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Category: South Asia

Bodyguard for Vietnamese monk controls his every move

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.” Then in November, the monk announced plans to travel on foot to India. Who is Doan Van Bau? On his personal YouTube channel, Bau described himself as a retired security officer and an active Communist Party member. He previously held the rank of senior colonel and served as director general of the Political Theory Division within the Central Propaganda and Education Department. RELATED STORIES EXPLAINED: Why is an internet-famous monk on a trek to India? Vietnamese followers of ‘barefoot monk’ question call for social media silence Vietnamese monk leaves Laos, enters Thailand In early posts on YouTube, Bau described himself as a “retired ordinary citizen” volunteering to assist Minh Tue in his pilgrimage, saying he had a deep respect for the monk’s commitment to Buddhism. In December, Minh Tue said in one of Bau’s YouTube videos about trip preparations posted that he only asked Bau to handle the immigration procedures on the way to India. But in more recent comments on social media, Bau said the Vietnamese government had issued official documents assigning him to be the “head of the delegation.” In another Facebook video on Jan. 7, Bau told Thich Minh Tue that while he has “no objections” to his “self-cultivation,” he hoped the monk “will not interfere with my planning, organization or management of the delegation.” Bau has since rejected at least three people from joining the pilgrimage, including two monks. Vietnamese monk Thich Minh Tue prepares to take a nap in Thailand, during his walk to India, Jan. 1, 2025.(RFA) Even before the pilgrimage started, officials appeared to be controlling the endeavor. A document released on Dec. 1 by Phat Tam Thien Dinh Tue Ltd., a company founded by Thich Minh Tue’s elder brother, listed 10 individuals authorized by the monk to accompany and assist him during the pilgrimage to India. But on the departure day, only two of them — Bau and Le Kha Giap – were officially allowed to join the delegation. Media blackout Bau is live-streaming the monk’s journey on YouTube – which many people in Vietnam are following – but the country’s state-run media has had no coverage of the entourage. Vietnamese journalists told RFA that the propaganda department has told them not to publish any news about it. After about a week of walking in Thailand, Bau said on his personal social media account that the delegation had many “adversities” in the journey so far, including foreign reporters and others observing the pilgrimage. As Thich Minh Tue heads toward Bangkok, Bau continued to keep a tight lid on the monk’s interactions, particularly with the media. “Bau has always spoken on behalf of the monk, taking over his right to communicate,” said Tuan Khanh, the musician who has been monitoring the pilgrimage closely. “The monk no longer has the opportunity to speak.” Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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What is the RedNote app and why are TikTok users moving there? | RFA Insider #24

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The double features don’t stop! Tune in to this episode of RFA Insider to learn about American social media users turning to a Chinese app in response to an impending TikTok ban, and how China is preparing for the incoming U.S. administration. Off Beat With TikTok slated to be banned on Sunday unless it is sold to a new, non-Chinese owner, young American users of the app have migrated en masse to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote. The more than half a million American users who’ve joined RedNote in recent days, dubbing themselves “TikTok refugees,” hope to relocate their online communities and for some, send a strong message to Meta and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. Family photos, presumably taken in August 2024 and March 2023, found with the bodies of North Korean troops killed in the Ukraine-Russia war.(NK Insider) RFA’s own Korean Service also conducted an exclusive interview with a Ukrainian soldier sharing his battlefield encounter with North Korean soldiers. Double Off Beat As Washington, D.C. makes the final arrangements for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next Monday, countries around the world are similarly preparing for the new U.S. administration. Senior reporter Kitty Wang from RFA’s Mandarin Service comes on the podcast to share insight into how China might react to the new administration. Then-U.S. President Donald Trump (left) attends a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) What’s the overall mood in China regarding Trump’s possible implementation of tariffs? Will Beijing alter its stance on either Taiwan or the South China Sea while working with this new administration? What about the Uyghur region and Tibet? Tune in to hear these answers and more. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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In bilateral talks, Philippines complains about China’s ‘monster’ ship in EEZ waters

