the occasion to mark the 4th anniversary of ethnomusicologist and Fulbright Scholar Ngawang Choephel’s arrest in Tibet. He even made a speech at the event. On March 10th 2002 he issued another important statement and said, “This is a day for Tibetans, Americans, and other members of the world community to pay tribute to those brave Tibetans who lost their lives in the uprising of 1959, and those who have been imprisoned, tortured, or killed during the following decades of Chinese occupation. Today is also an important reminder that we all must continue to work hard for political, economic and religious freedom in Tibet. We must preserve Tibetan culture which is being systematically destroyed and forgotten. And, we must seek the release of those Tibetans who are being unjustly held in prisons throughout China.”
After six years when the Tibetan Fulbright scholar Ngawang was released; it was Senator Leahy who invited Ngawang in his own office in D.C. “It is beyond my ability to comprehend that such a fine, talented, and humble person could be subjected to such unjust and harsh treatment. Tragically, thousands of others Tibetan prisoners do not have happy endings to their ordeals”, he elaborated.
This grossly anti-Chinese and pro-Tibet liberation Senator fails to realize that ninety percent of Tibetans worldwide have gone to those countries via Nepal. Although, Nepal has always adhered to Tibet Autonomous Region being an inalienable and inseparable part of China it has however never mistreated thirty thousand odd Tibetans living inside Nepal. They live in Nepal with privilege, dignity and in comfortable economic conditions. By trying to annoy the Nepalese people, the army and the monarchy- Senator Leahy has actually done a big damage to the Tibetan refugees and to Nepal-US relations. Nepalese have had no problems with ethnic Mongol Buddhist Tibetans and have been living side by side from the last half a century since the day they began arriving in Nepal. These kinds of absurd statements by influential American senators further raise the chances of wrecking the relations between the Nepalese people and the Tibetan refugees.
It was because of the anti-Chinese activities perpetuated by the Dalai Lama office here that the then Sher Bahadur Deuba government comprising of the CPN(UML) as an important ally decided to close down its illegal office. After the February First move by King Gyanendra, America further estranged itself with Nepal by stopping military aid to the Royal Nepal Army. Nepal has had now to accept military and economic assistance from the People’s Republic of China. There should be little doubt that as far as Tibet issue is concerned, there is total national consensus among all political forces, parties and even political factions.
Instead of uttering absurd remarks on Nepal, Senator Leahy is well advised to recommend to the Bush administration to adopt a positive attitude towards Nepal and build a healthy relationship with the present government. Even though he enjoys such an “enviable” relation with the Vice-President, one would hope that the Republican administration would see some sense stemming from the most uncouth democrat on the Capital Hill.