Previously on Monday, authorities said at least four people had been killed in Tamil Nadu state in weather-related incidents while thousands of people evacuated from coastal communities as the region braced for impact. Chennai airport, one of India's busiest travel hubs, had to suspend operations as the runway flooded, while schools and other centers of learning, along with banks and offices, have closed their doors in four districts of the city. Cyclones – the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the Northwest Pacific – are a regular and deadly menace on coasts in the northern Indian Ocean, where tens of millions of people live. Cyclone Michuang is expected to reduce in power late in the evening on Tuesday. Scientists have warned that such storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer due to climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

Maritime ports of Payra and Chattogram to keep hoisted Danger Signal Number Seven, Six for Cox's Bazar and Five for Mongla as the severe cyclonic storm "Hamoon" will be turned into a very severe cyclonic storm. Bangladesh Meteorological Department said it in a bulletin. It may cross Barishal-Chattogram coast near Meghna estuary by late night to morning on Wednesday as cyclonic storm while it is likely to move north-northeastwards as the met office said in its bulletin.

The deep depression over westcentral Bay and adjoining areas moved north-northeastwards, turns into a cyclone storm ‘Hamoon’. Now it lies over westcentral Bay and adjoining northwest Bay. (BSS Reports) All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay and deep sea have been guided to take shelter as soon as possible.  It is likely to move north-northeastwards and intensify further.     Met office said that, the cyclone was centred at 6pm on Tuesday about 670 kms west-southwest of Chattogram port, 630 kms west-southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 540 kms southwest of Mongla port and 540 kms south west of Payra port. Near the cyclone centre, sea will remain very rough, said met office. However, Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been asked to lower local cautionary signal No. 3 and hoist local warning singal No. 4.

A Myanmar photojournalist working for independent outlet Myanmar Now has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by the country's military authorities, his employer said on Wednesday.  Sai Zaw Thaike has been under arrest since May, when he was reporting on the consequences of Cyclone Mocha. The storm killed more than 140 people in the coastal areas of Myanmar and Bangladesh, many of whom belonged to the persecuted Rohingya minority and were living in refugee camps. What are the charges against Sai Zaw Thaike? It is not yet clear, on what charges the journalist was convicted. Following his arrest in May, he had faced charges under four different laws, including a natural disaster law and a telecommunications law. Journalists at Myanmar Now voiced their criticism. "His sentencing is yet another indication that freedom of the press has been completely quashed under the military junta's rule," editor-in-chief Swe Win said in a statement. Myanmar Now describes itself as an independent news agency working underground to evade repression by the military junta. ASEAN, US condemn violence in Myanmar Myanmar's military, already a key player in ruling the country, seized complete control in a coup against the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party in 2021, and has been cracking down on civil society since. Reports on the conviction of the journalist came just a day after leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) discussed Myanmar's political crisis at their annual summit meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. Myanmar is a member of ASEAN but has not been invited to the regional meeting for the second year in a row. In a joint statement on Tuesday, ASEAN members "urge the Myanmar Armed Forces in particular, and all related parties concerned in Myanmar to de-escalate violence and stop targeted attacks on civilians, houses and public facilities, such as schools, hospitals, markets." US Vice President Kamala Harris weighed in in support of the statement. "The United States will continue to press the regime to end the horrific violence to release all those unjustly detained, and to re-establish Myanmar's path to inclusive democracy," she told ASEAN summit in Jakarta on Wednesday. One of the deadliest countries for journalists Myanmar is one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists according to advocacy groups. Activists at the Detained Journalist Group report that over 150 journalists have been arrested, and four media workers have lost their lives since the coup. Myanmar's military leadership has yet to comment on the sentencing of Sai Zaw Thaike, but has rejected the ASEAN nations' joint statement, saying: "The reviews are not objective and decisions are bias and one-sided."

