Burma Briefing No. 3: Burma’s nuclear programme could be bad news for human rights

Rather than persuade the international community to finally take action against Burma’s generals, recent evidence of Burma’s nuclear programme could be bad news for human rights, diverting international attention away from human rights, and turning the focus to disarmament […]

19 – 25 July: ASEAN Foreign Ministers Criticize but Fail to Act on Burma

Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met earlier this week for the 43rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting to discuss various regional issues, including Burma’s upcoming elections. In contrast to the statements of support for the elections that emerged from the bloc’s 16th summit earlier this year, this ministerial meeting saw foreign ministers expressing more apprehension than support. “Myanmar, I think, got an earful last night,” said Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Chairman, “ASEAN is very much concerned.”[…]

Energy Giants ‘Fund Burma’s Nuclear Drive’

Burma’s military rulers are using gas revenue from US and French energy giants Chevron and Total to fund an illegal bid to build nuclear weapons, human rights monitors said in a report on Monday.

Burma’s Yadana gas pipeline, run by the two companies along with Thai firm PTTEP, made billions of dollars for the military leaders, the Paris-based group EarthRights International said, citing data from the firms […]

Energy Insecurity: How Total, Chevron, and PTTEP Contribute to Human Rights Violations, Financial Secrecy, and Nuclear Proliferation in Burma

EarthRights International released an explosive new report that describes how the oil companies Total (France), Chevron (US), and PTTEP (Thailand) have generated over US $9 billion dollars in military-ruled Burma (Myanmar) since 1998, making their Yadana Natural Gas Project the single largest source of revenue for the country’s notoriously repressive dictatorship […]

Report: Oil Compaies Fueling Nuclear Proliferation in Burma (Myanmar), Complicit in Targeted Killings and Forced Labour

New Figures Reveal Billion Dollar Payments to World’s Newest Nuclear Threat, French, American, and Thai Companies Concealing Payments

The oil companies Total (France), Chevron (US), and PTTEP (Thailand) have generated over US $9 billion dollars in military-ruled Burma (Myanmar) since 1998, making their Yadana Natural Gas Project the single largest source of revenue for the country’s notoriously repressive dictatorship […]

International Action Needed to Halt Burma’s Nuclear Efforts

In early June, we wrote about a shocking documentary by the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) and aired on Al-Jazeera that revealed the military regime’s attempts to develop a nuclear program. Based on the testimony of high-ranking defectors and photographic evidence verified by a number of nuclear experts, the report revealed the junta’s extensive network of military bunkers throughout the country, factories containing machines to build missiles and nuclear weapons, and North Korea’s cooperation and mentorship on the project[…]

Wasteful Spending and Election Law Violations Continue to Mark the Junta’s Election Campaign

Recent reports of Burma’s nuclear program continue to reverberate throughout Burma’s political spheres and the international community. Opposition parties recently came out in strong opposition to the junta’s wasteful spending on its attempts at producing nuclear weapon technology rather than allocating it towards its woefully skeletal health and education budgets.[…]

New Documentary Shows Military’s Shocking Nuclear Efforts

The military junta’s fixation on military might and issues of ‘national security’ may not be news to the people of Burma or the international community, nor would the junta’s focus on preserving and fulfilling the social and economic interests of high-ranking military and government officials at the expense of their general population.

But what has recently come to light is surprisingly conclusive evidence, based on testimonies by high-ranking defectors and photographic documentation, of the military’s attempts to develop a program that may one day produce viable nuclear weapons […]

Senator Jim Webb Postpones Burma Stop After Visits to Korea, Thailand

News reports published today contain new allegations regarding the possibility that the Burmese government has been working in conjunction with North Korea in order to develop a nuclear program. From the initial accounts, a defecting officer from the Burmese military claims direct knowledge of such plans, and reportedly has furnished documents to corroborate his claims.[…]