Archive for June 2009
Japan arrests three for suspected technology export to Burma
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Japan arrests three for suspected technology export to Burma
by Solomon
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 19:47
New Delhi (mizzima) – A North Korean and two Japanese nationals were arrested by Japanese police for illegally attempting to export magnetic measuring devices to Burma, which can help build missiles, said a Japanese police officer.
Officers from the Kanagawa police station, near Tokyo, told Mizzima on Tuesday that they have detained three businessmen on suspicion of violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law.
“One is North Korean and runs an export firm. He tried to export devices, supposed to be used for enriching weapons,” said a police official at the Kanagawa station.
The company has been exporting devices to Burma, the official said and added that “according to Japanese law, export of any device, which could be used for weapons is prohibited. That’s why they were arrested.”
The three businessmen, according to the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, were identified as Lee Kyoung Ho (41), an ethnic Korean resident and president of a trading firm Toko Boeki; Miaki Katsuki (75), president of a manufacturing firm and Yasuhiko Muto (57), president of an export agency.
The police official told Mizzima that the detained businessmen were found illegally transporting devices several times in the past to Burma.
According to the Yomiuri newspaper, the three men were working for a Hong Kong-based North Korean trading firm and were exporting magnetic measuring devices believed to be needed for developing long-range ballistic missile systems on instructions from North Korea.
The three reportedly conspired to export the magnetic measuring device to Burma via Malaysia around January 2009 at a price of about 7 million yen (US $73,000), the report said.
The report added that around September 2008, the firm had also tried to export the same device to Burma’s Ministry for Industry 2, which plays a key role in Burma’s nuclear programme as the Minister is the chairman of the Myanmar Atomic Energy Committee.
But both attempts to export the device were aborted immediately before shipment when Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry notified the company that it had failed to submit an export application, the Japanese newspaper said.
The attempts were based on an order given by the Beijing office of the New East International Trading Ltd, based in Hong Kong. The firm is believed to be under the direct control of the Second Economic Committee of the Pyongyang’s Workers’ Party of Korea, which is responsible for the party’s military procurement.
The arrest of the three men and the exposure of their attempts to export measuring devices come at a time when North Korean is suspected of selling arms and military technology to Burma.
Since 1999, both countries have secretly renewed their relationship and exchanged secret visits by military leaders. But it was only in 2007 that both countries announced a formal renewal of diplomatic relations, which was severed in 1983, following a bomb attack on the visiting South Korean President and his delegates by North Korean agents.
In June 17, a North Korean ship Kang Nam I, reportedly left a North Korean port for Burma and is believed to be carrying weapons, missiles and even parts of nuclear material. A U.S. navy destroyer has been trailing the ship.
World focus on Burma (29 June 2009)
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Book Review: The Voice of Hope
When a Coup is Good
Closer Burma-N Korea Ties a Serious Cause for Concern
Former First Lady Bush, U2 Rockers Support Suu Kyi
Junta Criticized for Censoring Media
High Court rejects appeal over Suu Kyi’s defense witnesses
Inspect the North Korean ship bound for Myanmar, or destroy it
Burma Court Rejects Aung San Suu Kyi Witness Appeal
U2 to launch tour with Suu Kyi in audience
Analysis: China, Cuba Cuts Off News About Iranian Furor
Color Revolutions, Old and New
Myanmar court rejects appeal for Suu Kyi witnesses
Myanmar court rejects appeal for Suu Kyi witnesses
Aung San Suu Kyi told not to call witnesses
Court upholds Suu Kyi witness ban
Burma’s cyber war rages on
Myanmar appeals court bars 2 witnesses for Suu Kyi
Legal setback for Suu Kyi defence
Volunteers teaching Burmese kids
Burma confirms first swine flu case
Appeal to reinstate Suu Kyi witnesses rejected
Washington Post –
AP YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s highest court has rejected an appeal by lawyers of Aung San Suu Kyi to reinstate two key defense witnesses in a trial that …
Myanmar court rejects final appeal to reinstate 2 key witnesses in …
Rocky Mount Telegram –
AP YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar court rejects final appeal to reinstate two key defense witnesses in Aung San Suu Kyi trial. Copyright 2009, The Associated …
When anonymity is not cowardice
Sin Chew Jit Poh – David D. Mathew –
Closer to home, Burmese comedian and blogger Maung Thura popularly known as Zarganar is currently serving a 45 year prison sentence because he critically …
