WeChat is a messaging, social media and mobile payment app developed by Tencent. On 29th of June 2020 the Indian government banned the use of WeChat along with 59 other apps followed by another 47 apps in July after a deadly border clash with China in the Galwan River Valley which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers.
WeChat was the only option for the Tibetan refugees living in India to connect with their families living in Tibet. The WeChat ban has affected many Tibetans as the only connection with their family has been lost and it was the major medium through which they could make monetary transactions.
Even though WeChat was the most viable option for communication it was heavily censored, sharing what China calls ‘politically sensitive information’ in the form of texts, photos and videos over WeChat have led to arrests and imprisonment. Chinese authorities arrested 10 people in Lhasa for spreading ‘rumours’ about the coronavirus outbreak on 12 march 2020 on WeChat. Despite the surveillance, for Tibetans, WeChat was a symbol of their desire to stay connected.
Tibetans have also used WeChat for purposes beyond communicating with people inside Tibet. A number of Tibetans in exile use the app to form large groups, where topics ranging from health, politics, religion and current affairs are vigorously discussed and debated.
The opinion of some of the Tibetans is that since WeChat is under surveillance, they tend to self censor out of fear, and that gives a lot of power to the Chinese government. Therefore some of them also see that the ban would make them move to a safer and better alternative.
References:
1.Tibetans in Indian Exile Fear Impact of WeChat Ban
2.WeChat ban in India disrupts information sharing from Tibet .
Comments
Post a Comment