In a startling revelation 14 years after the devastating 2010 Kyegudo (Jyekundo) or Yulshul (Yushu) earthquake that left around 3000 dead, a former Tibetan member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has accused local authorities in Yulshul Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in present-day Qinghai Province of misappropriating earthquake relief funds and causing environmental damage. The allegations were made in an undated video statement by Lobsang Dorjee on Chinese social media who holding his identity card identified himself as a former government official and CCP member. The video statement was most probably posted around mid-December and first posted on the social media X on December 17, 2024 under the account name Sakar Tashi.

Dorjee’s multiple accusations center around the aftermath of the devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Kyegudo on April 14, 2010. In his statement, Dorjee declares that the funds intended for emergency aid and reconstruction were diverted for personal gain by local officials, leaving many residents without proper housing assistance. In the video statement, he also discusses the unresolved issues for nomadic workers following the closure of the Military Industrial Enterprise in his area, and wasteful use of reconstruction resources.

On the then suppression of Tibetan protestors and petitioners challenging the authorities abuse of power, Dorjee states that the public has the right to petition about their grievances. He emphasizes that while CCP regulations state that all party members should work for the benefit of the people, it is clear that Kyegudo local officials have abused their power for their own interests. He further asserts that Chinese authorities use police to intimidate protesters, view them like “terrorists”, and that the abuse of power for personal gain severely impacts the lives of ordinary people.

The retired official also highlighted a controversial $1.1 billion power plant project, which he states has significantly damaged the environment. “The environmental impact is severe, yet operations have not started,” Dorjee stated in the video. Although not clearly specified, he also expresses his doubt over how the investment has been used, which could either mean who benefits from the power plant or how the funds meant for the plant have been used.

In mid-October this year, a 29-year-old Tibetan environmental defender, Tsongon Tsering, posted a video statement on Chinese social media, exposing illegal sand and gravel mining in his native Tsaruma hometown in Ngaba (Aba), Sichuan. After the exposé revealing the troubling situation of environmental neglect and the apparent governmental inaction in protecting a critical water source for Asia went viral, Tsering was arrested and sentenced to eight months detention which he is currently serving.

Reality far from propaganda

China had painted a picture of remarkable recovery in Kyegudo following the devastating earthquake urging Tibetans to be grateful to the CCP and the government. Then Chinese President Hu Jintao had vowed to help rebuilding when he visited the region on April 18, 2010 and was quoted by Chinese state media as asserting, “We must be more determined, act more swiftly, and adopt more scientific methods to overcome any difficulties”. However, reality is far from what the Chinese government claims. The International Campaign for Tibet reported in the past that Tibetans have been largely excluded from the reconstruction planning process. Protests have occurred over land confiscation and government policies. Some viewed the rebuilding as an opportunity for authorities to advance controversial resettlement programs.

While Chinese state media projected rapid progress and full recovery, Lobsang Dorjee’s recent video statement reveal that reality is far from propaganda. A poignant quote in a May 2014 New York Times report four years after the earthquake still rings true a decade later. “The tragedy of the earthquake became an opportunity for the powerful and the greedy,” told Kunchen Norbu, then a 52 year-old-trader, to the New York Times.



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