Rakhine state was badly hit by the strongest storm in at least a decade. Local officials fear the number of victims is much higher, while the UN says 800,000 people urgently need food aid. Cyclone Mocha has killed 145 people in Myanmar — mostly from the persecuted Rohingya minority, the country's military junta said Friday. Mocha made landfall on Sunday, and Myanmar's western Rakhine state suffered the most damage while parts of neighboring Bangladesh were also hit. "Altogether 145 local people were killed during the cyclone," a statement from Myanmar junta authorities said, listing the victims as four soldiers, 24 locals and 117 "Bengalis" (a pejorative term for the Rohingya). The situation in Rakhine state The military government said media reports of up to 400 deaths were false, although it's not possible to independently verify either figure. Local leaders based near the Rakhine state capital of Sittwe told Agence France-Presse that more than 200 Rohingya had died in their areas alone, with counting still ongoing.  Rakhine state is home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who live in crowded displacement camps following decades of ethnic conflict in Myanmar. Their ramshackle homes on low-lying land were severely battered by a storm surge. Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations but are widely viewed as interlopers from Bangladesh. They are denied citizenship, access to healthcare and require permission to travel outside of their townships.   Bangladesh, meanwhile, said no one had died on its side of the border, including in the sprawling Rohingya refugee camps on its territory that house almost a million people. Aid efforts after Cyclone Mocha Packing winds of 195 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour), Mocha stormed across the Bay of Bengal last weekend, tearing down buildings and turning streets into rivers in both Myanmar and Bangladesh. The cyclone, Myanmar's most destructive in at least a decade, brought widespread flash floods as well as communication and power outages. The United Nations World Food Program said Friday that at least 800,000 people in Myanmar now need emergency food aid and other assistance following the cyclone. Junta-backed media reported Friday that naval ships and the air force had brought in thousands of bags of rice, while thousands of electricians, firefighters and rescue workers were deployed across Rakhine.  Several nations, including India, Japan, Britain and the United States, have already promised aid. Three Indian navy ships carrying food, tents, medicines, water pumps and sanitary and hygiene products reached Yangon, Myanmar's largest city on Thursday, and a fourth ship was to arrive Friday, New Delhi said. The role of the military junta after the cyclone After decades of persecution, a military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017 sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing into neighboring Bangladesh, with harrowing stories emerging of murder, rape and arson. The current military administration seized power in 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and is engaged over much of the country in warfare against armed resistance forces opposed to military rule. Before Mocha, Cyclone Nargis was the worst storm to hit Myanmar, devastating the Irrawaddy Delta in 2008 and killing at least 138,000 people. A previous military government was harshly criticized after it delayed the acceptance of outside aid following Nargis. Local officials have said there are no curbs on local or international organizations sending aid this time, but those comments cannot be independently confirmed.

Mocha is the most powerful cyclone to hit Bangladesh since 2007 and is likely to affect more than 2 million people directly in its path. Cyclone Mocha hit the coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Sunday. It is the most powerful cyclone to hit the region in more than 15 years. Packing winds of up to 210 kilometers per hour (130 miles), equivalent to a category 5 hurricane, the cyclone forced authorities to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people to shelters. "It is now crossing Cox's Bazar-North Myanmar coast. It (is) likely to move north-northeasterly direction and complete crossing Cox's Bazar-North Myanmar coast near Sittwe by afternoon," the Bangladesh meteorological department said. It said the storm was uprooting trees and bringing heavy rain along the coast at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. The cyclone was expected to affect more than 2 million people in its direct path. In Bangladesh, authorities issued the highest danger alert for Cox's Bazar, which is home to more than a million Rohingya refugees living in flimsy shelters. Authorities also warned that heavy rains could trigger landslides and cause severe damage in eight coastal districts of Bangladesh. Relief workers brace for Mocha Since Friday, more than 4,000 residents of Sittwe township in Myanmar have been evacuated and more than 20,000 people have been moved to shelters, including monasteries, pagodas and schools, said Tin Nyein Oo, a relief worker in Sittwe. "The storm has not yet entered, so we don't have much difficulty. However, there are too many people in the shelters and not enough toilets," he added. More than 300,000 people have been shifted to safer locations in Bangladesh. "Saving lives is our main priority," said local disaster relief official Mijanur Rahman. More than 1,500 cyclone shelters have been prepared in Bangladesh. Aid workers have also stored tons of dry food and prepared dozens of ambulances for refugee camps.

Rohingyas living in Cox's Bazar are among those evacuated to safe shelters as the powerful storm crosses the eastern Bay of Bengal. The most powerful cyclone in nearly two decades is barreling toward the coasts of eastern  Bangladesh and Myanmar, forecasters warned Saturday. After brewing in the Bay of Bengal for days, Cyclone Mocha was packing winds of up to 220 kilometers per hour (136 miles) — equivalent to a category four hurricane — as it approached the two Asian countries. Mocha is expected to weaken before making landfall on Sunday between Cox's Bazar, a southeastern border district of Bangladesh, and Sittwe on Myanmar's western Rakhine coast, Bangladesh's Meteorological Department said in a bulletin. Rohingya refugees face more misery Cox's Bazar is where more than a million Rohingya refugees live in flimsy shelters — most having fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. Bangladeshi authorities have banned the Rohingya from constructing permanent concrete homes, fearing it may incentivize them to settle permanently rather than return to Myanmar. "All the Rohingyas in the camps are at risk," Bangladesh's deputy refugee commissioner Shamsud Douza told Agence France-Presse. Authorities in Bangladesh began evacuating refugees from "risky areas" to community centers, while hundreds fled a nearby island. "We are focusing on saving lives," said Mohammad Shamsud Douza, a Bangladesh government official responsible for refugees. "People who are at risk of landslides will be evacuated." According to the United Nations, more than six million people need humanitarian assistance in the storm's path in Myanmar alone. The World Food Programme said it was preparing food and relief supplies that could help more than 400,000 people in Rakhine state and surrounding areas for a month. Some people in Rakhine's capital Sittwe were either leaving their homes to seek shelter on higher ground or moving further inland, a resident said. Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power two years ago. A resistance movement is fighting the junta on multiple fronts after a bloody crackdown on protests. Strongest storm in decades Meteorologists said Mocha was the most powerful storm since Cyclone Sidr, which hit Bangladesh's southern coast in November 2007, killing more than 3,000 people and causing billions of dollars in damage. Another storm in 2008, Cyclone Nargis, killed more than 100,000 people after hitting southern Myanmar. Forecasters expect the cyclone to bring a deluge of rain, which can trigger landslides. The storm is also predicted to unleash a storm surge up to four meters (13 feet) high, which can inundate low-lying coastal and river villages. Panic has also gripped some 8,000 people in Bangladesh's southernmost island of Saint Martin's with the tiny coral outcrop — one of the country's top resort districts — right in the storm's path. Officials said around 1,000 Saint Martin's islanders have left, moving 250 boats to Teknaf to try to prevent them from being washed away. Operations were suspended at the country's largest seaport, Chittagong, with boat transport and fishing activities also halted.

