Dharamshala — Tibetan environmentalists and activists, along with a man from Kyirong, held a press conference and condemned the information blackout imposed by the Chinese communist government on Kyirong (Gyirong), Tibet. They said,"Glacial landslide in Tibet and Nepal leaves in wake unprecedented devastation to life and property, China's restriction on aid and access makes relief work harder. 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."
The International Tibet Network and Students for a Free Tibet-India held a press conference titled, "Asia’s Water Tower in Crisis: Tibet-Nepal Flash Floods Demand Transparency" at Tibetan Settlement Office, in Mcleod Ganj, Dharamshala, on September 1, 2026.
The speakers were Dhondup Wangmo, a research fellow at the Environment and Development Desk of the Tibet Policy Institute (CTA); Dr Lobsang Yangtso, a senior environmental researcher of the International Tibet Network; Gen Jampa Palden, a monk from Kyirong; and Tashi Dhondup, campaigns coordinator for SFT- India; the talk is moderated by Jyotsna George.
Tibetan community members and environmental researchers shared their anguish over the challenges in accessing verified updated information on impact of glacial avalanche that struck Kyirong, Tibet and Rasuwa district of Nepal on August 26, 2026 and said that Nepal and India China should hold accountable for the devastating floods. The Tibet rights groups also called for China to allow international media unfettered access to verify and report on the loss of life and damage in Kyirong, Tibet. It may left estimated 300 homes destroyed in Kyirong and borders of Tibet-Nepal.
According the groups, in Tibet, the Chinese state media has reported 16 deaths and more than 558 missing people. In Nepal, official government sources state at least 939 people have lost their lives and over 3925 are still missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals from more than 36 countries. Reports suggest that China has been censoring footage of the glacial floods from Tibet, and some international media houses have reported they have been denied permission to visit Kyirong and independently report on the scale of devastation there.
"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. In fact, global civil and political liberties watch-dog Freedom House has consistently ranked Tibet as one the very least free places in the world," the groups said.
Jampa Palden, a Buddhist monk from Kyirong, Tibet: "Tibetans inside Tibet face heavy surveillance and censorship. They are not free to share information or updates either on their social media or with their families outside Tibet. These restrictions have been the key reason why no photographic or video evidence of the damage inside Tibet has emerged. Tibetans outside Tibet have no reliable way to learn how many of our fellow Tibetans have been killed, or the true status of relief efforts."
Dhondup Wangmo, Research Fellow, Tibet Policy Institute: "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 [7]. In spite of these fragile conditions, China rarely shares environmental impact reports on their infrastructure and hydropower projects in Tibet [8]. Most recently, Chinese geologists and environmentalists have sounded the alarm about the Medog dam, intended to carry three times the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam [9]. Further, all of Asia's major rivers originate in Tibet, feeding nearly 2 billion people downstream [10]. 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: "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 [11], yet their location in the Himalayas makes them far more susceptible to climate danger than people in wealthier nations whose emissions are disproportionately high to their population. The Tibetan plateau is warming three times faster than the global average [12]- yet Tibet is rarely mentioned at the COP Climate Summits, and Tibetan climate experts are rarely given a seat at the table."
Tashi Dhondup, Campaign Coordinator, Students for a Free Tibet- India: "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. Peaceful protests, like those against the Kamtok dam are met with overwhelming force [13]. Our way of life is systematically eradicated as nomads in their millions are driven from their pastures and pushed into menial jobs [14]. 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."
The environmentalists and activists said, "in August 2024, Tibetans around the world called for a moratorium on extraction and mega-development projects. They announced that so long as Tibet remains occupied and its landscape and natural resources remain under China's control, no further projects, be they mines or dams, should proceed, and that any international companies or investors involved in Tibet should withdraw. This moratorium is more urgent than ever."
"Finally, we call on the international community - governments and media organisations in particular - to use Tibetan place names in any statements or reporting, both as a matter of historical accuracy and respect for Tibetan cultural identity. This includes, for example, using Kyidrong instead of the Chinese name 'Gyirong', and Tibet instead of the Chinese name 'Xizang'," they said.
Tibetan groups put forward the following four demands:
•China must allow international access and assistance to those affected by the flash floods, without interference or obstruction in Tibet
• Beijing must not punish Tibetans who share information or attempt to contact family and friends about the impact of the flash floods or its response.
• As climate cascading dangers intensify, China must also share timely and accurate early transboundary hydrological data with immediate downstream countries Nepal, India and Bangladesh and provide early warning to them.
• International actors, including governments, media organisations and disaster agencies and monitors, must use Tibetan place names at all times in statements and reporting as a matter of basic accuracy, and avoid the use of the Chinese-imposed term "Xizang" which is rejected by Tibetans.
