Devastating earthquake hits eastern Tibet – Please Help
Early this morning local time, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake followed by a number of powerful aftershocks struck in Kyegundo སྐྱེ་རྒུ་མདོ། (spoken as Jyekundo) in Kham, eastern Tibet (Ch: Jieguduo or Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province). At least 600 people are reported dead and more than 10,000 injured by Chinese & Western media, but Tibetans with contacts in the area have heard the death toll may be as high as 4,000. We will continue to post updates on SFT’s facebook page and twitter feed.
All of us at SFT send our heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones in the earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Kyegundo and the surrounding area.
How you can help:
1) Donate to organizations working in the region and help support emergency relief efforts:
Tibetan Village Project: http://www.tibetanvillageproject.org/ (Note: you can also donate via Causes at:
http://www.causes.com/causes/472609)
Tibetan Relief Fund: http://www.tibetrelieffund.co.uk/
Machik: http://www.machik.org/index.ph
Tibet Foundation: http://www.tibet-foundation.org/news/urgent_emergency_appeal_-_kyekudo_yushu_earthquake/
Thrangu Rinpoche Trust: http://www.thranguemergency.org/
2) Help spread the word that this awful tragedy occurred in Tibet not in Western China as the media is reporting:
- Change your Facebook status and tweet: Quake in Tibet. Please help. Donate here: http://www.causes.com/causes/472609(Please RT)
- Read and share a moving blog post about the earthquake with reactions from Tibetans in Tibet on High Peaks Pure Earth
- Read and share the statement issued by the five leading Tibetans exile organizations in Dharamsala (including SFT India).
- Write to the editor of your local newspaper to educate him/her that the earthquake struck Chinese occupied Tibet, which is at a minimum disputed territory. Kyegundo is in the Tibetan province of Kham, annexed into China’s present day Qinghai Province..
From High Peaks Pure Earth: Chinese media refers to the affected area as the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu (玉树) in Qinghai province, Western media has been calling it Western or South Western China inhabited by “ethnic Tibetans” or part of the “Tibetan plateau”.
Although spelled Kyegundo, when spoken it sounds more like Jyekundo. This Google map shows the position of Kyegundo in relation both to Lhasa and also to the provincial capitals of Qinghai and Gansu, Xining and Lanzhou, to the north east. Here is the link to the map on the website of Tibetan and Himalayan Library, an excellent resource site.
Fears over potential dam burst:
The BBC has reported that a massive dam at the headwaters of three rivers in the area has been damaged and that people have fled for higher ground in fear that the dam might burst. A crack in the dam wall has prompted Chinese officials to drain the reservoir. The Chinese government has plans to build several more dams in this earthquake prone area. View a map posted on the Tibetan Plateau blog: http://tibetanplateau.blogspot.com/2010/02/dams-on-upper-reaches-of-yangtze-mekong.html
Also, according to an NPR report 85% of the buildings in the town have collapsed and the Red Cross is reporting that 70% of schools have been destroyed. The area is home to Tibetan nomads and farmers who traditionally live on the grasslands of the plateau. A Newsweek blog post from April 14th documents the Chinese government’s massive push to forcibly settle Tibetan nomads into concrete housing projects like the kind we see lining the streets of Kyegundo. China plans to settle all of the nomads in Qinghai Province within 5 years.
The media is reporting that relief efforts by the Chinese army are underway, but we’re also hearing that many people in the surrounding areas are without food and water. A Tibetan was able to send word out that: people as far away as Denma (5-6 hrs drive from jyeku) sleeping outside right now. People don’t have food and troops are apparently only going in by road, so it could take 2-3 days for relief to get here.
Please check back for updates and more ways that you can help the people of Kyegundo.
Read more:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama sends his condolences to the earthquake victims: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/520-his-holiness-offers-his-condolences-to-the-victims-of-the-earthquake-in-kyigudo
Statement by U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi: http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=1629
Free Tibet (UK based Tibet Support Group): http://www.freetibet.org/newsmedia/earthquake-eastern-tibet
International Campaign for Tibet (Washington, D.C. based Tibet Support Group): http://savetibet.org/
World News Blog (The sensitivity behind the latest Chinese earthquake): http://blogs.channel4.com/snowblog/2010/04/14/the-sensitivity-behind-the-latest-chinese-earthquake/
BBC (China earthquake kills hundreds in Qinghai): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8619593.stm
NPR (Earthquake In China Kills 400; Thousands Injured): http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125930694
Free Tibet (UK based Tibet Support Group): http://www.freetibet.org/newsmedia/earthquake-eastern-tibet
New York Times (Strong Quake Kills Hundreds in Western China): http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/world/asia/15quake.html
9 Responsesto “Devastating earthquake hits eastern Tibet – Please Help”
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[...] Take Action to help those affected and spread the word that the earthquake struck in Tibet and not in western China (as Chinese & Western media are reporting). [...]
[...] Tibetans around the world are organising prayers sessions and yesterday the Dalai Lama led a special prayers in Dharamsala. Students for a Free Tibet has a good list of organisation where you can donate. Link here [...]
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Dear Tibetan activists,
All those chep and low quality house of so called new Socialist Villages in Kyigu were collapsed and about 98% Tibetans forced to move in those villaged were victims of this earth quake, this is not only about natural disaster, this caused by Chinese government’s wrong policies and misdeeds,
they forced Tibetan nomads from anti-earth quake tents and grassland and relocated in those cheap and low quality and sub-standard dwellings and now our brothers and sisters died about 98%.
act now , speak up now.
free Tibet, down commis.
DearTibetanActivists,
All those cheap and low quality houses in so called New Socialist Villages in Kyigu were collapsed and about 98% Tibetans who forced to dwell in these villages were victims of this time’s earth quake. This is not only about a natural disaster, this disaster was resulted by wrong policies of the communist government.
The communist government forced Tibetan nomads out of grassland and their traditional anti-earth quake tents and forcefully relocated in those cheap and low quality and sub-standard dwellings, and now our brothers and sisters died, and we are crying and mourning.
Thank You so much for clearing up where the quake occurred.
My prayers are with the Tibetans and all who are in the area and wish peace upon all.
Thank you for your updates. I was hoping you may include another relief fund for a school that was totally destroyed. I hope to still travel to Jyenkundo this summer.
Please look at The Munsel School Project. Their newly built school building, built all from donations is in ruins.
http://www.munselschool.org
best,
Amy
Plainfield, Vermont
Natural disasters are a sign. Whenever there is slander of the True Dharma disasters occur.
We pray and are with you.
Do not forsake dharma. This is testing time. We are with you.
-A S
India.
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[...] Please be sure to note that the earthquake struck in Eastern Tibet and refer to the area as such. For Tibetans this is very important. For more on this and an explanation of the region, click here. [...]
I really enjoyed your article, I have also bookmarked your website and will check back soon. Thanks!
I agree 100% Great post.
Do not forsake dharma