US embassy cable - 04RANGOON88

S E C R E T RANGOON 000088 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PARM, PREL, BM, RS, KS, KNPP 
SUBJECT: BURMA: RUMORS OF CONSTRUCTION OF A NUCLEAR REACTOR 
NEAR MINBU 
 
REF: STATE 297614 AND PREVIOUS 03 RANGOON 1427 
 
Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1.  (S/NF) An expatriate businessman who travels regularly to 
Magway Division recently volunteered to an Embassy Officer 
that he had heard rumors that a nuclear reactor was being 
built near Minbu, in central Magway Division on the Irawaddy 
River.  The businessman added that he personally had seen a 
"massive" barge containing large-sized rebar being unloaded 
on a trip to the area.  After asking local residents about 
the rebar's purpose, he was told that similar size barge 
shipments were arriving almost weekly and that the rebar was 
to be used in the construction of unnamed/unidentified 
factories.  In the opinion of the businessman, the quantities 
involved as well as the diameter of the rebar suggested a 
project larger than "factories."  Along these lines, the 
businessman noted that there was a new airport near Minbu 
with a landing strip that, based on its length and thickness, 
seemed excessive, adding that "you could land the space 
shuttle on it." 
 
2.  (S/NF) Comment:  Rumors of construction of a nuclear 
facility in/near Magway Division date back to 2002 and 
generally refer to alleged Goverment of Burma (GOB) and 
Russian cooperation on a nuclear research reactor project. 
Similar rumors, sans the "Russia" angle, have been 
circulating with greater frequency within diplomatic and 
expatriate circles since a November 2003 Far Eastern Economic 
Review (FEER) article which described signs of growing 
military ties between North Korea and Burma.  While we have 
no direct evidence of this alleged cooperation, rumors of 
ongoing construction of a nuclear reactor are surprisingly 
consistent and observations of activity such as that 
described above appear to be increasing, as are alleged 
sightings of North Korean "technicians" inside Burma. 
Martinez