Burma’s Non-Nuclear Plans

Burma’s Non-Nuclear Plans

from The Diplomat by J. Berkshire Miller

Last year, senior Burmese officials dismissed the notion that the government in Naypyidaw is pursuing a nuclear program, peaceful or otherwise. Science and Technology Minister U Aye Myint became the first senior official to openly deny the allegations of a nefarious weapons program. He insisted that, despite considering the option of a civilian nuclear program, Burma doesn’t have “sufficient resources” to embark on such an initiative. Myint further asserted that his country had “no plan at all to own nuclear weapons” and underlined Burma’s commitment to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone Treaty, which it has signed and deposited. Since then, the military junta in Naypyidaw has continued its courtship of the West with a charm offensive aimed at removing the smothering sanctions that have targeted the regime for decades. The turning point, it seems, came in December, when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the country with caveat-laden hopes ... Read More...