The day the Petaling Jaya police celebrated Aung San Suu Kyi’s …
Malaysia Today – Eric Paulsen –
So there you have it – the day the Petaling Jaya police celebrated Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday. Eric Paulsen is primarily a researcher on refugees and …
UN chief seeks to free reporters in N. Korea
Washington Times – Betsy Pisik -
… U Thant of Burma served, from 1961 to 1971. Mr. Ban, who is known for his reticence, said he worked similarly behind the scenes to help win freedom for …
Minister Says Bangladesh For Permanent Solution To Rohingya …
AHN – Siddique Islam –
Of them, 236599 have so far returned to Burma, officially known as Myanmar and now 24135 registered Rohingyas are staying at Kutupalong in Ukhia upazila and …
Roll to freedom
Scotsman –
It reminded me of a similar escape by my friend Robin Kynoch-Shand from Elgin, from the Japanese during the Burma campaign in 1944. Captured by the Japanese …
Bangkok Post : Burma, North Korea in an unholy military alliance
Bangkok Post – Aung Zaw –
But after brutally crushing the 1988 democracy uprising, it faced Western sanctions and Burmese leaders desperately looked for new sources of weapons and …
Laura Bush calls for Mynamar pressure
United Press International -
The former first lady said the United Nations Security Council should refer leaders of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to the International Criminal Court …
Ban to ask junta to release Suu Kyi
MorungExpress –
Gambari, visiting the former Burma for the eighth time, returned to Yangon after a one-day trip to the new capital Naypyidaw, where he met Myanmar Foreign...
Do Not Forget Burma
Do Not Forget Burma
By Laura Bush
Sunday, June 28, 2009
For two weeks, the world has been transfixed by images of Iranians taking to the streets to demand the most basic human freedoms and rights. Watching these courageous men and women, I am reminded of a similar scene nearly two years ago in Burma, when tens of thousands of Buddhist monks peacefully marched through their nation’s streets. They, too, sought to reclaim basic human dignity for all Burmese citizens, but they were beaten back by that nation’s harsh regime.
Since those brutal days in September 2007, Burma’s suffering has intensified. In the past 21 months, the number of political prisoners incarcerated by the junta has doubled. Within the past 10 days, two Burmese citizens were sentenced to 18 months in prison. Their offense: praying in a Buddhist pagoda for the release of the jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. That is only the tip of the regime’s brutality. Inside Burma, more than 3,000 villages have been “forcibly displaced” — a number exceeding the mass relocations in genocide-racked Darfur. The military junta has forced tens of thousands of child soldiers into its army and routinely uses civilians as mine-sweepers and slave laborers. It has closed churches and mosques; it has imprisoned comedians for joking about the government and bloggers for writing about it. Human trafficking, where women and children are snatched and sold, is pervasive. Summary executions pass for justice, while lawyers are arrested for the “crime” of defending the persecuted.
Rape is routinely used as a “weapon of war.” In 2006, I convened a roundtable at the United Nations to address the situation in Burma and listened as Burmese activist Hseng Noung described the rape victims she had aided. The youngest victim was 8; the oldest was 80. Her words silenced the room.
Yet time and again, the women of Burma, who are often the regime’s chief targets, have responded to this brutality with inspiring courage. I will never forget visiting the remote and crowded refugee camps on the mountainous border between Burma and Thailand. There, I watched the tireless efforts of Dr. Cynthia Maung to provide lifesaving medical aid for hundreds of Burmese in need, many of them ill or injured. I sat with victims of land mines who had lost legs or feet and were waiting quietly, often for hours, for basic care. Last fall, it was my great privilege to present a Vital Voices award to Charm Tong, who testified before U.N. officials at the age of 17 and eloquently described the systematic military campaign of rape and abuse that is being waged against women in Burma’s Shan state. She spoke unflinchingly even though her audience included representatives of the very regime she condemned.
More of us in America should make such courage our courage. At this moment, Aung San Suu Kyi, 64 and in fragile health, faces sentencing on trumped-up charges that could force her to endure five more years of brutal captivity. The junta leaders wish to undermine the Nobel Peace laureate’s influence ahead of next year’s elections. Leaders from around the world — including the United States — have called forcefully for the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and the 2,100 other political prisoners it is holding. Even Burma’s closest allies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have called for her to receive proper medical care and have warned that Burma’s “honor and credibility” are at stake. But the world must do more than express concern.
