POSSIBLE URANIUM SMUGGLING INCIDENT IN NORTHERN

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 000495

SIPDIS

FOR STATE ISNCTR AND PM/ISO/PMAT (24/7)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2019
TAGS: ASEC BM KCRM KNNP LA MNUC PARM PREL PTER
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE URANIUM SMUGGLING INCIDENT IN NORTHERN
BURMA

REF: 07 STATE 162091

Classified By: Ambassador Ravic R. Huso for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Post wishes to alert the Department and Washington
agencies per reftel that it has received a
report indicating a potential incident of illicit trafficking
in nuclear materials. This report came to post's attention
via a conversation with the UN Office of Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) representative (protect) in Laos, who also has
regional responsibilities. Information concerning this report
was relayed telephonically to PMAT at 1655 local time on 19
October 2009. The source provided a wire diagram in Burmese;
the source provided partial translation of some parts of the
diagram.


2. (C) Details of the incident follow:

A) Current location of material: Unknown; possibly in
Government of Burma (GOB) custody.
B) Transport status of material: Unknown
C) Assessment of the likelihood that the appropriate
authorities will secure the material: Only information comes
from a wire diagram in Burmese, forwarded separately to PMAT,
Embassy Rangoon and Embassy Bangkok. The information
reportedly included in the diagram is consistent with a GOB
security operation that could have seized the material in
question.
D) If in transit, means of transport: Unknown
E) Intended destination of material: Unknown.
F) Routing of material, if via multiple ports: According to
the source, the wire diagram indicates that the material was
routed from Tamu, in the Chin State, to Lashiu, in the Shan
State.
G) Supplier and/or origination point of material: Unknown.
According to the source, the price per kilogram of the
material is quoted in Indian rupees in the wire diagram,
leading the source to speculate that India was the origin
country. The wire diagram attributes transportation of the
material to one of the 17 ethnic minority ceasefire groups,
in an alleged attempt to sell the material.
H) Type of material: According to the source, the wire
diagram describes the material as &fake8 uranium. There is
apparently no explanation in the diagram indicating what
&fake8 uranium is.
I) Date and time of incident: According to the source, the
wire diagram indicates that the incident occurred in June

2009. The source reports obtaining the wire diagram around
the beginning of October.
J) Source of the report: The UNODC resident representative,
who also has regional responsibilities, provided a wire
diagram, labeled in Burmese, to DCM on 19 October 2009. The
UNODC resrep advised that one of his Lao staff members,
during a visit to Rangoon at the beginning of October, was
passed the wire diagram by a former GOB official who now
works with UNODC. The UNODC resrep, who is of Shan origin
and Australian citizenship, says that he can read Burmese,
though not fluently.
K) If an alarm, technical information: N/A
L) What else if anything was being smuggled with the
material: Unknown
M) Specific place where alarm or incident occurred: The
source advises that the wire diagram was obtained in Rangoon.
Source advises that the referenced material was in Lashiu;
unclear whether the material was seized by GOB or not.
N) Additional details: Post believes the UNODC resrep is
highly credible. The UNODC resrep himself, however,
volunteered that this wire diagram may have been passed to
him in an attempt to influence the UN or even the United
States. The source speculates that the GOB may seek through
this wire diagram to increase foreign pressure on the
ceasefire groups. The source has no idea whether the
information in the wire diagram is accurate. According to
the source, the wire diagram attributes handling and
attempted sale of the material to a group with the acronym
name &TNLS8. The wire diagram appears to include photos
and cell phone numbers of persons associated with the
incident. There is also a photo that purports to be of one
package of the material. The package is labeled in English,
but only certain words can be read clearly, including &Not
For Sale8, &Government Uses Only8, &Packet8, &Weight8
and &Packed8. According to the source, the wire diagram
says the asking price for the material was 5.5 lakhs (i.e.
550,000) rupees per kilogram and USD 450,000 for the total
shipment. At 46 rupees to the dollar, that is approximately
USD 12,000 per kilogram and 37.5 kilograms of material.


3. (SBU) Action officer at post for handling incident is

Deputy Chief of Mission Peter Haymond, reachable via
856-21-267-207 and haymondP@state.gov or
haymondP@state.sgov.gov.


HUSO