Posted on 08/03/2009 7:39:29 AM PDT by Schnucki
North Korea is helping the military regime in Burma construct a sophisticated nuclear facility, according to two high level defectors interviewed by Australian researchers.
The two defectors, knowns as Moe Joe, an army officer trained in Russia to be a member of a Burmese "nuclear battalion", and Tin Min, an accountant who claimed to have knowledge of nuclear infrastructure projects and shipments of material from North Korea.
The claims are unconfirmed but are being taken seriously by Burma specialists after a series of recent revelations of military ties between the two pariah states.
Russia agreed to help Burma build a civilian nuclear reactor several years ago and the researchers say there is no reason to fear that that project could be turned to military use. But according to Desmond Ball, a military expert at the Australian National University, and Phil Thornton, a journalist, who interviewed the defectors over a two year period, the North Korean role points to a far more sinister project.
Both defectors said there is a secret underground complex at Naung Laing in northern Burma. Tin Min, the accountant, said he arranged payments for a tunnel there so broad that two trucks can pass inside it.
The accountant, who died last year, claimed he worked for Tay Za, a notorious tycoon closely linked to the Burmese junta. Tay Za, he said, handled many of the shipments of North Korean nuclear technology into Rangoon harbour.
He also claimed to have knowledge of the junta's strategy. ''They're aware they cannot compete with Thailand with conventional weapons," he said. "They want to play power like North Korea."
Last month a North Korean ship allegedly carrying military items to Burma was shadowed by US warships and turned back. A North Korean and two Japanese men were arrested in Japan last month
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
ping
No one should be shocked at this turn of events. North Korea wants to be a big player and they can make a lot of money by sharing their nuke weapon knowledge with rogue states like Iran and Burma. All of these little mini dictators would love to have nukes. It puts them on par with Super Powers and they can do anything they want without fear of reprisal from the U.S. or anyone else.
Moe Joe? Tin Min? This seems like a fraud to me.
Oh swell....
A. A long border with China.
The PDRK does not need to ship anything to Burma via the port at Rangoon. They can ship via land routes.
So, the Kang Nam rust bucket episode last month designed to force the US to focus our limited surveillance resources on an empty ship while massive amount of Nuke tech was shipped from PDRK to Burma via truck? Or am I just whistling in the dark here?
The Chinese plays chess, the US plays nothing - we are too busy watching American Idol.
THANKS FOR THE PING.
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