A new report from Harvard Law School asks the U.N. Security Council to establish a “commission of inquiry” into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma. Harvard’s panel of international law experts has carefully catalogued what it deems as the junta’s “widespread and systemic” human rights violations. The Security Council has already referred the crisis in Darfur to the International Criminal Court. It should do the same for Burma.
With U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon planning to visit Burma this summer, it is crucial that he press the regime to take immediate steps to end human rights abuses, particularly in ethnic minority areas. There have been 38 U.N. resolutions condemning these abuses, yet the horrors continue unabated. Under the junta’s brutal rule, too many lives have been wasted, lives whose talents could have helped all of Burma prosper.
But Aung San Suu Kyi’s continued example of civil courage — like those brave protesters in Iran — reminds all of us that no matter how callous the regime, it cannot lock up what she stands for: the fundamental desire of all people to live in freedom and with dignity. During the brief moments that foreign diplomats were allowed to observe her show trial, Aung San Suu Kyi calmly apologized for having to greet them in a prison, saying, “I hope to meet you in better times.” We should all share her hope — and add our voices to those who risk so much to protest tyranny and injustice in Burma and beyond.
The writer is the former first lady of the United States.
Laura Bush: Pressure Burma’s junta to stop human rights abuses
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Joyce N. Boghosian
Former US first lady Laura Bush called for new international pressure on Myanmar in order to force its military leaders to stop human rights abuses.
Laura Bush urges efforts to stop Myanmar repression
Sunday, June 28, 2009 – 06:40
France 24
Former US first lady Laura Bush called for new international pressure on Myanmar in order to force its military leaders to stop human rights abuses.
“With UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon planning to visit Burma this summer, it is crucial that he press the regime to take immediate steps to end human rights abuses, particularly in ethnic minority areas,” the spouse of former president George W. Bush wrote in an op-ed piece in The Washington Post.
“There have been 38 UN resolutions condemning these abuses, yet the horrors continue unabated,” she pointed out. “Under the junta’s brutal rule, too many lives have been wasted, lives whose talents could have helped all of Burma prosper.”
Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 64, is being held in jail on charges of violating her house arrest after American John Yettaw swam to her lakeside house earlier this year. She faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
She has spent 13 of the past 19 years in detention since the ruling generals refused to recognise the landslide victory of her National League for Democracy party (NLD) in 1990 elections.
Bush hails Aung San Suu Kyi’s “continued example of civil courage,” saying that it reminded Americans of the desire of people around the world to live in freedom.
“We should all share her hope — and add our voices to those who risk so much to protest tyranny and injustice in Burma and beyond,” Bush said, referring to Myanmar by its former name.
http://www.france24.com/en/20090628-laura-bush-urges-efforts-stop-myanmar-repression
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Laura Bush calls for Myanmar pressure
Published: June 28, 2009 at 2:08 PM
UPI.com
WASHINGTON, June 28 (UPI) — Former U.S. first lady Laura Bush says the international community must unite to pressure Myanmar to put an end to human rights abuses.Writing Sunday in an opinions piece for The Washington Post, Bush said the courage of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in standing up to country’s regime despite years of house arrest is a “continued example of civil courage.”
“Leaders from around the world — including the United States — have called forcefully for the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and the 2,100 other political prisoners it is holding,” she wrote, “but the world must do more than express concern.”
The former first lady said the United Nations Security Council should refer leaders of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to the International Criminal Court for war crimes as it did Sudan for the alleged genocide in Darfur.
“With U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon planning to visit Burma this summer, it is crucial that he press the regime to take immediate steps to end human rights abuses, particularly in ethnic minority areas,” Bush wrote. “There have been 38 U.N. resolutions condemning these abuses, yet the horrors continue unabated.”
