In China, the flooding at the Gyirong border crossing has dominated the news and social media for days. According to the latest information from the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, there are 554 missing persons on the Chinese side, two people have been rescued, and seven have died. But the Chinese state media are practically the only source of information about the situation in Tibet.
The horrific disaster shows how isolated China keeps Tibet and how controlled the Chinese media landscape is. While journalists can freely talk with rescue workers, victims, and relatives on the Nepalese side, foreign media cannot simply enter Tibet.
Chinese journalists on site receive strict instructions, which can be inferred from what they publish: the courage and perseverance of rescue workers and the active role of the government must be the main story.
Inaccessible
Tibet is one of the world's most inaccessible places. Chinese citizens are allowed to travel in and out, but foreign tourists may only visit with a special permit on an organized tour. For diplomats and journalists, gaining access is even more difficult.
Recent history of Tibet
China occupied Tibet in the 1950s and has ruled it with a heavy hand ever since. Before that, it was practically independent. In 1959, the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled to India. From Dharamshala, he governs the Tibetan government-in-exile. The 91-year-old Dalai Lama no longer calls for an independent Tibet, but does call for meaningful autonomy within the Chinese system.
Human rights organization Freedom House gives Tibet a 0 on a scale of 100 regarding civil and political freedoms. Tibetans who talk to foreign media or post local information online can receive long prison sentences, the NGO writes.
The high mountains also form a natural barrier with the rest of the world. Tibet, also called "the roof of the world," lies on average about 4,400 meters above sea level.
The Gyirong border crossing is remote and at about 1,850 meters altitude. From there, it is a 15-hour drive to Lhasa, the regional capital. The altitude, distances, and mountainous terrain complicate and delay the rescue work.
Censorship and control
The Chinese internet is one of the world's most unfree and heavily censored online environments. But during major disasters like this, the censors really work at full capacity.
The footage showing how the mudslide swallowed the border post has been removed from many places on the Chinese internet. Users ask each other to send the videos in private messages and warn each other about the censorship.
They can, for example, lose their account (or worse) if it has to be censored repeatedly. In China, the government knows who is behind an account because users must register with their real name.
During the corona pandemic, China passed strict legislation to combat the spread of so-called fake news during natural disasters. Beijing sees this as necessary to prevent unrest in society. But it is also a way to prosecute people who post information online that the government does not like.
Family members do post calls about missing persons, but such messages do not go viral here as they do in the rest of the world. Nor are they picked up in the same way by the Chinese media.
Premier on location
The image that is shared, and can be shared, are the posts from the Chinese state media. They mainly report on the heroism of the rescue workers and the government's efforts. Everything is quantified: how many drones, officers, firefighters, dogs, and soldiers have been deployed and how much money has been made available.
In yesterday's evening news on state television, the disaster was the main topic. But footage from Tibet itself was only shown after 17 minutes in the item. That was of Premier Li Qiang instructing government officials along the flooded river and chairing a meeting indoors.
That the premier quickly traveled to the disaster site is quite unique. It shows how big the disaster is and that the Chinese government takes it seriously. It places this disaster on the same level as the outbreak of corona and the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. Then too, the premier was immediately sent there. The Wenchuan earthquake at the time cost 70,000 lives.