Diplomatic Response from US Embassy After VOA’s “China” Reference in Tibet Quake
DHARAMSALA, 10 Jan: After the English section of the Voice Of America(VOA), the largest and the oldest international broadcasting state media network funded by the federal government of the US ran a headline that read, “Earthquake in China kills at least 126 near Mount Everest,” referring to the 7 January earthquake in Tingri, Tibet in the Chinese occupied Tibet, the spokesperson for the US Embassy in New Delhi said that the US Government funds VOA but it “maintains editorial independence from the US government.”
“VOA is funded by the US Government through the US Agency for Global Media. However, it maintains editorial independence from the U.S. government,” Christopher Elms, the spokesperson for the US Embassy in New Delhi told Tibet Express when asked how he will respond to the factually incorrect reportage by the VOA that has deeply enraged and disappointed the Tibetans across the diaspora and the global coalition of Tibet-related NGOs alike.
The spokesperson added, “The State Department extends its condolences to all those affected by the 7 January earthquake in southern Tibet.”
The controversy extends beyond the headline. While VOA maintains that it is committed to comprehensive and truthful news coverage, its report referred to the Tibetan city of Shigatse by its Chinese name “Xigaze,” describing it as being in “southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.”
The President of the Central Tibetan Administration, Tibetan NGOs and Tibetans alike have called out international media outlets for misleading headlines and for referring to Tibet as “Western China,” “China’s Tibet,” and “China”.
The International Tibet Network, a global coalition of Tibet-related NGOs has also declared in a joint press statement that “Tibet quake victims need help and not harm,” as they called on news media organisations and governments to “use Tibetan place names in any statements or reporting, both as a matter of historical accuracy and respect for the cultural identity of the Tibetan people, This includes, for example, using Shigatse instead of the Chinese name Xigaze, and Tibet instead of the Chinese name Xizang”.
Meanwhile, The Strait Times reported that the Chinese officials ended the search for survivors a day after the calamity struck Tingri on 8 January stating that they wanted to focus on relocating the displaced and treating the injured after pulling 407 people from the rubble.
To further aggravate matters, China has reportedly started restricting access to Tibetans inside Tibet -who have inhabited the Tibetan plateau – who can be seen voluntarily driving to the sites in hoards with truckloads with aids and assistance, citing harsh winter, high altitude and low oxygen levels.
A massive earthquake hit Tingri County in Shigatse City in the traditional Tibetan province of U-Tsang on 7 January. While the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) stated that the earthquake measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, according to data from the US Geological Survey, the earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale.
The last update by Chinese state-run media Xinhua on the 7 January evening on the earthquake in Tibet said, the calamity took lives of 126 people with 188 cases of injuries, while the natural calamity had also toppled 3,609 houses.
