He declined to specify what kind of military cooperation had continued between North Korea and Myanmar. Myanmar insists that arms deals and other military relations with North Korea stopped before Myanmar’s transition to a nominally civilian government in 2011. He stressed, however, that it would be difficult to proceed toward full normalisation of US relations with Myanmar until Washington was convinced of a halt to ties with North Korea. Myanmar’s former ruling junta, which, like North Korea, was widely shunned by the outside world over its suppression of human rights, was known to have ties to Pyongyang. Myanmar’s Directorate of Defence Industries (DDI) was sanctioned in March under the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act.

Source: Bangkok Post July 22, 2017 13:30 UTC