North Korea Ship Suspected Of Carrying Missiles To Myanmar Intercepted By U.S. Navy: Report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy intercepted a North Korean ship suspected of carrying an illegal shipment of missile parts to Myanmar two weeks ago, the New York Times reported on late on Sunday, citing senior American officials.

The North Korean cargo ship was forced to return home after a standoff at sea and several days of diplomatic pressure from Washington and Asian nations, the newspaper reported.

Officials for the U.S. Navy and the State Department were not immediately available for comment late on Sunday.

U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea after it conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 include a ban on trade in nuclear and missile technology with North Korea. A U.N. resolution adopted last year authorized U.N. member states to inspect North Korean sea, air and land cargo.

According to the Times, the destroyer USS McCampbell caught up with the cargo ship M/V Light south of Shanghai on May 26 after American officials began tracking the vessel, which was believed to have been involved in previous illegal shipments.

The destroyer asked to board the vessel under authority given by Belize, but the North Koreans refused, the Times said.

An American official told the newspaper the ship was North Korean but flagged in Belize. Authorities in Belize gave the United States permission to inspect the ship, the newspaper said, citing American officials.

(Reporting by JoAnne Allen; Editing by Paul Simao)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[Mickey Bitsko]

10:37 AM on 06/15/2011

What part of Mynamar aka Burma would there be a need for missle's and missile parts?

Would this be an arming of Pakistani or Khasmiri?

[garl26]

06:05 PM on 06/14/2011

For a more complete story go to nytimes.com

[glen11555]

12:06 PM on 06/14/2011

Damn the torpedos full speed ahead...I am sure under further investigations the U.S. will conclude they were only loaded with Mu' gu' pan headed to Libya.

[Bonez1]

06:42 AM on 06/14/2011

So how is Kim Jung Il retaliate to this action?
will he fire off a couple of missiles into the Yellow Sea?
or threaten the US or S. Korea with additional bombing?
cannot wait...

[NotMyTube]

11:09 AM on 06/14/2011

well, unlike the US news media "report" that he "threatened" to cut ties with the south, he "has severed" even before this.

[Fred303]

05:06 AM on 06/14/2011

So it's safe to say we are the worlds police...always butting into other countries affairs.

[kejavas]

08:34 AM on 06/14/2011

if that is what it takes to control nuclear missile technology

[maxben]

09:55 AM on 06/14/2011

Its safe to say that you must be North Korea's police as you have been involved in the South and North conflict from the very beginning.
Once you take responsibility for something, you cannot "untake" it.

[SolarArray]

10:15 PM on 06/13/2011

Watch out, North Korea will vow to do something or other.

[osofar]

07:19 PM on 06/13/2011

What if the North Korean's would intercept any of our ships bringing military hardware all over the world? I am no fan of North Korea, but the USA is the biggest arms shipper in the world, and does the USA control the world's oceans?

[NavyRetiredInTexas]

07:31 PM on 06/13/2011

Did you miss the United Nations part?? "U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea after it conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 include a ban on trade in nuclear and missile technology with North Korea.".

By the way, the United States IS exceptional!!

[YOKEL13]

10:41 PM on 06/13/2011

Please tell us how the U. S. is "exceptional". Are our people exceptionally wise? Exceptionally capable? Exceptionally well-educated? Some of us are very curious.

[YOKEL13]

10:42 AM on 06/14/2011

The U. S. is exceptional for its near-monopoly on galoots.

[Edward Standley]

07:31 PM on 06/13/2011

It's a U.N. resolution. Binding on all member states. If the U.N. were to sanction the U.S. in a similar manner, then other nations would have the right to (attempt to) inspect our shipping.

[tksensei]

11:35 PM on 06/13/2011

And I'm sure there would be a big competition among those nations to see which would get the honor of being completely annihilated in the attempt.

[Fred Ricardo]

06:00 PM on 06/13/2011

WWJD? Hummm sink the MF and send a message.