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MANILA — Senior Philippine diplomats confronted Chinese counterparts in face-to-face talks about China’s “monster” coast guard ship intruding into Manila’s territorial waters, as the two sides met to discuss the hot-button issue of the South China Sea. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro led the Philippine delegation in the 10th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea, or BCM, which took place on Thursday in the Chinese city of Xiamen. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong headed the Chinese delegation in the BCM, a series of bilateral talks that were started in 2017 with the aim of lowering tensions between the two countries – rival claimants – over the contested waterway. The Philippine side expressed “serious concern” about the presence and activities of China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels lately within Manila’s exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, including the 12,000-ton ship, dubbed “The Monster.” CCG 5901, the world’s largest coast guard ship, had been spotted patrolling the resource-rich Scarborough Shoal area in recent days and waters off the coast of Luzon, the main island in the Philippines. Manila had already lodged protests and diplomatic complaints about the ship’s intimidating presence in Philippine-claimed waters. Earlier this week, a Philippine National Security official said China was “pushing us to the wall” as he indicated that Manila was considering pursuing a new lawsuit against Beijing over the South China Sea. While CCG 5901 had not carried out any dangerous maneuvers so far, Philippine officials said its activities within Manila’s waters were not backed by any international law, according to a statement from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. “Our position is clear and consistent, but so is our willingness to engage in dialogue. We firmly believe that despite the unresolved challenges and differences, there is genuine space for diplomatic and pragmatic cooperation in dealing with our issues in the South China Sea,” the statement quoted Lazaro as saying at the meeting. China’s actions were “inconsistent” with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, which both Manila and Beijing had signed, and the recently passed Philippine Maritime Zones Act, according to the Philippine foreign office. Beijing earlier said that the presence of its ships in Scarborough was “fully justified,” reiterating its jurisdiction over the shoal. “We call on the Philippines once again to immediately stop all infringement activities, provocations and false accusations, and stop all its actions that jeopardize peace and stability and complicate the situation in the South China Sea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday. This photo, released by the Philippine Coast Guard, shows Chinese Coast Guard ship 5901 sailing in the South China Sea, Jan. 15, 2025.(Philippine Coast Guard) Located about 125 nautical miles (232 km) from Luzon island, Scarborough Shoal – known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines – has been under China’s de facto control since 2012. Beijing’s possession of the shoal forced Manila to file a lawsuit at the world court in The Hague. Four years later, an international arbitration tribunal ruled in Manila’s favor but Beijing has never acknowledged that decision, insisting on its historical claims over the waterway. Another flashpoint At Thursday’s meeting, the two sides also agreed to keep implementing a “provisional understanding” regarding Philippine resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre, a decrepit World War II-era military ship stationed in Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal, another disputed South China Sea feature. CCG vessels had been regularly blocking Philippine ships carrying supplies and troops to the shoal. But the two countries arrived at a provisional agreement in July, following a dramatic standoff the previous month between Filipino servicemen and CCG personnel at Second Thomas Shoal, during which a Philippine serviceman lost a finger. Philippine and Chinese officials, however, have not yet publicly disclosed the official document of the agreement or its details, with both sides making their own claims about the deal’s contents. RELATED STORIES Philippines on Chinese incursions: Not ruling out another South China Sea lawsuit China says ‘monster’ ship’s presence near Scarborough Shoal ‘fully justified’ Philippines says China’s ‘monster’ ship on a mission to intimidate At the talks on Thursday, both sides acknowledged the deal’s “positive outcomes” and “agreed to continue its implementation to sustain the de-escalation of tensions without prejudice to respective national positions,” Manila’s foreign office said. Both sides also “agreed to reinvigorate the platform for coast guard cooperation” but no specific details were provided. In 2016, under then-President Rodrigo Duterte who adopted a pro-Beijing policy, the two nations’ coast guards formed the Joint Coast Guard Committee (JCGC), establishing a hotline between the two maritime law enforcement agencies. In January 2023, amid increasing tensions in the disputed waters, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to set up a communication line between their foreign ministries. But a few months later, Manila officials said that China could not be reached in times of high tensions at sea. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Myanmar scammers agree to stop forced labor after actor rescued

