Russia resumes talks on building Myanmar n-facility

newkerala.com ^ | 23 Oct 2005

[ZayYa]

Guwahati: Russia has resumed talks on helping Myanmar build a nuclear research facility even as the biggest Russian arms trader is firming up plans to set up an office in capital Yangon, according to Burmese media reports.

Russia's atomic energy ministry, or Minatom, has that it has resumed talks with Myanmar's military government on developing a nuclear research facility at Kyaukse in Mandalay division, The Mizzima Journal available here reported.

Plans for the facility, to be built by Minatom, were shelved early this year after Russian officials said Myanmar's generals could not afford the project.

Meanwhile, Russian arms trader Rosoboronexport plans to open an office in Myanmar before the yearend, Mizzima, a journal published by Myanmarese dissidents in India, said in a separate report.

The state-owned company had announced its intention to have an office in Myanmar in November last year when its director general Sergei Chemezov told reporters that new offices in Belgium, Myanmar, Italy and Venezuela were on the cards.

A spokesman for Minatom told Mizzima final discussions were being held on the price and financing of the nuclear research facility. "The government of Myanmar has enough money I think, so we will continue our negotiations," the spokesman said.

Minatom will not be involved in building the 10MW pool-type nuclear research reactor but will supervise and provide necessary fuel for it.

Myanmar's plans to build the facility were first announced in 2002 when former foreign minister Win Aung told BBC the country planned to build the reactor for medical purposes.

Most Asian countries have at least one research reactor - only Burma, Laos and Cambodia do not possess such facilities.

Mizzima, however, reported many international observers, including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the US were reportedly worried about Myanmar's ability to maintain such a facility to international safety standards.

Myanmar has had a long history of arms trading with Russian companies, buying fighter jets and hand-held weapons from various Russian dealers.

[TCats]

Myanmar? Perhaps the poorest country in SE Asia yet they need high tech arms and a 'Nuclear Research' facility? Perhaps they've adopted the N Korean economic model - Let their people eat ... Plutonium!

[Wiz]

ping

[Bender2]

The Russians are the only country to have a nuke plant blow up...

Yet idiots in the 3rd World still ask them to build nuke plants for them...

You gotta wonder...