ALLEGED NORTH KOREAN CONSTRUCTION SITE IN CENTRAL

S E C R E T RANGOON 000407 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2015 TAGS: PARM PINR KNNP PREL BM KN SUBJECT: ALLEGED NORTH KOREAN CONSTRUCTION SITE IN CENTRAL BURMA REF: 04 RANGOON 1100 Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for reasons 1.4 (A/C). ¶1. (S) The construction of high-tension power lines running to a secretive building site in Magwe Division has been halted, according to second-hand information from a Burmese military engineer working in the area. The sensitive project (19.55 N, 94.25 E),purportedly under construction by North Korean and Burmese personnel for use as a missile assembly and underground facility, was the subject of a more detailed report in August 2004 (reftel). ¶2. (S) A Burmese army captain working in the area of the project site reported that construction of new facilities to house a large number of "artillery" battalions that were to move into the area was ongoing. In late February he told this to his cousin, an FSN at Embassy Rangoon, who passed it on to EmbOffs April 4. ¶3. (S) When asked what language the North Koreans and Burmese working at the site speak to each other, the source answered, "Korean, as a number of the Burmese working there have been trained in Korea." The FSN said he would report any further information received from his cousin on this matter. Martinez