Rescue & Aid

Tibetan monks relive rescue

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-30 07:02

SHIQU, Sichuan - Looking over the vast grasslands and grazing yaks from his monastery on a mountain in the Tibetan plateau, Karma Namgyal barely registered the tranquil scene.

"I think about Yushu all the time," said the Tibetan Buddhist monk at Sershul Monastery in Sichuan province, where he returned last week after helping survivors of the earthquake in neighboring Qinghai.

At least 2,200 died and more than 100,000 were left homeless when the 7.1-magnitude tremor rocked the Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture on April 14.

A remote area with an average elevation of 4,000 meters, Yushu is hard to reach. Before thousands of soldiers, armed police, professional rescuers and medical workers arrived, the main disaster relief force were Tibetan monks.

About 3,000 monks from 36 monasteries volunteered for the rescue in Gyegu town, the epicenter of the earthquake, said Yushu police chief Pan Zhigang. Two thirds came from monasteries outside the prefecture. "We didn't have enough police in Yushu. Although inexperienced, the monks helped a lot," he said.

Karma Namgyal was in Gyegu when the tremor hit at 7:49 am. Frightened, he fled his hotel to see the destruction unfold.

"A multi-story hotel in the town center collapsed. I saw so many bodies and heard cries for help under the debris," he said. "I felt sad because I wanted to save more people but I had no tools."

About 500 monks were mobilized at Sershul shortly after the disaster, said Khenpo Konchok Thusang. Riding in 40 trucks, vans and cars along the mountain roads, they were among the first to arrive.

On a former horse-riding track in downtown Gyegu, the monks set up 200 tents before spreading out in the ruins to search for survivors. On the first night, about 700 injured civilians stayed in the tents, along with more than 4,000 homeless who took shelter there against the biting cold, said Khenpo Konchok Thusang.

Without food or water, the monks worked in the ruins with their bare hands. They slept outside, wrapping themselves in their crimson robes and holding each other to stay warm, he said.

"Many survivors were crying. Their relatives and friends were dead or missing. Our presence was a comfort to them," said monk Lozang Gyatso, 27.

Yushu is a predominately Tibetan region, with more than 90 percent of its 300,000 people devout Tibetan Buddhists. They trusted the monks and let them arrange funerals for their loved ones.

Khenpo Dampa Rinchen, a senior monk at Gyegu Monastery, said 2,100 victims were cremated. Most bodies were delivered to the monastery.

"Buddhism teaches us that the greatest virtue is to help others. That's what we monks should do," said Karma Namgyal. "I'm glad I was involved in the relief and rescue efforts."

Khenpo Konchok Thusang said he was most impressed by the unity of the monks, soldiers, officials and civilians in the face of the disaster. "The strength of unity is remarkable and deserves admiration," he added.

Sershul called its monks home on April 21, a week after the disaster, when the focus shifted to rescuing property, said Karma Namgyal.

"It's inappropriate for us to be seen digging in the ruins for assets, and a large number of rescuers had arrived anyway," he said. "On the way home, I dozed off in the truck from time to time. My dreams were all about Yushu."

Xu Lingui - Xinhua

(China Daily 04/30/2010 page7)