B1 Intermediate · 312 words · 2 min read

Footage of Tibet Floods Is Not Shown in China as Details Stay Scarce

Dramatic video from Gyirong Port has been seen around the world, but people inside China are told very little about the disaster.

CCTV cameras captured a torrent of water tearing through Gyirong Port, one of the main border crossings between Nepal and Tibet, as hundreds of people fled for their lives. The footage spread quickly on social media and appeared on screens around the world.

Inside China, however, it has been very different. Only a single still-frame shot has been broadcast by the country's state-run flagship news bulletin, and the video is difficult to find on China's heavily censored internet. Since Wednesday the flash flooding has claimed hundreds of lives, with just as many people still unaccounted for.

Beijing has launched a large rescue operation involving hundreds of emergency workers, and President Xi Jinping chaired an emergency meeting to co-ordinate the response. Premier Li Qiang was sent to the region, where he was seen inspecting debris removal. There are daily updates on the dead and the missing, and on a barrier lake that has been at risk of overflowing.

Beyond that there is little detail. No accounts have come from survivors in Tibet, and there is almost no user-generated footage. Foreign journalists cannot travel to Tibet without government permission, so reporting relies on state media, which has focused on rescue teams scaling cliffs and crossing rivers. According to rights activists, Tibetans in the region can be detained or arrested for speaking to journalists or for posting material seen as contrary to the government narrative.

A notice from the local party office told members to help with disaster relief and to "make every effort to maintain social order and ensure stability and public confidence in the disaster areas". The International Campaign for Tibet praised first responders but said videos and other first-hand information were being removed, and called on the authorities to "disclose complete and verifiable information about the damage and casualties". Beijing denies violating Tibetans' rights and points to its investment in the region.

Too difficult? Read this story at A2 or at A1.