The situation remains very serious after the sudden devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet. According to data released by Nepal on Saturday, the total number of deaths in Nepal and Tibet due to floods and related accidents has reached 676, while about 3,000 people are still reported missing. Meanwhile, China is being accused of removing videos related to floods and landslides from social media.
According to reports, when journalists were trying to gather information about the damage caused by the flood and the latest situation by talking to people in the affected areas, many videos related to it were censored in China. Common people in China are getting information about the developments mainly through government media.
Why are there allegations of removing the video?
Some videos showing the impact of landslides and flooding near a border post in Tibet’s Gyirong County, which were recorded and shared online by local residents, were removed from Chinese social media platforms, The New York Times reports. According to British daily newspaper The Telegraph, such footage was not widely used in Chinese state media reports. The report claimed that state media used only a still image from the available video.
What does China want to show?
Relief and rescue operations have mainly been given prominence in the reports of China’s government media organizations. According to these reports, Chinese military personnel and emergency services personnel have been deployed in the affected areas. Help of drones and helicopters is also being taken in the rescue operation. Officials have informed that they will continue their efforts to provide relief to the affected people and rescue the stranded people.
What restrictions are journalists facing?
After the floods, it remains challenging for foreign journalists to gather information independently in Tibet. According to reports, journalists are facing many restrictions in traveling to Tibet and even talking to the people living there on phone. These restrictions make it difficult to independently assess the true scale of the devastation in Tibet outside Nepal’s borders.
What did the former MP of Nepal say?
Former member of Nepal Parliament Rajendra Bazgain has criticized China for lack of transparency. He raised questions about the removal of flood related videos and said that this further increases doubt among the people. He said, “Now we are being told that China is deleting footage of the floods. This raises the question of what they are trying to hide. Deleting evidence does not prove the truth; rather it deprives people of asking legitimate questions.”