FEARS OF NUCLEAR ACTIVITY IN BURMA

FEARS OF NUCLEAR ACTIVITY IN BURMA
Sunday July 25,2010
By James Murray: Exclusive

FEARS that Myanmar’s ruthless military leaders are in the early stages of building nuclear bombs have been sparked by a set of chilling satellite images.

The junta ruling the East Asian country, formerly known as Burma, have banned basic human rights, but spent tens of millions of pounds building the bases with the reported help of nuclear experts from Russia and North Korea.

The images acquired by the journal Jane’s Intelligence Review from a commercial company, DigitalGlobe, will alarm western governments concerned about Myanmar’s motives.

The first indications of its nuclear ambitions came last February when army Major Sai Thein Win defected with a dossier on the secret sites.

Now living in fear of his life outside the country, Major Win, who was deputy commander of two machine tool factories, painted a vivid picture of the programme.

An engineer who spent five years working in Russia, he said he made a prototype for a long- range missile engine and parts for a laser beam intended to enrich uranium.

He worked at two sites near Mandalay, Myaing and Pyin U Lwin. According to the Democratic Voice of Burma pressure group, both factories are situated in dense forest.

The several hundred photographs of the plants which Major Win brought with him have aroused huge interest among defence chiefs in neighbouring Asian countries and western governments.

Major Win says the head of the programme reports directly to the leaders of the military junta in Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw, 400 miles from the former capital, Rangoon, now Yangon.

The country’s nuclear effort is managed by the Directorate of Defence Services Science and Technology Research Centre in Pyin U Lwin at the Defence Services Technological Academy. Hundreds of military officers are educated there but it is not thought they conduct experiments with nuclear materials or explosives.

Evidence has also emerged of a “nuclear battalion” is working at a place called Thabeikkyin where there are also extensive mining and ore concentrations. There are suggestions that they are trying to produce yellowcake, a kind of uranium concentrate powder, for possible use in processing uranium.

The Democratic Voice for Burma says the mission “is to build a nuclear reactor and enrich uranium for a nuclear bomb”. It adds: “There is considerable research work at the site devoted to this end. It is not clear that either the reactor or enrichment plant would be built, possibly only designed here.”

However, experts at Jane’s Intelligence Review say although the country is clearly taking measures to have it own nuclear programme, it is “severely hampered” because the programme is too ambitious and expertise is limited.

Myanmar has obsolete agreements with the Geneva-based International Atomic Energy Agency but has not signed protocols which would allow detailed inspections of the factories.

Leaders have ignored requests to improve the agreements which mean the country is virtually exempt from inspections. Christian Le Mière, editor of Jane’s Intelligence Review, said: “There is no question Myanmar is attempting to build the components for a nuclear fuel cycle.

“However, Major Sai Thein Win’s testimony and other evidence also reveal intrinsic flaws within the programme.

“Careful analysis of the data reveals that Myanmar is vastly out of its depth. Almost all of its diagrams and computer-assisted designs for tool production are categorically flawed.

“Nevertheless, with Myanmar’s current freedom from sanctions and relative economic prosperity, the junta may be able to outsource the technical know-how and tools to reach its goals far sooner than expected.”
http://www.express. co.uk/posts/ view/188985/ Fears-of- nuclear-activity -in-Burma