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/28/Laura-Bush-calls-for-Mynamar-pressure/UPI-41141246212516/
(RFA) ဂမ္ဘာရီ ခရီးစဥ္အေပၚ ဦးဝင္းတင္ရဲ႕အျမင္
ဂမ္ဘာရီ ခရီးစဥ္အေပၚ ဦးဝင္းတင္ရဲ႕အျမင္
2009-06-28
ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံကို ရုတ္တရက္ ေရာက္ရွိလာတဲ့ ကုလသမဂၢအတြင္းေရးမႉးခ်ဳပ္ရဲ႕ အထူးကိုယ္စားလွယ္ မစၥတာဂမ္ဘာရီရဲ႕ (၈) ႀကိမ္ေျမာက္ ျမန္မာျပည္ခရီးစဥ္ဟာ အားရဖြယ္မရွိပဲ အေကာင္အထည္ျပဳႏိုင္မယ့္ ရလာဒ္မ်ား ထြက္ေပၚလာေအာင္ လုပ္ေဆာင္ဖိ႔ု လိုတယ္လို႔ NLD ဗဟိုအလုပ္အမႈေဆာင္ေကာ္မတီဝင္ ဦးဝင္းတင္က ေဝဖန္ေျပာဆိုပါတယ္။
ဒီအေၾကာင္းေတြနဲ႔ ပတ္သက္ၿပီး NLD ဦးဝင္းတင္ကို RFA အဖြဲ႔သား ကိုဥာဏ္ဝင္းေအာင္က ဆက္သြယ္ေမးျမန္းထားပါတယ္။
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(RFA) ကုလသမဂၢနဲ႔ အန္အယ္လ္ဒီအေပၚ လူထုဦးစိန္ဝင္း ေဝဖန္
NLD တိုးတက္ေျပာင္းလဲဖို႔လိုေၾကာင္း လူထုဦးစိန္ဝင္း ေဝဖန္ေျပာၾကား
2009-06-27
ဝါရင့္ႏိုင္ငံေရးသမားန႔ဲ စာေရးဆရာ သတင္းစာဆရာႀကီးတဦးျဖစ္တဲ့ လူထုဦးစိန္ဝင္းက ျမန္မာျပည္သူလူထုရဲ႕ ဘဝတိုးတက္ေရးအတြက္ ကုလသမဂၢအဖြဲ႔အေနန႔ဲ တစုံတရာ ကူညီႏိုင္မွာမဟုတ္ပဲ မိမိတို႔ ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံသားအခ်င္းခ်င္း ပူးေပါင္းေဆာင္ရြက္မွသာ ေအာင္ျမင္မွာျဖစ္ေၾကာင္းနဲ႔ လက္ရွိ NLD ရဲ႕ လုပ္ေဆာင္မႈေတြ တိုးတက္ ေျပာင္းလဲဖိ႔ုလိုေၾကာင္း ေဝဖန္ေျပာၾကားလုိက္ပါတယ္။
RFA အဖြဲ႔သား ဦးခင္ေမာင္စိုးနဲ႔ လူထုဦးစိန္ဝင္း ဆက္သြယ္ေမးျမန္းခ်က္ အျပည့္အစုံကို နားဆင္ႏို္င္ပါတယ္။
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http://www.rfa.org/burmese/news/journalist_ludu_sein_win_criticizes_NLD-06272009195514.html
World focus on Burma (28 June 2009)
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Ban to ask junta to release Suu Kyi
MorungExpress –
Gambari, visiting the former Burma for the eighth time, returned to Yangon after a one-day trip to the new capital Naypyidaw, where he met Myanmar…
Foreign
Benefits of China’s ‘peaceful rise’
Taipei Times – Wen Liao –
… signed on to a joint Asia-Europe summit declaration calling for the release from detention of Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, …
UN Burma envoy set to brief Ban
BBC News –
They discussed Mr Ban Ki-Moon’s visit to Myanmar [Burma],” AFP news agency quoted state television as saying. Mr Gambari has now visited Burma eight times …
More:
- UN envoy Gambari concludes Myanmar visi Reuters India –
- UN envoy clears way for Ban Ki-moon Burma visit Radio Australia News –
- UN troubleshooter discusses Ban visit in Myanmar Daily Times –
- Myanmar FM, UN envoy discuss UN Chief visit Xinhua –
Rock group U2 urges fans to protest against Aung San Suu Kyi arrest
Monsters and Critics.com –
London – Irish rock group U2, about to embark on a new concert tour, Sunday urged its fans to join in a protest against Myanmar’s ongoing arrest of …
More:
- U2 fans asked to show solidarity with Suu Kyi Ireland Online -
- U2 fans to highlight Suu Kyi’s life Mirror.co.uk –
- U2 rallies fans for Myanmar dissident United Press International –
Freedom march stalls: Lynching of liberty
TheChronicleHerald.ca –
Two years ago, it was the military dictatorship in Burma that brutally put down a peaceful popular movement led by Buddhist monks. …
Laura Bush urges efforts to stop Myanmar repression
France24 –
“Under the junta’s brutal rule, too many lives have been wasted, lives whose talents could have helped all of Burma prosper.” Myanmar democracy leader Aung …
Do Not Forget Burma
Washington Post – Laura Bush –
Watching these courageous men and women, I am reminded of a similar scene nearly two years ago in Burma, when tens of thousands of Buddhist monks peacefully …
New rules for musicians performing abroad
Mizzima.com –
“We introduced the new regulation about three months ago, to warn singers and musicians to perform decently in keeping with Burmese culture and to return …
EDITORIAL Mr Ban is needed
Bangkok Post –
… eighth visit to Burma to try to promote political reconciliation between the military government and the pro-democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi, …
Gail Rosenblum: Doctors kept from doctoring
Minneapolis Star Tribune – Gail Rosenblum –
After completing medical school in her home country of MyanmarBurma), Oo ran a thriving private practice for seven years. …
(formerly
RP No. 5 on ‘shabu’ list, says UN
Inquirer.net – Cynthia Balana –
It said that while many countries manufactured shabu, China, Burma (Myanmar) and the Philippines accounted for most of the production. …
UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News
Times of the Internet –
Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, since 1990 when she won the popular election and the military junta …
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regime plots purge after Iran election protests
Times Online – Marie Colvin –
Supporters said they feared Mousavi could become another Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader who has spent 13 of the past 19 years under …
World focus on Burma (27 June 2009)
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UN envoy ends two-day visit to Myanmar
The United States and Europe have both imposed sanctions against Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, which has been ruled by the military since 1962.
- UN Envoy Leaves Burma Voice of America -
- UN envoy paves way for Ban Myanmar visit: state TV Jakarta Post -
- No Signs Gambari Will Meet Suu Kyi or Than Shwe The Irrawaddy News Magazine -
- UN special envoy meets Myanmar’s FM amid calls for Suu Kyi’s release GulfNews -
- UN troubleshooter discusses Ban visit in Myanmar New Straits Times –
- UN envoy in Myanmar to discuss Ban visit 英文中國郵報 -
- UN troubleshooter in Burma to discuss Ban visit Radio Australia News –
- UN envoy arrives in Myanmar for latest visit UN News Centre -
- UN Envoy Visits Burma to Plan UN Chief’s Visit Voice of America -
- UN envoy arrives in Burma for talks CBC.ca -
- Special Envoy Arrives In Myanmar In Preparation Of UN Chief’s Visit AHN -
Global economic crisis exacerbating human rights abuses
Ethiopian Review –
In Burma, the military government rejected international aid in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis and punished those who tried to help victims of the disaster …
SOUTHEAST ASIA: Regional Rights Body Dismissed as “Toothless”
Inter Press Service – Marwaan Macan-Markar –
The countries in the regional bloc, which was formed in 1967 as a bulwark against the spread of communism, include Brunei, Burma (or Myanmar), Cambodia, …
Burma Wants the Bomb
The Irrawaddy News Magazine –
… of China from 1974 to 1976, is a veteran politician who is still actively working for national reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Burma. …
Regimes censor Iranian revolt
Winnipeg Free Press –
BEIJING — The authoritarian governments of China, Cuba, Myanmar and Venezuela have been selectively censoring the news out of Iran, out of fear that …
Weekly Business Roundup (June 27, 2009)
The Irrawaddy News Magazine – William Boot –
“The bulk of the trade between India and Myanmar [Burma] is routed through our bank, so it makes sense to have our presence there,” bank chairman SC Gupta …
Walk on
U2 France -
In 2009 U2 fans at every show will be reminding the world of the plight of Burma’s democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. …
Regimes censor news
Sarasota Herald-Tribune -
The authoritarian governments of China, Cuba, Myanmar and Venezuela have been selectively censoring the news out of Iran, out of fear that history might …
China trying to block news from Iran
United Press International –
The governments of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, and Venezuela also fear the Iranian protests could be the beginning of a wave of political unrest …
Authoritarian Regimes Censor News From Iran
Washington Post – Ariana Eunjung Cha –
In Burma, the junta’s mouthpiece, the New Light of Myanmar, has drowned out news from Tehran with articles on bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan. …
U2 Encourage Mask-Wearing Protest
ChartAttack – Jason MacNeil –
Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and won elections in Burma in 1990, but the military junta refused to accept the results. …
Ban to use Myanmar trip to ask junta to release Suu Kyi
The Japan Times –
NEW YORK (Kyodo) UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who hopes to travel to Myanmar after visiting Japan next week, said Thursday he wants to discuss the …
Sri Lankan astrologer arrested after predicting President …
Times Online – Jeremy Page –
Myint Lwin, an astrologer from Burma, apologised to the country in May 2008 for failing to predict Cyclone Nargis. • A Russian astrologer, Marina Bai, …