The impact of the super cyclone Mocha in the Bay of Bengal has started over the coastal areas. On Sunday, May 14, the Meteorological Department gave this information. It said that Cyclone Mocha is moving towards north-northeast and stay strong in the same area.  On Sunday, May 14, it was 490 km south-southwest from Chattogram seaport, 410 km south-southwest from Cox's Bazar seaport, 530 km south from Mongla seaport and 460 km south from Payra seaport. On Sunday, May 14, between 9 am to 3 pm, it may move further north-northeastward and cross Cox's Bazar - North Myanmar coast. Super cyclone Mocha impact has started in the coastal areas of Chattogram and Barisal divisions. It is reported that light winds and drizzle started in the island of Saint Martin in the middle of the Sunday night.  St. Martin Union Parishad Chairman Mujibur Rahman said, "The weather in St. Martin has started getting worse since Subday, May 14 at 3 am.  Light breeze and drizzle started. In the sea, the tide has also started to rise. Midnight rain increased in Cox's Bazar city as well. 

In the Bay of Bengal, strong cyclone 'Mocha' at sea is very rough near the center. It is gradually approaching the north-northeast coast of Bangladesh. Chattogram and Cox's Bazar seaports have been asked to show the emergency signal number 8.  However, Payra and Mongla seaports have been asked to show local warning signal number 4. The Meteorological Department's special notification said, "The coastal districts: Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Bhola and their nearby islands and chars will be under the danger signal number 8.  Due to the cyclone Mocha and the excess pressure difference, the coastal districts of Cox's Bazar and Chattogram and their nearby islands and low-lying areas of Chars may be inundated by wind-driven tides 8 to 12 feet higher than the normal tide. Due to the cyclone and excess pressure difference, the coastal districts of Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Barisal, Bhola and their nearby islands and chars may be inundated by wind driven tides 5 to 7 feet higher than the normal tide. According to the Meteorologist department notification, "Very strong cyclone 'Mocha', which is located in the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjacent areas, is moving in the north-northeast direction and is staying in the same area.  It was 930 km south-southwest of Chattogram seaport, 860 km south-southwest of Cox's Bazar seaport, 890 km south-southwest of Mongla seaport and 855 km south-southwest of Payra seaport at 6 pm today. From the evening of May 13, the frontal impact of strong cyclone 'Mocha' may begin in Cox's Bazar and adjoining coastal areas.  The maximum sustained wind speed is 140 km/h within 74 km of the cyclone center, increasing to 160 km/h in gust. The strong cyclone is likely to move further north-northeastward and intensify and cross the coast of Cox's Bazar-North Myanmar between 6 am and 6 pm on Sunday, May 14.  All fishing boats and trawlers in North Bay of Bengal have been asked to stay in safe area till further instructions.

Cyclone Mocha, which formed in the Bay of Bengal, has now become a 'very strong' cyclone. The maximum wind speed of the cyclone towards the center is now 140 km per hour. On Friday, May 12, Meteorologist Omar Farooq confirmed this matter. Mr. Farooq said, "The maximum sustained wind speed is 120 to 140 km per hour within 54 km of center of the cyclone. The cyclone is now 1,025 km away from Cox's Bazar. According to the latest special notification of Meteorological Department, "The strong cyclone 'Mocha' has condensed into an 'extremely strong' cyclone and is staying over the central Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal.  It can be more severe. Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra sea ports have been asked to show warning signal number 2. Warning signal number 2 means that a storm has created in the deep sea, where the sustained wind speed is 62-88 kilometers per hour. Currently, ports are not under the storm, but ships leaving the port may be in danger en route.