PHUKET, THAILAND, AND WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed concern Tuesday about suspected military ties between North Korea and Myanmar's ruling generals, saying they had the potential to destabilize the entire region.
Clinton arrived in Thailand and met with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva before a regional security summit on the island of Phuket.
The secretary of State is expected to sign a nonaggression pact during the meeting of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. The agreement has been a sticking point for years, with the U.S. drawing criticism from ASEAN members for not signing despite its history and significant military presence in the region.
A statement from ASEAN foreign ministers said that a U.S. decision to sign would be "a strong signal of its commitment to peace and security in the region."
Clinton arrived in the region just days after a twin suicide bombing of two luxury hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. Although no one has claimed responsibility, analysts said the attacks probably were carried out by those associated with Jemaah Islamiah, a group linked to Al Qaeda.
But U.S. officials are bringing along a list of other security issues.
They have voiced growing concern recently over suspected military links between North Korea's reclusive communist government and the rulers of Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. Some in Washington suspect that the Pyongyang government may be selling Myanmar nuclear weapons systems as well as conventional arms.
In recent weeks, North Korea sent a freighter, the Kang Nam I, with a suspected arms cargo, to Southeast Asia. Myanmar was a suspected destination. The U.S. Navy shadowed the ship, and U.S. officials pressed other countries to deny it entry under a recently passed U.N. Security Council resolution.
Eventually, the vessel turned around and headed home.
Clinton denounced Myanmar authorities for human rights violations, especially those toward young women and girls and demanded fair treatment for dissident Aung San Suu Kyi.
"We know that there are also growing concerns about military cooperation between North Korea and Burma, which we take very seriously," Clinton said. "It would be destabilizing for the region. It would pose a direct threat to Burma's neighbors. And it is something, as a treaty ally of Thailand, that we are taking very seriously."
