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In the days and hours leading up to the May 2-3 disaster, Tun Lwin’s broadcasts carried no warning of the deadly cyclone approaching Burma—even though meteorologists in India and Thailand issued timely alerts.

Well-informed sources close to the Meteorological Department said Tun Lwin had passed information on the approaching cyclone to the government in Naypyidaw, but had been told to keep quiet about it for fear of creating panic on the eve of the constitutional referendum.

Tun Lwin said “most people” in the worst-hit areas had been warned of the approaching cyclone. “The problem was that they weren’t fully aware of it and had no knowledge as to how to prepare for it,” he said.

Many of those who follow his forecasts interpreted that as an admission that the government had known about the cyclone danger but had deliberately neglected to prepare a disaster plan.