Ian Mather Diplomatic Correspondent and Shaikh Azizur Rahman
In Calcutta
News.Scotsman.com (UK)
FEARS are growing that the so-called 'axis of evil' is about to acquire a new member.
Burma is re-arming itself and building up nuclear technology as it exploits its natural wealth for the first time.
Despite international sanctions, energy-hungry China and India are jockeying for a share in the country's vast resources of oil and gas. In return, both are happy to meet the junta's demand for weapons.
Meanwhile, under a treaty signed in Moscow, Russia's atomic energy agency will design and build a nuclear research centre in a country that is already considered a pariah state in the West because of its human rights abuses. At the same time, Burma, also known as Myanmar, has patched up relations with North Korea.
The Russian agency, Rosatom, defends the nuclear agreement on the grounds that it will "deepen and broaden the beneficial economic and scientific ties between the two countries", and that it will be under the control of the International Atomic Energy Authority.
However, the IAEA said it had never heard of the deal and the US launched a scathing criticism of it. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said last week there were no safeguards against proliferation, accidents or environmental damage.
"Burma has neither the regulatory nor the legal framework or safeguard provisions or other kinds of things that you would expect or want to see for a country to be able to handle successfully a nuclear programme of this type," he said.
President George W Bush announced that the US was extending sanctions already imposed on Burma. Charles Ferguson, science and technology fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think tank, said that the world should be concerned for security reasons. "While Russia gains a new market for its nuclear industry, Burma could use the cover of a peaceful nuclear programme to eventually acquire a nuclear weapons programme," he said.
William Ashton, author of Burma's Nuclear Programme: Dream Or Nightmare?, said: "Burma has long been suspected of harbouring nuclear ambitions. This concern has begun to turn to alarm among the international community, as reports have emerged suggesting that the reactor may be built with the assistance of North Korea.
"This has raised the spectre of a future nuclear weapons programme that could intimidate Burma's neighbours and be used as a bargaining chip against the US and its allies."
Traditionally, Burma has been dependent on China for weapons, and Beijing is modernising at least six naval bases in the country. But analysts say India is becoming desperate to counter China's influence.
New Delhi-based security analyst Rahul Bedi says the Indian navy fears the bases will be used to "support Chinese submarine operations in the region as part of Beijing's 'string of pearls' strategy of clinching regional defence and security agreements to secure its mounting fuel requirements and enhance its military profile in the Indian Ocean region".
Beijing has also reportedly established a signals base on Burma's Coco Islands, less than 20 miles from India's Andaman Islands territory.
"India's dominance in the Bay of Bengal will be written off should Burma provide a number of naval bases to China along her long seaboard. This would also enable China to permanently station an Indian Ocean fleet operating out of such bases," says another Delhi-based strategic affairs expert, Dr Subhash Kapila.
India has already supplied Burma with a host of military hardware, including field guns, howitzers and maritime surveillance aircraft. In addition, Burma is thought to be seeking helicopters, submarines, mortars, submarine-detecting sonar equipment, surveillance aircraft and spares for MiG fighter planes. Officially, the weapons are supposed to be used by the Burmese army against Indian insurgents operating from Burma's jungles near the border. But pro-democracy activists fear the hardline junta will use the equipment to suppress opposition and resist the democratisation process.
Suspicions about Burma's intentions have grown since it resumed diplomatic relations with North Korea, another pariah state, last month. North Korea is known to supply weapons and weapons technology to Burma. Western diplomats are curious about two North Korean ships which have docked in Burma's ports in suspicious circumstances. Last week Burma announced that North Korean cargo ship Kang Nam 1, which docked near the capital, Rangoon, also known as Yangon, had been in distress and had taken shelter from a storm.
Burma permitted another North Korean cargo ship, the Bong Hoafan, to anchor at a port last November for identical reasons. On both occasions Burma announced that inspections had been carried out and no suspicious cargo had been found.
All North Korean ships are subject to international inspections under a UN Security Council resolution following nuclear tests carried out by Pyonyang last October.