US, South Korea hold defence talks amid threats from North
CBC.ca –
… destroyer shadowed a North Korean freighter sailing off China’s coast, possibly with banned goods on board on its way to Burma, also known as Myanmar. …
Burma Wants the Bomb
The Irrawaddy
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Burma Wants the Bomb
Relations between Burma and North Korea have attracted intense attention in recent weeks, as suspicions grow that the two pariah states are joining forces in a bid to thwart international sanctions against them.
Two recent developments have greatly added to worries that these two countries are becoming a double threat to regional security.
The first was the departure of a North Korean cargo ship, the Kang Nam 1, from a port near Pyongyang on June 17. The ship is believed to be heading for Burma, and is currently being pursued by the US Navy, which may act on a recent UN resolution authorizing inspections of North Korean vessels suspected of carrying banned weapons or materials.
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| Thakhin Chan Tun |
The second was the leaking of documents and video footage showing caves and tunnels being constructed in Burma with the help of North Korean engineers—possibly as part of a controversial nuclear program by the Burma junta.
To learn more about the possible significance of these events, The Irrawaddy recently interviewed Thakhin Chan Tun, a former diplomat who served as Burma’s ambassador to North Korea from 1974 to 1975.
Thakhin Chan Tun, who was also the ambassador to Canada from 1969 to 1974 and to the People’s Republic of China from 1974 to 1976, is a veteran politician who is still actively working for national reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Burma.
Question: Thakhin Chan Tun, you served as Burma’s ambassador to North Korea from 1974 to 1975. Can you briefly describe bilateral relations between the two countries from then until now?
Answer: It was very good at that time. They paid great attention to us, possibly because it was the beginning of our diplomatic relationship. But then, in 1983, Burma invited a South Korean government delegation to visit, and North Korea plotted to assassinate them at the Martyrs’ Mausoleum in Rangoon, killing 22 people. The South Korean president was fortunate to be late arriving at the place. They [the North Koreans] are the kind of people who can commit such crimes. They dare to do everything.
Now the US has imposed sanctions on Burma and the Burmese junta takes a hostile approach to the US. North Korea is also seen as an enemy of the US. So now [Burma and North Korea] are close again, as allies. What had happened in 1983 is no longer an issue between them. Since they both have a grudge against the US, the Burmese military has formed a new alliance with North Korea. I see the junta has also been trying to foster relations with Iran and Cuba, which are also antagonistic to the US.
Q: What differences do you observe in the relationship between the period of Gen Ne Win’s rule and now?
A: At that time, it was just a diplomatic relationship, based on the fact that North Korea was also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement. It was like the relationship that we had with other countries around the world. In the first year of formal diplomatic ties, Burma’s foreign minister [went to North Korea], and then U Ne Win and his daughter Sandar Win made a state visit. That’s it. We severed diplomatic communication after the bombing.
Now the diplomatic relationship has resumed without any apology from them. Of course, we should forgive them, if they apologize. But North Korea has never issued a formal apology to Burma. But it is should be considered absolutely necessary if the two countries want to resume normal diplomatic relations. However, I know that people from here were the first to approach the other side.
Now communications seem better. As far as I have observed, it is basically for military purposes and especially for weapons.
North Korea is smarter than Burma in terms of weapons technology. People from here want those weapons, and they want [North Korea’s] nuclear technology. I assume they resumed relations for that purpose.
