Ryongchon Explosion Occurred While Transporting Military Cargo? (Syria, WMD Connection)

www.independent.co.kr ^ | 05/07/04 | Yoo Hae-sung

[TigerLikesRooster]

/begin my translation

Ryongchon Explosion Occurred While Transporting Military Cargo?

Sankei Shimbun, a Japanese Daily, reported on 7th (of May, 2004), "In Ryongchon Blast, Syrian engineers were killed and wounded. A wagon carrying a large cargo had a particularly heavy damage, revealed on 6th (of May, 2004) by a military news source who has great expertise on Korean matters." According to the source, "the content of the cargo is unknown. However, after the accident, N. Korean military personnels in protective suits arrived at the scene, and recovered the remains of the destroyed wagon. We strongly suspect that the accident occurred while transporting a top-secret cargo between N. Korea and Syria."

The paper went on to say, citing the source, "Passengers in the wagon were engineers dispatched from Syria's Scientific Investigation and Research Center(CERS). CERS's goal is promoting science and technology. It is also suspected of a major involvement in the Syria's development of WMD's."

It also reported, "Engineers were in a separate compartment in a wagon from the cargo compartment. It is not clear whether the cargo was the primary source of the explosion or the secondary source after explosion from other wagons. However, it is true that this wagon had the most extensive damage. Close to 10 personnels of both Syrians and N. Koreans were either killed or wounded."

Syrian casualties went home via a Syrian transport plane on May 1st, which was there to pick up the cargo. All personnels involved in the transport (of Syrians), both Syrians and N. Koreans, were again wearing protective suits.

The paper further added, "The behaviors of N. Korea and Syria showed that this cargo is of utmost secret nature, which they never want to disclose. Countries like America suspect that N. Korea and Syria are cooperating the development of Syrian Scud D missiles or chemical weapons."

/end my translation

[TigerLikesRooster]

A really interesting development on this story.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Can you confirm this report from Sankei?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Bogey78O]

Well this would support the conspiracy theory that it wasn't an accident.

[NaughtiusMaximus]

Hmmmmm . . .

[cyberaxe]

.....things that make you go.....

.....hhmmmmmm.....

[nuconvert]

WoW

Thanks for the ping

[wouldilie]

bttt

[DoctorMichael]

Bttt

[nwctwx]

Great find, bttt

[nuconvert]

N. Korea Pong

[eastforker]

Anybody want to bet we took it out before it could leave country?

[nwctwx]

you never know... such secrecy with this event (even more than normal with NK)

[The G Man]

Heh, they really was an "Axis" of evil!

[cripplecreek]

Seems that the MOAB projects of both North Korea and Iran still need work.

[OXENinFLA]

Well well, what do we have here?

[dufekin]

But where's Kim Jong-il? He hasn't been seen since the blast, has he?

In some ways, I hope that we didn't do this. After all, it was a terrible tragedy with thousands perhaps dead.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Axis of Evil!!

BTW your tagline is hilarious. I used to work in Skokie at the Old Orchard Montgomery Ward.

[Reo]

"Anybody want to bet we took it out before it could leave country?"

That was my first thought (and hope). I think of President Bush saying many of the battles of the War on Terror will take place in secret and never be known.

[NCjim]

Mark for later...

[sarasota]

If it gets out to the press here, it will be 150 dead, not thousands. Or reports will be declared false?

[Mo1]

But but but .. I thought it was just gun powder that was in that cargo

Gee they wouldn't have lied to us would they? ../ sarcasm >

[Rebelbase]

If it was shipped from Syria to N.K. via rail, it would had to have made one circuitous route to get there, crossing many different national borders.

You can bet China would not let a train transit cross country without knowing the contents.

[eastforker]

Possible WMD's headed to syria to be used against us or other infidels and you hope we didn't do it???

[dennisw]

A very plausible scenario for me even if only 50% right.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #23

I think that it was being transported from N. Korean production facilities via rail and loaded on Syrian transport plane waiting at a N. Korean airport.