As international criticism mounts, Burma's ruling generals are promising a new constitution and an eventual democratic election.
Cambodia's foreign minister, Hor Namhong, who visited Burma last week, said that both General Thein Sein, Burma's acting prime minister, and Senior General Than Shwe, head of the junta, had stressed their commitment to democratisation.
The generals had asked for "understanding" of "difficulties" Burma faces, including rebellious armed groups and more than 100 ethnic groups.
But the junta still insists detained pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom is not necessary for national reconciliation.
The comments yesterday came after the regime imposed another year of house arrest on the Nobel Laureate, leader of the country's main opposition National League for Democracy.
"It can be said clearly that the release of Daw Suu Kyi is not necessary for national reconciliation and for the nation either," a commentary in the state-owned Myanma Ahlin and Kyeon newspapers said.
The order to extend her detention, which was due to expire today, provoked international outrage and calls for stronger sanctions against the military, which has ruled the former Burma since 1962.
She has now been in detention for more than 11 of the last 17 years and United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, described her confinement as being "cruel and unacceptable".
Burma is re-arming itself and building up nuclear technology as it exploits its natural wealth for the first time.
Despite international sanctions, energy-hungry China and India are jockeying for a share in the country's vast resources of oil and gas. In return, both are happy to meet the junta's demand for weapons.
Meanwhile, under a treaty signed in Moscow, Russia's atomic energy agency will design and build a nuclear research centre in a country that is already considered a pariah state in the West because of its human rights abuses. At the same time, Burma, also known as Myanmar, has patched up relations with North Korea.
The Russian agency, Rosatom, defends the nuclear agreement on the grounds that it will "deepen and broaden the beneficial economic and scientific ties between the two countries", and that it will be under the control of the International Atomic Energy Authority.
However, the IAEA said it had never heard of the deal and the US launched a scathing criticism of it. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said last week there were no safeguards against proliferation, accidents or environmental damage.
"Burma has neither the regulatory nor the legal framework or safeguard provisions or other kinds of things that you would expect or want to see for a country to be able to handle successfully a nuclear programme of this type," he said.
President George W Bush announced that the US was extending sanctions already imposed on Burma. Charles Ferguson, science and technology fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think tank, said that the world should be concerned for security reasons. "While Russia gains a new market for its nuclear industry, Burma could use the cover of a peaceful nuclear programme to eventually acquire a nuclear weapons programme," he said.
William Ashton, author of Burma's Nuclear Programme: Dream Or Nightmare?, said: "Burma has long been suspected of harbouring nuclear ambitions. This concern has begun to turn to alarm among the international community, as reports have emerged suggesting that the reactor may be built with the assistance of North Korea.
"This has raised the spectre of a future nuclear weapons programme that could intimidate Burma's neighbours and be used as a bargaining chip against the US and its allies."
Traditionally, Burma has been dependent on China for weapons, and Beijing is modernising at least six naval bases in the country. But analysts say India is becoming desperate to counter China's influence.
New Delhi-based security analyst Rahul Bedi says the Indian navy fears the bases will be used to "support Chinese submarine operations in the region as part of Beijing's 'string of pearls' strategy of clinching regional defence and security agreements to secure its mounting fuel requirements and enhance its military profile in the Indian Ocean region".
Beijing has also reportedly established a signals base on Burma's Coco Islands, less than 20 miles from India's Andaman Islands territory.
"India's dominance in the Bay of Bengal will be written off should Burma provide a number of naval bases to China along her long seaboard. This would also enable China to permanently station an Indian Ocean fleet operating out of such bases," says another Delhi-based strategic affairs expert, Dr Subhash Kapila.
India has already supplied Burma with a host of military hardware, including field guns, howitzers and maritime surveillance aircraft. In addition, Burma is thought to be seeking helicopters, submarines, mortars, submarine-detecting sonar equipment, surveillance aircraft and spares for MiG fighter planes. Officially, the weapons are supposed to be used by the Burmese army against Indian insurgents operating from Burma's jungles near the border. But pro-democracy activists fear the hardline junta will use the equipment to suppress opposition and resist the democratisation process.
