Tibetan Weeping: Over 10,000 dead in Yushu Quake, Chinese authorities turned down offers of assistance

4/22/2010

Kan Zhong Guo

April 20 (Tuesday), Qinghai Province Jiegu County (KanZhongGuo)
Chinese authorities have refused offers of assistance from other countries. Ciren, a Tibetan who is at Yushu, sent an SOS SMS at first and later accepted an interview from “the Liberty Times” later on April 15, 2010. He told the newspaper that at least 10,000 people have died in the earthquake. The government spent most of the time digging up bodies and was not able to take care of the survivors and the injured, the vast majority of whom are suffering tremendously. He was worried that the death toll would climb without urgent medical supplies and professionals, tents, food, and warm clothing for the survivors.

The reporter dialed over 20 times before reaching Ciren. He sounded nervous, trembling because of the cold. He said that the local altitude is more than 3,000 meters and the outdoor temperature at night is only four or five degrees. Because the houses on the streets collapsed, most survivors are camping without any shelter. People are hungry and frozen. They are lacking tents, blankets, warm clothing and daily necessities. Their food stocks are enough for only one day. Many of them have been severely injured. Ciren hopes that the coverage will raise awareness of Yushu’s situation and raise international concern.

Meili Zhou, President of Taiwan Friends of Tibet, said that over 10,000 people have died in the earthquake according to information collected through the association. It is greatly different with Chinese state-run media agency Xinhua reports, which said 1,339 bodies have been recovered with 332 missing and about 11,400 injured.

Taiwan Friends of Tibet strongly condemned the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) refusal of Taiwanese rescue efforts. The Party’s behavior for disregard of human lives is very inhumane!

Dawa Tsering, Director of Religious Foundation of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Taipei, also questioned such behavior, pointing out that it is probably an attempt to cover the truth and block any foreign teams from entering Yushu.

Taiwan Friends of Tibet strongly appeal to the CCP to allow the international relief agencies to provide assistance as required. The association will continue to request the Taiwanese government to negotiate with Chinese authorities and grant Taiwan rescue teams access to Yushu.