Even as the international community and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have expressed grave concern over Burma’s nuclear weapons programme with North-Korea’s support, its giant neighbour, China has been conspicuous by its silence, say observers on the Sino-Burma border.
The reason - China had acted as a facilitator between the two countries, according to Aung Kyaw Zaw, a well-known Burma watcher.
Burma and North-Korea cut off relations in 1983, after members of a high profile delegation from South-Korea were assassinated by North-Korean agents while they were on a visit to Burma, known since then as the Mausoleum massacre.
China later worked out a rapprochement between the two because it was unable to sell Burma other than conventional weapons, according to him.
“China is therefore partly responsible for the junta’s nuclear programme,” he said. “But it should at least know that letting Burma to do whatever it wants is dangerous. It should have also realized that the military junta, from top to bottom, is unhappy with China. What happened in Kokang (last year) and Mongkoe (in 2000) should serve as examples.”
On 24 October 2000, a faction of the Mongkoe Defence Army (MDA), a breakaway group from Kokang, had mutinied. A month later, the mutineers were executed by the Burmese Army and the MDA leader Mong Sala put in jail and the territory occupied by the Burmese Army.
Similarly, in 2009 August, Kokang was attacked by the military junta and its territory has been occupied by the Burmese Army since.
According to Aung Kyaw Zaw, the junta has maintained relations with China because of the need for weapons and economic compulsions.
Burma’s nuclear programme can be dangerous not only to western countries but also to ethnic groups in its country, according to him. “They might use these nuclear weapons to destroy any group that opposes them,” he said.
There are two main reasons why Burma wants to possess nuclear weapons: to stay in power and to use them as a deterrent against western countries if they interfere in its domestic affairs.
Burma has reportedly been planning this nuclear weapons programme since 2000 and has been sending up to 10,000 officers to Russia to study nuclear technology since 2002.
At the same time, there have been reports that Burma is hosting two Pakistani nuclear experts, who took sanctuary in Burma after being accused by the CIA of helping Osama bin Laden to build nuclear weapons.
There are nine countries that have nuclear warheads including North-Korea, which reportedly has 4 to 8 nuclear warheads.