Suspicions about Burma's intentions have grown since it resumed diplomatic relations with North Korea, another pariah state, last month. North Korea is known to supply weapons and weapons technology to Burma. Western diplomats are curious about two North Korean ships which have docked in Burma's ports in suspicious circumstances. Last week Burma announced that North Korean cargo ship Kang Nam 1, which docked near the capital, Rangoon, also known as Yangon, had been in distress and had taken shelter from a storm.
Burma permitted another North Korean cargo ship, the Bong Hoafan, to anchor at a port last November for identical reasons. On both occasions Burma announced that inspections had been carried out and no suspicious cargo had been found.
All North Korean ships are subject to international inspections under a UN Security Council resolution following nuclear tests carried out by Pyonyang last October.
As international criticism mounts, Burma's ruling generals are promising a new constitution and an eventual democratic election.
Cambodia's foreign minister, Hor Namhong, who visited Burma last week, said that both General Thein Sein, Burma's acting prime minister, and Senior General Than Shwe, head of the junta, had stressed their commitment to democratisation.
The generals had asked for "understanding" of "difficulties" Burma faces, including rebellious armed groups and more than 100 ethnic groups.
But the junta still insists detained pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom is not necessary for national reconciliation.
The comments yesterday came after the regime imposed another year of house arrest on the Nobel Laureate, leader of the country's main opposition National League for Democracy.
"It can be said clearly that the release of Daw Suu Kyi is not necessary for national reconciliation and for the nation either," a commentary in the state-owned Myanma Ahlin and Kyeon newspapers said.
The order to extend her detention, which was due to expire today, provoked international outrage and calls for stronger sanctions against the military, which has ruled the former Burma since 1962.
She has now been in detention for more than 11 of the last 17 years and United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, described her confinement as being "cruel and unacceptable".
4 comments:
Returning fromm Burma, Hor Nam Hong said that Burma is heading to Democracy! Yes a Democracy a la Hun Sen or a Democracy similar to the Democracy of Hun Sen's Cambodia.
What is degusting with those military Junta is that they have "robbed" the power from a Courageous woman and emprisonned her for more than 10 yaers. What's a band of coward generals.
And look at the Hypocrysie of the West! They gave her a Nobel prize but have done little to help her, because Burma represents their interests.
Damn, I bet Ah Khmer-Yuons are
behind all this. They must be
quarantined somewhere before war
break out in IndoChina and destroy
everything.
Aside from that, Burma is heading
direction if they are expanding
their weapons. The Nuke Power Plant
should be beneficial, however.
You seem to get loss in planet Mars or something!!!We are talking about Burma politics, this loser talked about Khmer Yuons politics. Such a paranoid individual.
Such an ignorant and careless leaders to think Nuke is their only goal to world domination. Look at the citizens of North Korea who are eating grass to survive by the day. These power-hunger leaders are in power to monopolize the nation power and control of their people--simply taped mouths, plugged ears, and blind-folded eyes is the method to live in these rogue regimes.
It is so absurd to boast that the commies and dictators are singing and talking "democracy". Let me say this way sounds more right, "democracy" or "people power" is the "controlled" regime's worst enemy.
These regimes are still at kid-play level, no idea of the affect in case of a fallout like Chernobyl disaster in the former Soviet Unions. Even a once-superpower nation mismanaged the Nuke badly. And then the storage of the Nuke waste, still to this day no one has found a safe way to store it. Think about the consequences before even play the tool!!!!Or maybe these regime leaders are already inhumane, they care less about human loss in case of accident handling Nuke.
Bullshit, Burma Democracy is a lot
purer than your fake Democracy,
fool.
And except for the arm race, they
are one of the purest Democracy
on this planet. I wonder if their
westly neighbors caused them to
get into an arm race, or perhaps
there have been too many warships
visiting this area. I just hope
it won't spread into our area. We
do not want to waste our oil moneys
on scrap metals.
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