Myanmar/Burma: Inside Challenges, Outside Interests

11. Myanmar, North Korea, and the Nuclear Question

181 11 andrew selth Myanmar, North Korea, and the Nuclear Question Since the late 1990s there has been a steady trickle of reports in the news media and on activist websites that Myanmar is developing a close relationship with North Korea.1 These reports invariably hint at secret military programs with dire consequences for regional stability. During the latter part of 2009, these reports increased in frequency, and warnings about links between these two pariah states grew stronger. They included accusations that Pyongyang was helping the Naypyidaw regime develop the world’s first Buddhist atomic bomb. If accurate, these reports would be grounds for serious concern. Before drawing any firm conclusions, however, it is important to separate rumor from reality and what is actually known from what is assumed or is the product of speculation. Seven Headlines Apart from occasional stories about the military government’s human rights violations, Myanmar does not often feature in the mainstream news media. North Korea is mentioned more often but until recently was rarely linked with its fellow “outpost of tyranny,” as former U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice described the two countries in 2005.2 In a remarkable confluence of events, however, between June and October 2009 seven developments tied Myanmar and North Korea together in the news media and thus in the public imagination. The first development was the publication on June 9 of several photographs showing underground facilities being constructed in Myanmar. Over 11-0505-5 ch11.indd 181 8/30/10 6:12 PM 182 Andrew Selth the following weeks, more photographs were released purporting to reveal a “network of secret bomb-proof tunnels.”3 The Democratic Voice of Burma claimed that between 600 and 800 tunnels were being built, with the help of North Korea. The purpose of these facilities was not clear, but activist groups cited the photographs as evidence of nefarious dealings between Naypyidaw and Pyongyang. The second development was the departure from North Korea on June 17 of the cargo vessel Kang Nam I, apparently bound for Rangoon. It was claimed that, in violation of a UN Security Council resolution passed earlier that month, the ship was carrying “Scud-type missiles,” nuclear weapon components, or even nuclear weapons. The Kang Nam 1 was shadowed by a U.S. destroyer until June 29, when it turned around and headed back home. It was widely believed that North Korea wished to avoid an inspection of the vessel by states supporting the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative. The third development took place on July 21, when the U.S. secretary of state spoke at a press conference in Thailand, where she was attending a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. She said that the United States took seriously growing concerns about military cooperation between Pyongyang and Naypyidaw. She believed such cooperation would be “destabilizing for the region” and “pose a direct threat to Myanmar ’s neighbors.”4 Hillary Clinton revealed that the United States’ concerns included “the transfer of nuclear technology and other dangerous weapons” from North Korea to Myanmar.5 Two days later, Japanese police announced that they had issued a second warrant for the arrest of Ri Gyong Go, president of a Tokyo-based trading company. Ri was suspected of illegally exporting to Myanmar, in 2008, an instrument for grinding magnets. According to press reports, this device could be used to develop missile control systems and centrifuge machines for uranium enrichment. Ri was initially arrested on June 29, 2009, on suspicion of attempting to export to Myanmar another machine, reportedly used “for developing missiles.”6 Also in July, Myanmar opposition groups obtained a report of the visit to North Korea in December 2008 by a delegation led by Myanmar’s joint chief of staff General Thura Shwe Mann. The leaked report described the inspection of several military bases and arms factories. It also referred to a draft memorandum of understanding outlining proposals for closer defense cooperation between the two countries. The memorandum covered North Korean assistance with military training programs and the construction of underground bunkers and arms shelters in Myanmar. 11-0505-5 ch11.indd 182 8/30/10 6:12 PM Myanmar, North Korea, and the Nuclear Question 183 Throughout this period, there was a lively debate on Internet sites about various unidentified facilities in Myanmar, which had been found using commercial satellite imagery. These facilities were suspected of...