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Pro-junta militia leaders in Myanmar and operators of online scam centers have agreed to stop human trafficking after the rescue of a Chinese actor this month raised international alarm about their operations and looks set to damage Thailand’s tourist industry. The ethnic Karen militia force based on Myanmar’s border with Thailand is suspected of enabling extensive internet fraud, human trafficking, forced labor and other crimes, and is being enriched by a business network that extends across Asia, a rights group said in a report last year. But the case of Chinese TV actor Wang Xing, rescued this month from the notorious KK Park scam facility in eastern Myanmar’s Myawaddy, has brought the issue to public attention across Asia like never before. The result has been pressure from both the Thai government and the Myanmar military, leading to a meeting on Wednesday between the militias and their business partners in which they agreed to stop human trafficking, said a businessman close to the ethnic Karen militia. “The current issue of the Chinese actor has brought pressure from Thailand and the junta council in Naypyidaw. That’s why the meeting was held to enforce rules,” the businessman, who declined to be identified as talking to the media, told Radio Free Asia. Leaders of Myawaddy-based Border Guard Force, or BGF, and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, or DKBA, which control the border zone under the auspices of the Myanmar military, agreed on a set of five rules with the business leaders, many of them ethnic Chinese, the businessman said. The list includes no use of force, threats or torture, no child labor, no income from human trafficking and no scam operations, according to a copy of the rules that the businessman cited. Anyone found breaking the rules will lose their business and be expelled from the area. RFA tried to contact senior members of the ethnic Karen forces, Maj. Naing Maung Zaw of the BGF and Lt. Gen Saw Shwe Wa of the DKBA, but neither of them answered their telephones. Leaders of Border Guard Force and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army meet online gambling business owners in Myanmar’s Myawaddy town on Jan. 15, 2025.(AEC News) The Karen militia force in power in the eastern region emerged from a split in the 1990s in Myanmar’s oldest ethnic minority guerrilla force, the largely Christian-led Karen National Union, when Buddhist fighters broke away, formed the DKBA and sided with the military. The military let the DKBA rule in areas under its control in Kayin state, set up a Border Guard Force to help the army, and to profit from cross-border trade, and later from online gambling and scam operations. RELATED STORIES Online scam centers have proliferated in some of the more lawless parts of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Lao teen says she’s been released from Chinese scam center in Myanmar Scammers lure jobseeking Hong Kongers to Myanmar from Japan, Taiwan Tricking investors The scam centers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos have ensnared thousands of human trafficking victims from all over Asia, and as far away as Africa. Many victims say they were lured by false job offers, then forced to scam people by convincing them over the phone or online to put money into bogus investments. University of Texas researchers estimated in a report in March last year that scammers had tricked investors out of more than US$75 billion since January 2020. People forced to work at the scam centers are often tortured if they refuse to comply, victims and rights groups say. The rules announced by the militias and scam operators come after a string of high-profile kidnappings, including that of Chinese actor Wang. Hong Kong authorities have sent a task force to Thailand in a bid to rescue an estimated 12 victims in Myanmar and have imposed a yellow travel advisory for Thailand and Myanmar, warning of “signs of threat,” but without mentioning the scam parks. The Bangkok Post reported on Wednesday that Thai hotels and airlines have been getting a flood of cancellations from Chinese tour groups for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. Authorities in the region have accused Chinese gangsters of organizing the centers but Chinese nationals in Thailand said Chinese state-owned companies were behind operations in Myanmar, and behind them is the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department. “Wherever you have these scam parks, you will find Chinese companies plying the biggest trade,” a realtor who only gave the surname Pan for fear of reprisals recently told RFA Mandarin. “The Myawaddy park was built by Chinese state-owned companies.” Pan said the parks were the criminal face of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s United Front outreach and influence operations. “All of the big bosses are back in China,” he said. The Justice for Myanmar human rights group has accused governments and businesses across the region of enabling the cyber scam operations by failing to take action against the profitable flows they generate. Edited by RFA Staff. 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Myanmar insurgents say they launched rocket attack on junta deputy

