This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
Three residents of the area and a Tibetan in exile reported to Radio Free Asia that Chinese officials in Tibet have prohibited aid workers and Buddhist priests from entering areas of the region that were past month shaken by fatal disasters.
On Jan. 7, a scale 7.1 disaster struck Dingri state, near the border of Nepal. According to Chinese state media, 126 people were killed, but Tibetan resources said the death toll was likely higher given that at least 100 people died in Dramtso only, according to Tibetan options.
State media even said the crisis injured 337 people and displaced more than 60, 000 people.
Authorities halted entry to the affected area starting on Monday, preventing monks, relief workers, and aid workers from doing so under the pretext of” cleanup” and” security work,” the residents said under the condition of anonymity for safety reasons.
Because in Buddhist traditions, prayers and rituals are performed at the end of each week for the first seven days following a child’s death, the blocking of priests was agonizing for survivors.
Tibetans in various regions of Tibet, as well as those overseas or in exile in India, Nepal, Bhutan and abroad, gathered Monday to provide prayer.
Aftershocks
Since last week’s collapse, more than 1, 200 waves have been reported by Taiwanese officials.
On Monday evening, two strong aftershocks— with magnitudes of 5.1 and 4.6 — struck Dingri County’s Tsogo township ( Cuoguoxiang in Chinese ) and Tashizong township ( Zhaxizongxiang ), respectively, according to the United States Geological Survey.
No deaths have been reported so far in the most recent waves, according to a Dingri state official quoted by Taiwanese state media on Monday. The official continued,” An additional research is being conducted.”
Data censorship
According to people, the Chinese government has also been deleting photos and videos about the earthquake’s effects from social advertising.
Tibetan babies have been demonstrating advertising by waving Chinese banners, according to the Chinese state media. They are forcing affected people to express their thanks to the Chinese government, and they display]Chinese President ] Xi Jinping’s images in the temporary shelters provided”, another tenant said.
On Sunday, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the democratically elected leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, the government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, India,  , issued a statement , in which he called on Beijing to” …ensure transparency and accountability in relief efforts by granting unrestrained and quick access to international aid agencies and advertising representatives”.
According to Tsering,” Stringent information censorship by the PRC authorities continues to present important difficulties in confirming the reliability of casualty reports and determining the sufficiency of relief operations.”
He also demanded that the Chinese government “provide suitable support in rebuilding attempts that takes into account the standard Tibetan needs and basic rights of the Tibetan people.”
A Chinese foreign ministry director Guo Jiakun,  , in a media briefing on Monday, responded , to a keyword raised on Tsering’s speech, saying,” The crisis response and pleasure work is usually proceeding smoothly. We are confident in winning this difficult collapse answer war and bringing back work and life as quickly as possible in the damaged areas.
