Dharamshala — Chinese authorities of the Lhasa Public Security Bureau punished 21 Tibetan netizens for telling the truth about the number of deaths or injuries of Tibetans and the massive destruction caused by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Dingri County.
According to the sources, the Chinese authorities of the Tibetan Public Security Bureau (Chin: 西藏公安网安部门) persecuted 21 Tibetan netizens on January 15, 2025 and still trying to find out who is telling the real situation of Dingri County of Central Tibet after the huge earthquake. The emerging sources show that the CCP authorities are trying to hide the truth as hard as possible.
The earthqauke centres were Damtso Township, Tsogo Township and Chulho Township in Dingri (Ch:Tingri) County, Shigatse, Lhasa, Tibet. Damtso has ten villages and, according to the 2010 Chinese census, has a population of 3,601. Tsogo has seven villages and, according to the 2010 Chinese census, has a population of 3,556. Chulho has four villages and, according to the 2010 Chinese census, has a population of 3,033.
On the first day of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Dingri county, the Chinese media reported that 126 Tibetans had died and 188 injured in the earthquake, and that 3609 houses had been destroyed. However, they did not report any Tibetan deaths or injuries afterwards and even lied about the number of dead and injured at Dzongpo (宗布寺) monastery in Damtso township.
Chinese media reported that no Tibetan nuns from Dzongpo monastery had died or been injured, but a video shows rescue workers digging up the body of a nun from the collapsed monastery house. In addition, two Tibetan netizens cried out in sorrow in the video clips: ‘Four nuns from Dzongpo monastery were injured and two nuns were killed’.
Several Tibetans from Damtso told a Tibetan in the video that ‘our village lost at least 100 people in the earthquake’. The Chinese authorities are doing their best to conceal the truth: the magnitude 7.1 earthquake was 6.8 and the number of dead and injured is even a lie. In the videos posted by Tibetan netizens who have come to help the victims, we see villages massively destroyed and houses collapsed. But the Chinese authorities continue to claim that not many people have been killed or injured.
One Tibetan woman was crying and saying on January 8, 2024: ‘Another village has been badly destroyed by the earthquake, resume workers yet to come here, people should come here to help, the houses have collapsed, it looks like there are no family members left. The survivors need help with certain needs, come and help them, they really need it, people haven't noticed because it's so far away. The authorities won't allow me to take full videos or talk for too long, I beg you to help these people’.
Chinese Communist Party authorities strictly forbid Tibetans to talk about the real situation of the earthquake in Dingri County, Tibet. Tibetan netizen said on January 13, 2024: "Regarding the Dingri earthquake, it's not that I don't want to talk about it, I have been on the ground in the quake zone, and I have a lot of things in my heart that I want to say. But other people pulled my earlobe and said that I should listen, and that if I didn't listen and continued to talk about the topic in question, I might risk chopping off my neck."
Another Tibetan netizen said January 14, 2024: "from now on I will not speak a word about the Dingri earthquake on Douying (Tiktok), if I don't take care of my speech, my head may have to be beaten. I will only speak the truth, will not say words of flattery, if you ask me, I will not say false, then offend many people, my round head will suffer, so I hope you understand, I can not help."