{"id":6289,"date":"2025-05-30T03:21:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T20:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=6289"},"modified":"2025-05-31T13:34:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T07:04:59","slug":"the-fuse-that-must-be-lit-under-asean-part-5-by-theo-zaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2025\/05\/the-fuse-that-must-be-lit-under-asean-part-5-by-theo-zaw\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fuse That Must Be Lit Under ASEAN (Part 5) – By Theo Zaw"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fuse That Must Be Lit Under ASEAN (Part 5) – By Theo Zaw<\/strong>
MoeMaKa, May 29, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

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You may have noticed that this series has been circling around Myanmar’s nuclear ambitions, which ultimately failed to reach their goal between 2000 and 2010.<\/p>\n

The sequence of events leading from the Myanmar defense minister\u2019s 2012 statement at the Shangri-La Dialogue that the country had abandoned its nuclear program, to the discovery of weapons-grade plutonium in the possession of “Ebisawa,” strongly suggests that secret activities continued even after that date.<\/p>\n

If there had been hesitation in drawing firm conclusions before, this development helps underline that successive military leaders were untruthful and unbothered by violating international treaties. This writing takes a firm stance from that perspective.<\/p>\n

Recently, Thai Member of Parliament Kannavee Suebsang (Fair Party), who has frequently criticized the Myanmar junta, raised concerns about a possible nuclear reactor construction under the military regime. If neighboring countries and ASEAN member states are beginning to worry, that is no surprise\u2014and it\u2019s something everyone should pay attention to.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also necessary to bring up the revelations of the late Professor Desmond Ball. He was a professor at The Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University and led the department from 1984 to 1991. Even U.S. President Jimmy Carter once praised him for advising on avoiding nuclear war during the Cold War.<\/p>\n

Ball had a keen interest in Myanmar. An article he co-authored with journalist Phil Thornton in the Sydney Morning Herald<\/em> (August 1, 2009) about Myanmar\u2019s nuclear secrets predated the DVB\u2013Al Jazeera investigative report (2010).<\/p>\n

In that article, Ball cited interviews conducted during a two-year investigation in Thailand. One interviewee was a former DSA (Defence Services Academy) officer who studied in Russia in 2000 (likely from weekly intake 41 or 42). The other was an English-speaking executive officer referred to as \u201cHtoo Trading Co.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the article, those interviews confirmed that by 2007 Myanmar\u2019s generals had already set the wheels in motion. The article also mentioned that a uranium purification plant had been built in Thabeikkyin using Russian machinery, and satellite photos from 2007 revealed storage tanks consistent with Yellowcake (U3O8)\u2014a precursor material in uranium processing.<\/p>\n

Yellowcake was also a key piece of evidence presented in the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s case against \u201cEbisawa.\u201d Interestingly, VOA had also interviewed a nuclear project advisor in Myanmar\u2014U Thein Oo Phoe Saw\u2014who said in a January 13, 2013 interview that \u201cwe are still trying to produce uranium oxide, known as Yellowcake, but it\u2019s not yet successful.\u201d He also stated that thorium could be found in the same regions as the famed Mogok rubies.<\/p>\n

Thorium was among the radioactive materials \u201cEbisawa\u201d was accused of attempting to illegally sell. While some may try to deny military involvement in these materials, it\u2019s implausible that such operations could occur without the military\u2019s knowledge or participation.<\/p>\n

Notably, U Thein Oo Phoe Saw gave that interview after Myanmar\u2019s 2012 defense minister had told the world the program was suspended. Since the nuclear program lacked transparency, only those involved would know whether these continued activities fell within IAEA-permitted frameworks.<\/p>\n

Another striking detail from Ball\u2019s reporting was the claim that Myanmar had constructed at least one nuclear reactor\u2014possibly with North Korean assistance. The location suggested was Naung Laing near Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay. The article speculated that the name \u201cNaung Laing\u201d might have been planted by intelligence agencies as disinformation to conceal the true location.<\/p>\n

With such secrecy, it’s difficult to pinpoint exact sites. Analysts must rely on indirect evidence, much like when I previously wrote about secret bunkers under Naypyidaw and was criticized for speculating on YouTube. However, after the recent Sagaing earthquake, BBC\u2019s coverage of military command bunkers being affected lends some credibility to the existence of underground facilities.<\/p>\n

Some facilities are said to be so secret that even senior generals and ministers are denied access. One former Union Minister under Thein Sein reportedly faced disciplinary action after investigating such a site without permission.<\/p>\n

Reading Ball\u2019s article makes it clear that Myanmar\u2019s nuclear ambitions may be even more deeply hidden than suspected. And if there\u2019s one person who likely knows more than most about this program, it might be a former NLD minister.<\/p>\n

(To be continued)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Fuse That Must Be Lit Under ASEAN (Part 5) – By Theo ZawMoeMaKa, May 29, 2025 You may have noticed that this series has been circling around Myanmar’s nuclear ambitions, which ultimately failed to reach their goal between 2000…<\/p>\n

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