Clinton warns Myanmar against nuclear cooperation with NKorea, rips regime on rights abuses

US warns Myanmar on nukes, rights abuses

HANOI, Vietnam — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling on the countries of Southeast Asia to press Myanmar’s military rulers to abandon any nuclear weapons cooperation it may have with North Korea.

At a regional security forum in Vietnam on Friday, Clinton said that “recent events” had called into question Myanmar’s pledges to abide by U.N. sanctions on North Korea that include restrictions on arms transaction. She did not elaborate but there have been reports of North Korean ships with military hardware docking in Myanmar.

Clinton is also criticizing the junta for human rights abuses and is urging it to ensure that elections set for later this year are free and fair.