[eastforker]

Reread the article, the Syrians was in NK deveoping the weapons and the plane was there to pick them up.

[RockChucker]

Some Rocket fuels would require protective suits.

As would anything radioactive. The protective suits, in the second case, would only keep the contaminated dust off of the people and (if gas masks were issued) our of their lungs. They would still be radiated, like a bag of microwave JiffyPop.

[Rebelbase]

Do'h. Missed that.

[cake_crumb]

Velly, VELLY intellesssSTINK!

[OXENinFLA]

President Announces New Measures to Counter the Threat of WMD

Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

Maybe psycho Kim has been keeping up w/ the news.

[Chieftain]

I figgered something like this would eventually come out.

I fwded the link to a native Korean speaker and will post any feedback I hear from them.

[george wythe]

I think that it was being transported from N. Korean production facilities via rail and loaded on Syrian transport plane waiting at a N. Korean airport

It seems that N. Korea is proud of her membership in the Axis of Evil, spreading more potentially dangerous weapons around the world

[Cold Heat]

Just more fodder for the mill.....

We will never be able to prove these connections and plans until they actually happen, I fear.

[dufekin]

Let's put it this way. Remember the greatest explosion in history. It occurred on Reagan's watch in a remote part of Siberia. I don't recall all of the details, but I do know this: those were the glory days of the CIA--severely damaging the Soviet economy without firing a shot.

Guess how many people that explosion killed? Zero.

All I'm saying is that there might have been an equally effective way of destroying this train or its contents that did not kill thousands of starving people. For example, a bridge failure might have sent the train into the water. (This "accident" might not have been acceptable because of the damage to the public water supply. Or because it might affect the endangered Korean suckerfish.)

May they rest in peace.

[Peach]

Do NOT miss this development.

[Constitution Day]

Curiouser and curiouser!

BTTT.

[no more apples]

Thanks for the post.

[nevergiveup]

If I may expand upon your doubt:

If they were sending anything to Syria via air, why would they send the train through the last station before China (I think the next train station on the line was 12-18 miles away IN China.)

Does anyone know if there is an airport anywhere near the explosion site. I know their economy is just this side of bear skin and stone knives level but why would they use an airfield so close to the border?

Does anyone know where this airport would be?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #40

My guess would be that it is in Pyongyang.

[RetiredArmy]

Well, if the WMD thing is true, then just just blew up and burned all the evidence!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

"They All Blowed Up!!"

[nuconvert]

Let's not forget who the Syrians' best friend is......Iran.
And the Iranian regime has been talking with N.Korea about continuing their uranium enrichment project in N.Korea. A friendly joint effort.

[Flint]

Our President strikes again. I have no doubt that one of our Sneaky Petes made this happen.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Interesting question. Nothing out yet in Sankei, however there was THIS from Xinhua Net, China. Pay close attention to the bold faced part:

"PYONGYANG, May 1 (Xinhuanet) -- The last batch of assistance gratis goods provided by the Chinese government arrived late on Friday in Sinuiju, a border city of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The relief goods included gasoline and diesel oil, glass and materials for plastic-steel windows as well as food. All the relief goods were transported to Ryongchon overnight, where a massive train explosion on April 22 killed at least 154 people and injured 1,300 others. Over 8,000 houses were damaged orruined to varying extent. China has so far provided the DPRK with 2,000 woolen carpets, 300 tents, as well as food, medicine, medical apparatuses and equipment, building materials and other relief goods. Two days after the train blast, the Chinese government promisedto provide relief goods worth 10 million yuan (about 1.2 million US dollars) to the DPRK. China stands as the first country to provide relief goods to the DPRK followed by South Korea, Russia and Syria. By the end of April, the DPRK has received over 18 million dollars worth of relief goods from around the world."

[AmericanInTokyo]

You've got Freepmail coming to you shortly. Standby.

[B.Bumbleberry]

My thinking was Israel or China. We probably had an intellignence hand in it. Intriguing in any event.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #46

Syria is one of the first countries helping out with relief efforts? That is interesting!

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #44

Yup. They are all in the same boat.