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Pro-democracy fighters in Myanmar launched a barrage of rockets at junta facilities in the eastern town of Loikaw as the deputy of the ruling military council was visiting, a rebel group said on Wednesday. There was no confirmation from the junta of the Tuesday night attack and the anti-junta Brave Warriors for Myanmar, or BWM, militia force said it had no information about casualties. The group said its members fired five 107 mm rockets to the State Hall in Loikaw, capital of Kayah state, and two rockets at a regional military command headquarters in the town as junta deputy Lt. Gen. Soe Win was visiting for Kayah State Day on Wednesday. “We want to make sure that even the deputy leader of the junta council is worried about his life, that’s why we had to attack,” an official from the militia group told Radio Free Asia. He said his group was trying to gather information about the attack, which was organized with help from two other militia groups, the Mountain Knight Civilian Defense Forces and the Anti-Coup People’s Liberation Force. A Loikaw resident said that he heard loud explosions and the sound of shooting on Tuesday night while some pro-junta channels on the Telegram messaging service said rockets had exploded at Loikaw’s airport and nowhere else. RFA tried to telephone the junta spokesman for Kayah state, Zar Ni Maung, but could not get through. RELATED STORIES Internet freedom has plummeted under Myanmar’s junta: report Myanmar’s junta answers rebel proposal for talks with week of airstrikes 31 political prisoners died in prisons across Myanmar in 2024 Anti-junta forces have on several occasions used short-range 107 mm rockets in actual or planned attacks on junta leaders, including its chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. It was not the first time that Lt. Gen. Soe Win has been in the vicinity of an insurgent attack. On April 8, 2024, anti-junta fighters used drones to attack the Southeast Regional Military headquarters in Mawlamyine town when he was visiting. There was speculation at the time that he had been hurt in the attack and he was not seen in public for about a month afterwards, fueling rumors he had been wounded. Military-controlled media on Wednesday made no mention of any rocket attack in Loikaw but newspapers did carry a Kayah State Day statement from the junta chief, in which he called for people to reject the armed opposition and blamed the democracy supporters and foreign countries for “terror acts.” “The current instability and terror acts occurring within the country are the result of individuals claiming to be promoting democracy, but instead, they have resorted to electoral fraud to unlawfully seize state power,” he said, apparently referring to Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, which won elections in 2015 and 2020. He made no mention of any attack in Loikaw. “Rather than resolving issues through lawful democratic methods, they have chosen armed terrorism approaches,” he said. The military complained of fraud in the 2020 polls, despite there being no evidence of any major cheating, organizers said, and ousted Suu Kyi’s government in a coup on Feb. 1, 2021. She and many others have been locked up ever since. Min Aung Hlaing also accused foreign countries of “supporting dictatorship disguised as democracy.” “Some foreign countries, which claim to be defending democracy, are also supporting and encouraging armed terror attacks that are directly or indirectly against the democratic system,” Min Aung Hlaing said. He did not identify any countries. While Aung San Suu Kyi and her government attracted diplomatic and economic support from Western countries and some Asian neighbors, no foreign governments are known to have supported any anti-junta forces. The military gets most of its weapons from Russia and China. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Heng Sithy, Cambodian tycoon turned dissident, arrested in Russia