A nuclear reactor is reportedly being built here, and if they want to make a nuclear bomb from it, they may need to receive the technology from North Korea.
Q: In the world of international diplomacy, how shocking is an attack like the bombing carried out by the North Koreans in 1983?
A: It is the most serious crime.
It was insulting to Burma. The bomb went off in a building just 30-40 feet from our Martyrs’ Mausoleum, where the fathers of our nation are buried. Some Burmese ministers were also killed in the blast, along with the South Koreans.
Q: So what do you think of the resumption of diplomatic ties with a country that would commit such a crime?
A: It seems like they can just get away with anything.
Q: How will dealing with a country like North Korea, which is extremely isolated in the world, affect Burma?
A: [The Burmese junta] doesn’t think that deeply. They are unfriendly with the US, so they deal with other countries that are antagonistic to the US. The relationship itself seems to show that they don’t care about US policy.
Q: Is the relationship for their benefit?
A: Burma wants nuclear technology. To put it plainly: Burma wants to get the technology to develop a nuclear bomb. They have been sending many students to Russia for years. They study there for three to five years. Now they seem to be getting quite far.
However, Russia is a major world power, so they won’t give [the Burmese] the technical know-how [to build a bomb] because they have to maintain some ethical standards. North Korean, on the other, would be willing to provide this technology if they were approached.
To promote the relationship between the two countries, Gen Shwe Man visited there, and I have heard that the deputy foreign minister is handling the relationship. North Korea is now allowed to open an embassy in Burma.
However, I have to say it is childish of the Burmese generals to dream about acquiring nuclear technology, since they can’t even provide regular electricity in Burma.
Q: Why is China alarmed about the relationship between North Korea and Burma?
A: China understands the Burmese regime’s attitude well. Even if the generals are in a good mood now, they can easily change and become enemies in a short time. Their decisions are based on emotions. I think the same is true of the North Korean leadership.
Now China is trying to reign in North Korea. China has protected North Korea in the past, but now it is reluctant to do so again. I noticed that China didn’t object much to the UN Security Council’s recent resolution on North Korea.
Now China is advising the Burmese leaders to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, although they are not referring to her by name. They have started talking about the need for national reconciliation in Burma.
If Burma moves closer to North Korea, China’s attitude to Burma could become more like its recent approach to North Korea. China has protected these countries to some extent in the past. But China could change its stand on Burma in the UN Security Council. Even if they don’t positively support a resolution condemning the regime, they could abstain from using their veto to block it. Burma may think that it can pursue whatever course it likes without worrying about Chinese support, but the idea that China will support the Burmese regime forever is wrong.
Q: What do you think about relations between China and Russia? Russia recently reiterated its opposition to political and economic pressure on Burma. Is it true that Russia still supports Burma?
A: Russia wants Burma to be its protégé and China thinks the same. They compete with each other for influence on Burma. Now China seems reluctant to support Burma, so Russia is jumping in to support the junta.
Moreover, there are many Burmese students studying in Russia and Russia considers them to be “their” men. I assume Russia wants Burma to be its man.
Q: Burma could use money it gets from selling natural gas to South Korea to buy arms from North Korea. How could tension on the Korean peninsula affect Burma-North Korea relations?
A: South Korea started buying Burmese gas before Burma normalized relations with North Korea. It is only in the past year or two that that there have been reports that Burma was buying arms from North Korea. Now the South Korean president has started criticizing Burma, and if some parliamentarians in South Korea start complaining about [Burma’s relationship with North Korea], it may change [Burmese-South Korean relations]. It depends on the South’s position. Burma may want to deal with both sides.
Q: North Korea is famous for its tunnel construction. Do you think this is something that the Burmese generals are particularly interested in?
A: When I was ambassador to North Korea, [Kim Il-sung] the father of the current president was still alive. He was very powerful. He used to live in tunnels and we sometimes visited him there. We went there by helicopter and then by car. His home in Pyongyang was just for show. They were always expecting war and were constantly preparing themselves for that. But we could visit him if he was in good health.
Now it is said that the Burmese junta is constructing tunnels in Kyaukse, in Minbu Township in Magway Division, in Chin State and in the Arakan Yoma mountain range with North Korea assistance. This news is spreading, so there may be something to it.
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