BEIJING — Shortly after the deadly flash floods hit the border of Nepal and China on Aug. 26, Nepalese authorities released a list of names, ages and nationalities of hundreds of missing foreigners. In contrast, Chinese authorities took five days to disclose that the 261 foreigners missing in Tibet come from 23 countries. Twelve days on, very little is known about the victims in Tibet as Chinese authorities have restricted reporting on the floods.
To date, Nepal has reported over 1,300 dead and nearly 5,000 missing, while China is reporting over 40 dead and more than 500 missing. "Xinhua (state-run news agency) and (state broadcaster) CCTV have total information dominance," said David Bandurski in Taipei with the China Media Project, which monitors news censorship in China. These outlets are expected to "guide public opinion," he said.
While China has always censored information, controls have tightened steadily over the last decade, he said to levels that are "unprecedented." Rights groups that have been closely following the disaster relief say the lack of independent access to the area of the flooding in Gyirong County in Tibet is striking. "This is in contrast to the Nepal side of the border where there was immediate access given for journalists, for other observers, for international humanitarian relief organizations," said Ryan Fioresi of the DC-based International Campaign for Tibet. To report on the rescue efforts in Nepal, NPR was able to check in with international aid agencies on the ground and speak with a rescue pilot.
Nepal's police, disaster management authority and the tourism board have also been providing regular updates on their social media feeds. Whereas in China, the government restricts foreign journalists from entering the politically sensitive region. It took more than a week of repeated requests from multiple international media outlets before the Chinese government allowed foreign journalists in Tibet.
However, it was limited to a small number of foreign outlets in a carefully arranged visit. NPR was not granted access. The International Campaign for Tibet claims at least 300 homes were destroyed in Gyirong County, and Fioresi said the casualty count could be "much higher" than the dozens reported by Chinese officials so far.
He also said Tibetans in the worst affected areas were relocated to "tightly controlled holding areas." "Their communications with the outside world have been extremely limited and curtailed," Fioresi said, adding that it hampers local rescue efforts. China's foreign ministry has not responded to NPR's request for comment. However, in an earlier briefing with reporters in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun denied China was understating the number of missing and dead, saying China has been "open, transparent and timely in information release." "Smear and disinformation is most unwelcome at a time of disaster response," Guo said.
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