Mr. Speaker, on this day in 1959 the Tibetan people voiced their united protest against the invasion of their country by the People's Republic of China. The Tibetan national uprising stood up against the Chinese invaders.
In retaliation, the Chinese government massacred thousands of innocent monks, women and children in the streets of Lhasa and elsewhere. A week later, 80,000 Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, were forced to flee their homeland for asylum in India. There are now more than 130,000 Tibetan refugees scattered around the world.
Today's 46th anniversary does not bring any joy in Tibet, as imprisonments and killings continue. The cultural genocide in Tibet cannot be ignored. The Communist Chinese legacy in Tibet includes 1.2 million Tibetans murdered, 6,000 monasteries destroyed, thousands of Tibetans imprisoned for their political beliefs, and the burning of irreplaceable Buddhist texts.
It is time for the Prime Minister to stop sitting down in Chinese boardrooms until he stands up for human rights.