VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVN #0495/01 2921028
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 191028Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2827
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 8112
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0177
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 2319

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