Sunday, 25 November 2012 16:45 Mizzima News
Japan intercepted material suitable for uranium enrichment in August on a North Korean ship bound for Burma, the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun reported on Saturday.
The act of Burma receiving weapons-grade material from North Korea would be in direct violation of a UN Security Council resolution.
Quoting sources, the Asahi Shimbun said Japanese authorities seized the items aboard a cargo vessel docked at Tokyo Port on August 22, a raid which took place at the request of the United States.
The report said the cargo—some 50 metal pipes and 15 high-specification aluminum alloy bars—was to have been delivered to Soe Ming Htike, a Rangoon-based construction company, which the US government believes is a front for Burma’s military procurement.
However, there is no evidence that the material was to be used for uranium enrichment or for developing nuclear weapons.
“Japan, the United States and South Korea believe Myanmar has abandoned its one-time nuclear weapons ambitions. This makes officials suspect that the aluminum alloy may have been intended for use in building missiles instead,” the report said, adding: “A South Korean government source said Myanmar may have been trying to develop short-range missiles in the event of border disputes with its neighbors.”
Full report in Asahi Shimbun: http://ajw.asahi.com/
On May 14, 2012, at a meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Burmese President Thein Sein said that Burma will no longer purchase arms from North Korea and will honor UN weapons sanctions against Pyongyang.
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