Dingri, Shigatse in Tibet hit with 7.1 magnitude earthquake

His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s condolence message for the victims of this tragedy.

7th January 2025 – Australia Tibet Council is deeply saddened to report that on Tuesday, 7 Jan 2025, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Tibet. Initial reports are indicating that the earthquake has killed 126 people and we offer our heartfelt condolences to all families affected by this tragedy.

Australia Tibet Council will be monitoring this story as it unfolds. Unfortunately, our fears for Tibetans affected by this disaster are compounded by the actions of the Chinese Government in past disasters.

At this time, the safety and welfare of those affected by the earthquake must be given full priority. To this end, we have called on the Australian government to request openness and transparency for China’s disaster relief efforts in order to ensure impacted Tibetan communities receive the required aid and assistance.

Furthermore, we need to be vigilant and ensure the Chinese government does not use its earthquake response as a pretext to further its colonial policies in Tibet as it did following a 2010 earthquake in the eastern Tibetan province of Kham ཁམས།.

Sadly, Tibetans are not only at risk from the earthquake, but also we have seen after previous disasters that China has punished Tibetans for sharing information about the disaster outside Tibet, and monitored and punished Tibetans for contacting family and friends about the impact of the earthquake or its response.

Australia Tibet Council has raised with the Australian Government and Australian media the importance of using 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. China is seeking to literally remove Tibet from the map in an effort to reduce recognition of Tibet as a separate entity from China and is pressuring others use their term for Tibet, “Xizang”.

Australia Tibet Council has pressed the importance of using Tibet so that media and Government responses to this disaster do not further compound the oppression of Tibetans by using the term Xizang instead of Tibet.

The earthquake has exacerbated the existing vulnerabilities of the Tibetan people, who have suffered for more than seven decades under China’s violent occupation of their nation.

Australia Tibet Council and Tibet advocacy groups worldwide will continue to do everything in our power to fight for the fundamental rights and dignity of the Tibetan people and for the restoration of freedom in Tibet.