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Myanmar: Yangon Confirms Building Nuclear Reactor Myanmar has confirmed reports it plans to build a 10-megawatt nuclear reactor with Russian assistance, CNN reported today (see GSN, Jan. 8). Officials said the reactor would be used for peaceful purposes, including health, agricultural and educational applications. “I would like to stress that it is purely for peaceful purposes, purely for nuclear research, purely for training our scientists and also to meet our need for radio isotopes,” said Myanmar’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Muang Win. Myanmar is openly pursuing the nuclear project in consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Khin Muang Win. “We officially informed the IAEA director general of our idea and asked for their advice in September 2000,” he said. According to Reuters, IAEA officials said the agency had discussions with Myanmar, CNN reported. The reactor would probably lack the capability to produce nuclear weapons, IAEA officials said, but they expressed concern that the country may not have the ability to properly maintain the sophisticated technology. Myanmar is one of the world’s poorest countries, and the reactor would probably cost $5 million to build, plus maintenance costs, Reuters reported, according to CNN (CNN, Jan. 22). An IAEA team visited Myanmar after the country announced its intention to build a nuclear reactor, and the team’s report said that Myanmar’s safety standards were “well below the minimum” standards the IAEA considered acceptable, the Bangkok Post reported. The IAEA also asked Moscow to provide details about the project. More than 200 technicians from Myanmar have trained in Moscow over the last year, Myanmar said (Larry Jagan, Bangkok Post, Jan. 17). Myanmar Denies Pakistani Nuclear Scientists in the Country Meanwhile, Myanmar denied reports that two Pakistani nuclear scientists fled to Myanmar, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, Dec. 10, 2001). “The Myanmar government categorically states once again that no nuclear scientists from Pakistan have been given sanctuary in Myanmar,” said Khin Muang Win (Agence France-Presse, Jan. 22).
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