[Fred Ricardo]

05:57 PM on 06/13/2011

Myanmar! So Myanmar.... And this cost us how much?

[Irene Solnik]

05:47 PM on 06/13/2011

The "flotilla" was armed and attacked.

[NotMyTube]

04:50 PM on 06/13/2011

I see. This is what would happen when the North Korans didn't opt for American food "aid", I don't understand why the north koreas don't want to take American "aid", like the Pakistani do.
ha ha.

[garl26]

04:25 PM on 06/13/2011

So U.S.A. caught up with them May 26? NY Times reported it Sunday June 12. What's up with that?

[SheikArbusto]

04:55 PM on 06/13/2011

There are intelligence officers embedded within the magor newspapers who openly suppress stories do to "national security" concerns.

[thegeoguy]

07:15 PM on 06/13/2011

I have a feeling if an employee at a major newspaper was disrupting the business of publishing breaking stories they would find themselves canned. If you owned a business would you keep someone around who slowed down your work? And don't say the gubamunt uses their influence to keep their agent in there, a company has the right to fire anyone at any time.

[cuoi]

04:08 PM on 06/13/2011

Nuts. Now where am I going to get my missiles? Note to North Korea: try Vietnam next and have them arm them on board to deal with the pesky Chinese who are stealing islands and beating up innocent fisherman struggling to survive. I will waive any rights to those missiles the Vietnamese deem necessary to discourage the Chinese from any further encroachment.

[americaisracist]

07:02 PM on 06/13/2011

be careful, the FBI doesn't have a sense of humor and would take your sarcastic comment at face value and arrest you. the judge would be too stupid also to figure out you were joking

[kwyang]

11:23 PM on 06/13/2011

Now why would the North Koreans antagonize the Chinese? They're the biggest supporters of North Korea and literally keep the country fed.

[cuoi]

08:01 AM on 06/14/2011

They wouldn't...they'd arm the Vietnamese who could take action. Rabid anti-communist Vietnamese/American War/Vets in US would help in a flash to kick Chinese aggression. So would I. Chinese want the South China Sea and nearby enviorns and that includes North Korea Area. China is the new US in SE Asia and most folks there want nothing of it. A parallel is the US "national interests" (oil) in Mid East. A battle is brewing in South China Sea for same reason. Clash of "national interests (oil). North Korea would be wise to start realigning soon or be controlled by China. Note to FBI: if you worry about me, then you are sub-stupid and should be ashamed of yourselves. You already know I am no threat.

[Robert Nix]

03:48 PM on 06/13/2011

The ship was going to Burma but what was the destination for the parts?

[Magic 62]

03:52 PM on 06/13/2011

Myanmar. Duh.

[Robert Nix]

03:56 PM on 06/13/2011

?lol?

I'm sorry could you expand on that for me?

[cuoi]

04:01 PM on 06/13/2011

Duh back at Magic- Burma or Myanmar. Interchangeable. Sort of like Ho Chi Minh City- also called Saigon. More commonly called Saigon even by people who live there. I know, I live there.

[HekmagaJuximaxx]

04:16 PM on 06/13/2011

Autozone.

[Nosybear]

03:39 PM on 06/13/2011

There is a disconnect between the front page headline, that the ship was armed, and the actual truth of the story, that it was carrying arms. Unless those missiles were mounted and ready to fire, the ship was not armed.

[Cyrus Trance]

04:00 PM on 06/13/2011

It never said the ship was armed, it clearly states "North Korea Ship Suspected Of Carrying Missiles To Myanmar"

Nowhere in the article does it say the ship was armed.

[AllAmericanAmericanBoy]

04:08 PM on 06/13/2011

The link on the front page leading to this article reads, "North Korean Ship, Suspected Armed, Reportedly Intercepted By U.S."

[americaisracist]

07:03 PM on 06/13/2011

nice catch