Myanmar’s military threatens media for reporting higher deaths from cyclone

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar – Myanmar’s military rulers have threatened the media for reporting the higher number of cyclone deaths.

The junta said 100 Rohingya were killed by Cyclone Mocha last weekend. It has warned that any move to inflate these numbers will be dealt with strictly. 

The media and the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), however, believe the death toll is much higher.

The NUG, which is composed of former parliamentarians, claims that at least 455 Rohingya died as a result of the cyclone.

The storm, which hit the coast of Rakhine state and parts of Bangladesh last weekend, flooded camps where the Rohingya have lived as displaced people for years.

Myanmar’s junta announced it would sue news outlets if they reported the higher death toll.

The military government said in a statement that it had evacuated the Rakhine population ahead of the storm.

According to the statement, they have relocated 63,302 of the 125,789 Rohingya from 17 refugee camps to safer places. 

Those who perished did not follow the authority’s evacuation procedure and remained in their homes on their own, it said.

However, media reports said many people could not be evacuated because the shelters quickly became overcrowded.

About 130,000 Rohingya have been living in internally displaced camps in and around Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, for more than a decade.

According to the reports, transport infrastructure and some telephone networks in the area are down. There are still areas where food, medicine, and shelter have not arrived.