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WASHINGTON – Heng Sithy, a Cambodian businessman who drew headlines in recent weeks after accusing a number of senior police officials and members of the ruling family of theft, corruption and fraud, was arrested on Tuesday in Russia. The immediate reason for the arrest was unknown, but Fresh News, a government-aligned paper, published a statement Tuesday from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying the tycoon’s passport had been revoked. In December, according to the statement, the Phnom Penh Court issued an arrest warrant for Heng Sithy on a charge of blackmail with aggravating circumstances. A friend of Heng Sithy, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for safety reasons, confirmed his arrest. The friend shared voice messages in which the tycoon made grandiose claims about his reasons for traveling to Russia, none of which could be independently verified. “Tomorrow, I am going to Moscow and on Monday I will see Putin’s cabinet regarding drones and will inspect the drones and special forces,” he said on one voice message. In another, he spoke of the need to continue unspecified plans. “We must split the work,” he told his friend. “We must convince our working groups to continue the work to establish diplomatic groups and the fighting groups, I will be in charge.” RELATED STORIES Hun Sen’s nephew trades angry statements with businessman amid lawsuit threats Report: Online cybercriminal marketplace is part of Cambodian conglomerate Cambodian Elite Park Millions in Australia Defamation allegations At 39 years old, Heng Sithy appeared to have achieved the Cambodian dream. In a country where the average income is around $1,500 a year, he was a millionaire and paid all the dues expected of millionaires in a nation defined by its patronage politics. But last month, following a reversal in his fortunes following what appears to be a business deal gone bad, it seemed something in Heng Sithy cracked. A disagreement between Heng Sithy and a Singaporean entrepreneur spilled into the courts and then onto social media. As the dispute escalated, Heng Sithy began accusing senior police officials of taking multimillion dollar bribes from the entrepreneur, who he described as running “largest online casino network in Cambodia.” All denied the allegations. The Singaporean filed a defamation suit and on Dec. 3 the Phnom Penh Court issued an arrest warrant for Heng Sithy on a charge of blackmail with aggravating circumstances. The same month, he was stripped of his oknha title — an honorific bestowed upon wealthy, charitable and well-connected tycoons. Last week, Hun To, the nephew of the former prime minister, threatened to sue Heng Sithy for alleging that he stole US$9 million from a Chinese investor who sought government approval for a mine. Prior to his trip to Russia, Heng Sithy worked with his friend to prepare an open letter to Cambodian Prime Hun Manet. “I have never done anything wrong in business instead I was set up and got robbed [of] my wealth,” he wrote, according to the text shared with RFA. Cambodia, he added in the unpublished letter, had fallen “into the trap of criminal money when we have such officers in government doing such corruption.” The open letter closed with a direct appeal to Prime Minister Hun Manet: “Cambodia needs to be in good hands, a country needs a real leader, as a leader if your heart [is]… at the right place all will be good.” Neither Heng Sithy nor National Police Spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun could be reached for comment. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Abby Seiff. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Russian PM wants closer economic cooperation with Vietnam after trade rises 24%

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Updated Jan. 14, 2025, 06:55 a.m. ET. Vietnam and Russia are reaping the benefits of a free trade deal at a time when Moscow faces international sanctions, with bilateral trade rising by an annual 24% last year, Russia’s prime minister said as he began a two-day visit to Hanoi. “We are paying priority attention to increasing trade and economic cooperation,” Mikhail Mishustin said in talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday, as quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency. “Mutual trade turnover is growing steadily.” A free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union came into effect in 2016. During a June 2024 visit to Vietnam, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to boost trade. Some 11 agreements were signed after he met then-President To Lam, in areas such as nuclear power. After meeting Chinh on Tuesday, Mishustin saw the nuclear agreement bear fruit with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, and the Vietnam Electric Power Corporation, TASS said. Talks also focused on trade when Mishustin went on to meet Lam, now communist party general secretary. “My colleague and I discussed the entire list of our bilateral issues, signed a corresponding action plan for our relations until 2030, confirmed 13 roadmaps and will achieve an expansion of our trade turnover to US$15 billion by 2030,” TASS quoted the Russian prime minister as saying. Vietnam says bilateral trade was worth around US$4.6 billion last year. Russia is a long-time ally of Vietnam and they are marking the 75th year of bilateral diplomatic relations this year. Their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership puts Russia on the highest level of engagement with Vietnam alongside countries including China and the U.S. RELATED STORIES Vietnam faces Trump era with awkward trade surplus with the US Vietnam, France upgrade relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Vietnam