North Korean cargo-carrying weapons for the Burmese dictatorship
Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A ship flying the flag of North Korea could carry weapons for the Burmese military junta, according to anonymous sources from South Korean intelligence. The cargo ship Kang Nam, currently off the coast of China, is expected to dock in the next few days in a port near Yangon.
The transport of arms between Pyongyang and Naypyidaw violates UN guidelines that prohibit the North Korean arms trade. In recent weeks, Seoul has joined the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), an initiative sought by former U.S. president George Bush to prevent the transfer of technology and weapons of mass destruction. It allows - at least in theory - the inspection of North Korean ships, but Pyongyang has repeatedly stressed that it would consider such action as a declaration of war, and has threatened a new confrontation with the South. This is why international policy experts consider a blockade of the cargo unlikely.
The Kang Nam I has previously transported weapons for the military regime in Myanmar. In May 2007, the Burmese Foreign Ministry issued a circular in political and diplomatic circles, authorising the docking of the North Korean vessel for "humanitarian reasons". Kim Jin-moo, an expert of the South Korean Institute for Defence Analysis, reports of trafficking of small arms, artillery and rifles between North Korea and the former Burma.
According to the dissident Burmese newspaper The Irrawaddy, the ship is due to dock in the next few days at the port of Thilawa, about 30 km south of Yangon. "If the Kang Nam reaches the Burmese coast - said Htay Aung, a researcher of the Network for Democracy and Development (NDD) based in Thailand - the council will disseminate a press release similar to that issued in the past." He adds that "it is known that North Korea and Myanmar have maintained secret relations" and that is "highly probable" that weapons are the basis of trade. The expert does not exclude the possibility that the military junta in Burma are working in secret to develop a military nuclear arsenal.
A U.S. cruiser, meanwhile, is following the route of the North Korean vessel. Yesterday, the U.S. President Barack Obama assured that the country is ready to face any move made by the North Korean regime, including a possible nuclear or missile test in early July. Pyongyang continues to maintain the high tone of the confrontation declaring itself to be "a proud nuclear power" that will respond appropriately if provoked.
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