Tibetan monks uncertain if monastery destroyed in quake will be rebuilt

Barkham (China): Monks from the Gyalrong Tsodun Kriti Monastery in northeastern Tibet do not know if they will receive help from local Chinese officials to rebuild after the structure was destroyed by an earthquake last month, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

The temblor that rocked Barkham (in Chinese, Maerkang) in the Ngaba (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture on June 10 displaced more than 25,000 residents, locals told RFA in an earlier report.Buddhist temples, senior living facilities, schools, stupas and more 150 monastic residences were also damaged or destroyed.

The destruction of the Gyalrong Tsodun Kriti Monastery, which is about 85 km (53 miles) from Barkham, forced 290 monks who reside there to move to a temporary makeshift location, the Tibetan source said. Neither monks nor residents know if the local Chinese government will provide assistance to rebuild the monastery, the Tibetan added, the RFA reported.

"With assistance from nearby monasteries and towns, the Tsodun Monastery has now completely moved to a temporary tent, and all daily religious activities are being performed (there)," the source said, adding that wet weather conditions have made the situation tougher.

"Many local Tibetans in the region still continue to live in temporary tents," said the source, RFA reported. Government rescuers did not reach Barkham until June 13, three days after the initial quake. After they arrived, Chinese authorities dismissed Tibetan civilians and monks who provided food, water and tents to survivors, RFA reported earlier.

Authorities then imposed a strict clampdown on information from the area, forbidding residents to post reports or photos about the earthquake on social media.

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