Just as Beijing did after the Tibet earthquake, it does not care about the human suffering of the victims

By Benedict Rogers for UCA News

Few crises illustrate the difference between authoritarian regimes and democracies better than the way they respond to natural disasters.

And few tragedies better illustrate the commonalities among authoritarian regimes than their respective responses to the massive earthquakes this year in Tibet and Myanmar.

In January of this year, western Tibet was struck by a devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake. Myanmar was hit by a massive 7.7-magnitude quake less than two weeks ago. Both disasters caused death and destruction, and both were met in a similar way by the repressive dictatorships that rule the countries.

The instincts of both the Chinese Communist Party regime in Beijing, which has occupied Tibet since 1950, and the illegal military junta in Myanmar, which is the latest in a succession of military regimes to rule that country over the past six decades, are the same: Restrict international humanitarian access; weaponize and propagandize aid; repress the truth by banning foreign journalists; and silence domestic dissent.

Evidently, neither regime cares at all about the human suffering of the victims of such disasters. They care only about image and power.

After the earthquake hit Tibet, Beijing downplayed the magnitude of the disaster and its death toll. Not a single international media outlet was able to report directly from the earthquake-affected areas, and not a single international rescue team was granted access to the affected areas in the critical first few days after the quake.

Internet connections were shut down after more than 21 people were arrested for sharing information about the disaster online. When some Tibetans claimed that the death toll was higher than the official figure, they were punished for spreading “rumors.”

While grassroots Tibetans across the Tibetan plateau responded to the crisis courageously, mobilizing relief, the Chinese authorities put up checkpoints and new requirements for vehicle permits designed to stall grassroots community aid.

The day after the quake, local authorities officially banned community-based Tibetan relief efforts. The elected leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile issued a statement calling for “unrestricted and immediate access” for international aid organizations and media.

And, of course, Beijing then used the crisis as an opportunity for propaganda, highlighting the relief work by the Chinese military and authorities with great fanfare.

Sound familiar?

In Myanmar, although the junta called for international aid immediately following the earthquake, in reality, it has restricted access.

Rescue and relief workers, particularly local relief efforts, have been denied access to some of the worst-hit areas, with extensive checkpoints, interrogations, and delays.

Foreign journalists are banned from the country.

The Internet—limited even at the best of times in Myanmar and often only accessible through the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent censorship—has been subjected to repeated blackouts.

Rescue teams from Taiwan were turned away, presumably to appease the junta’s closest ally, Beijing. Even a convoy of nine Chinese Red Cross vehicles carrying relief supplies was fired upon by the military – hardly a way for the regime to treat one of its only close allies.

Just as the elected leader of Tibet’s government-in-exile did, Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG)—which comprises those elected in the country’s last democratic elections in 2020 and representatives of various ethnic nationalities—has called for unrestricted aid and urged the international community to ensure that aid reaches those most in need.

The U.N. Secretary-General has also called for immediate and unrestricted access.

Still, just as Beijing did in Tibet, Myanmar’s military regime is using this tragedy as a propaganda opportunity.

Junta Chief General Min Aung Hlaing visited disaster survivors in hospitals and traveled to the earthquake’s epicenter, Sagaing. He also made a rare overseas visit to Bangkok to shake hands with other foreign leaders at a regional summit.

Yet, at the same time, the junta – despite declaring a 20-day ceasefire in the immediate aftermath of its firing on the Chinese aid convoy – continues to carry out airstrikes and ground attacks against civilians in earthquake-struck areas.

According to the U.N., the military has perpetrated more than 61 attacks since the earthquake, bombing and burning villages and killing civilians.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for a halt to all military operations, as have the NUG and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Myanmar, among others.

In the aftermath of Tibet’s most recent earthquake, Beijing did not bomb people. But it compounded their suffering in different ways. The regime seized the opportunity to intensify its insidious campaign of “sinification” of Tibetans and to double down on further large-scale infrastructure developments, particularly dams, which threaten to displace local communities and pose environmental dangers to the entire region.

Tibet is known as “the Water Tower of Asia,” given that ten of the continent’s largest rivers and their tributaries – feeding more than 1.8 billion people – originate from the Tibetan plateau. It is also known as the “Third Pole,” as it hosts the largest number of glaciers and permafrost after the North and South Poles.

China wants to control all this through its dams – but at the risk of mass displacement and flooding.

Contrast the behavior of Beijing and Myanmar’s junta with how democratic Taiwan, one of Asia’s most vibrant open societies, handled the 7.4 magnitude quake that hit the island a year ago. Or the way Thailand dealt with this current crisis.

In democratic, open societies, when a natural disaster strikes, the world’s media is welcomed, international aid is gratefully received, and the government response is transparent.

Earthquake-prone democracies also prepare for disasters. Just look at Japan. Because their governments are elected and accountable to the people, they invest in earthquake-proof infrastructure to minimize death and destruction.

In contrast, repressive regimes like China’s and Myanmar’s are unaccountable to and, therefore, do not care about their people and devote their resources to the tools of war, repression, and their enrichment instead.

Democracies are far from perfect. Mistakes are made. But in a democracy, when governments make mistakes—whether in handling a natural disaster or any other challenge—they can be held accountable.

The earthquakes that hit Tibet and Myanmar, respectively, are said to have been the worst to strike those regions in at least a century.

Humanitarian crises should not be politicized – but when they are massively compounded and weaponized by cruel, inhumane, and criminal regimes, the international community must not look away.

Benedict Rogers is Senior Director at Fortify Rights and author of seven books, including ‘The China Nexus: Thirty Years In and Around the Chinese Communist Party’s Tyranny’ and ‘Burma: A Nation at the Crossroads.’ The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News