defense minister Phan Van Giang visits US to boost ties Facing international condemnation and sweeping sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is keen to hold on to its allies in Asia. Putin has also been pursuing closer relations with North Korea, meeting leader Kim Jong Un last June just ahead of his Vietnam visit. That relationship appears to be paying off, with the U.S. claiming Kim is providing Russia with weapons and troops, while Putin has shared missile technology. Hanoi is not in a similar situation regarding the supply of arms to Moscow, given that Vietnam is heavily reliant on Russian weapons, which make up about 80% of its military might. However, there was no sign of any new Russian arms sales to Vietnam during Mishustin’s visit because of international sanctions, an analyst said. “No major arms procurement deals were signed because Western sanctions on Russia have affected international currency transactions through the SWIFT system,” said Carl Thayer, a veteran Vietnam watcher and emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales, Canberra. “During Putin’s visit last year, the two sides discussed the possibility of a ruble-đong transfer mechanism. However, as the Vietnam-Russian Joint Statement issued at the conclusion of Putin’s visit made clear, defense-security cooperation was confined to non-traditional security issues. Vietnam wants to avoid any penalties for violating Western sanctions.” Vietnam has, however, resisted calls at the U.N. to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Vietnam is also one of the biggest investors in Russia, according to Vietnamese state media. As of last November, Vietnam had 16 projects in Russia with US$1.6 billion in capital, the fourth largest of 81 countries investing there, the Vietnam News Agency said. Edited by Mike Firn. Updated to include Mishustin’s comments at a meeting with To Lam. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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China bans monks, aid workers from visiting quake-hit areas of Tibet

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Chinese authorities in Tibet have forbidden aid workers and Buddhist monks from entering areas of the region struck by deadly earthquakes last week, three residents of the region and a Tibetan in exile told Radio Free Asia. On Jan. 7, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Dingri county, near the border of Nepal. Chinese state media says it killed 126 people, but Tibetan sources said the toll was likely higher given that at least 100 people were killed in the town of Dramtso alone. State media also said the disaster injured 337 people and displaced more than 60,000 people. Starting Monday, authorities blocked off access, preventing monks, relief volunteers and aid providers from entering the affected area under the pretext of “cleanup,” and “security work,” the residents said under condition of anonymity for safety reasons. The blocking of monks was painful for survivors because in Buddhist tradition, prayers and rituals are conducted at the end of each week for the first seven weeks after a person’s death. Tibetans in other areas of Tibet, as well as those abroad or in exile in India, Nepal, Bhutan and elsewhere, gathered Monday to offer prayers. Aftershocks Since last week’s quake, more than 1,200 aftershocks have been reported by Chinese authorities. On Monday evening, two strong aftershocks — with magnitudes of 5.1 and 4.6 — struck Dingri County’s Tsogo township (Cuoguoxiang in Chinese) and Tashizong township (Zhaxizongxiang), respectively, according to the United States Geological Survey. RELATED STORIES At least 100 dead in one Tibetan township in wake of deadly earthquake Dalai Lama says no reason to be angry at China over Tibet quake Death toll from Tibet quake rises to 126, expected to climb According to a Dingri county official quoted by Chinese state media on Monday, “no casualties have been reported so far” in the latest aftershocks. The official added that “further investigation is underway.” Information censorship The Chinese government has also been deleting photos and videos about the impact of the earthquake from social media, residents said. “Chinese state media has been focusing on propaganda activities such as having Tibetan children wave Chinese flags. They are forcing affected residents to express their gratitude to the Chinese government, and they display (Chinese President) Xi Jinping’s photos in the temporary shelters provided,” another resident said. On Sunday, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the democratically elected leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, the government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, India, issued a statement in which he called on Beijing to “…ensure transparency and accountability in relief efforts by granting unrestricted and immediate access to international aid organizations and media delegations.” Rescue workers conduct search and rescue for survivors in the aftermath of an earthquake in Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze, southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 7, 2025.