Tibetan community members and environmental researchers have expressed concern over the challenges in accessing verified updated information on impact of glacial avalanche that struck Kyirong, Tibet and Rasuwa district of Nepal last month.
Tibet rights groups have called for China to allow international media unfettered access to verify and report on the loss of life and damage in Kyirong, Tibet. In Tibet, the Chinese state media has reported 16 deaths and around 550 missing people.
Students for a Free Tibet - India and International Tibet Network on Tuesday, in a statement, said that China exercises iron-fist control on media and information in Tibet, it maintains stability in the occupied territory by imposing a series of restrictions on transmission of information, political and civil liberties, and right of movement for Tibetans.
Dhondup Wangmo, research fellow, Tibet Policy Institute, said, “This unfortunate disaster underscores what Tibetans have been saying for decades - Tibet is geologically unstable and dangerously vulnerable to global warming, permafrost melt and glacial retreat. In spite of these fragile conditions, China rarely shares environmental impact reports on their infrastructure and hydropower projects in Tibet. China has a moral responsibility to share transparent data on their ongoing projects, and during disasters, they must proactively share early warnings.”
Dr Lobsang Yangtso, senior researcher, International Tibet Network, said “The vulnerability in which Tibetans and the people of Nepal now find themselves is especially cruel, because we have been among the loudest voices warning of both the climate crisis and geological risk. Like the Nepalese communities, Tibetans are among the least contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet their location in the Himalayas makes them far more susceptible to climate danger than people in wealthier nations.”
{{/usCountry}}Dr Lobsang Yangtso, senior researcher, International Tibet Network, said “The vulnerability in which Tibetans and the people of Nepal now find themselves is especially cruel, because we have been among the loudest voices warning of both the climate crisis and geological risk. Like the Nepalese communities, Tibetans are among the least contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet their location in the Himalayas makes them far more susceptible to climate danger than people in wealthier nations.”
{{/usCountry}}Tashi Dhondup, campaign coordinator, Students for a Free Tibet-India, said, “Under Chinese rule, Tibetans have no freedom to decide how our land is used. We are not consulted when Chinese companies build dams, dig mines, or harness our rivers and extract the rare minerals under our soil. Tibetan lives are dispensable to China, as is evident in their lack of rigorous reporting of loss to Tibetan life and homes in Kyirong county.”