(Jigme Dorje/Xinhua News Agency/AP) “Strict information censorship by the PRC government continues to pose significant challenges in verifying the accuracy of casualty reports and assessing the adequacy of relief operations,” Tsering said. He also called on the Chinese government to “provide adequate assistance in rebuilding efforts that takes into account the traditional Tibetan needs and fundamental rights of the Tibetan people.” A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, in a press briefing on Monday, responded to a query raised on Tsering’s statement, saying, “The disaster response and relief work is generally proceeding smoothly. We are confident in winning this tough battle of quake response and returning work and life to normal in the affected areas as soon as possible.” Translated by Tenzin Pema. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Dalai Lama says no reason to be angry at China over Tibet quake

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Read RFA coverage of this story in Tibetan. In a prayer ceremony for victims of Monday’s earthquake in Tibet, the Dalai Lama told listeners that because it was a natural disaster and “not caused by political tensions,” there was no reason to be angry with Chinese authorities. The magnitude 7.1 quake left 126 people dead and destroyed 3,600 houses, according to Chinese officials — although Tibetans inside Tibet say the death toll probably exceeds 200. “Even though it is in our human nature, do not feel dispirited or doomed by such disasters,” the Dalai Lama told more than 12,000 Buddhist clergy members gathered for a ceremony in southern India on Thursday. “It helps to think that events like earthquakes are natural disasters and not caused by political tensions. The 7.1-magnitude earthquake killed scores of people and damaged thousands of homes. “There is no reason to show anger or hatred towards China,” he said. “Hence, Tibetans inside and outside Tibet should develop a kinder, more compassionate heart.” Still, Tibetans are disturbed that Chinese authorities have called off search-and-rescue operations, promoted the government’s official relief work, and banned them from sharing photos or videos about the quake on social media. The earthquake was centered around Dingri and Shigatse, close to the border with Nepal, in the southern part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, controlled by China. ‘Meditate upon compassion’ The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, who is visiting the South Indian town of Bylakuppe — which has the largest Tibetan settlement in the world outside Tibet — counseled Tibetans not to lose heart in the face of the natural disaster. Instead, he urged them to transform this tragedy into a condition for the practice of compassion and spiritual growth and enlightenment. The Dalai Lama, right, leads prayers at a monastery in Bylakuppe, India, Jan. 9, 2025, in solidarity with those affected by the earthquake that hit the Tibet Autonomous Region in western China.(Tenzin Choejor/AP) But Tibetans continued to conduct their own rescue efforts in villages on Thursday, two sources in Tibet’s capital Lhasa told Radio Free Asia. A third source told RFA that Chinese authorities stopped operations to recover bodies from the ruins, even as the general public continued to retrieve them from the rubble on Thursday. Most of the casualties were elderly people and children because many young people were away at work when the temblor struck, the source said. Li Ling, deputy director of the TAR’s Special Disaster Investigation Office, attributed the earthquake to tectonic plate movement and blamed the high casualty numbers on poorly constructed traditional buildings. The Shigatse government has ordered residents not to post earthquake-related photos and videos on social media, saying it would harm rescue efforts and threatening severe punishment for violators, the two Lhasa sources said. RELATED STORIES Death toll from Tibet quake rises to 126, expected to climb 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes Tibet, leaving many dead Dozens killed as 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Tibet Chinese authorities are restricting documentation of the actual situation and local rescue efforts while heavily promoting official government relief operations, they added. They are also preventing people from taking photos or sharing information about casualties and damage. One of the sources reported that after three days, some remote areas still hadn’t received government assistance. Many villagers are sleeping in damaged building compounds without food, a source from the quake-affected region said. In Dingri’s Dramtso village alone, over 20 people died, and the Dzongphug Nunnery suffered severe damage, killing two nuns and injuring many others. Residents still had not received aid by the Wednesday afternoon, said one of the Lhasa sources. The Dewachen Monastery in Dingri’s Chulho township was completely destroyed, he added. Translated by RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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