SINGAPORE - Myanmar's government has halted fledgling research onthe peaceful use of nuclear power, the country's defence ministersaid Saturday. Lieutenant General Hla Min told an Asia security conference inSingapore that the academic research had not progressed muchbecause of what he called practical constraints. "In this new government, we have already given up all activities ofnuclear issues. We have no future plans to extend on this," he saidthrough an interpreter. Hla Min acknowledged that Myanmar's previous government, dominatedby the military, had started academic studies on the peaceful useof nuclear power. "In the case of the nuclear issue, we have already said veryclearly that it is not for defence, it is not for weapons," he saidat the summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, which gathers mostly Asiandefence officials. "It's just research in the past. We have not progressed much due toour constraints," he said. He added Myanmar had no "practical ways and means" to achieve itsobjectives, apparently suggesting the previous government lackedthe funds to pursue the nuclear project. A 2010 United Nations report accused Pyongyang of supplying bannednuclear and ballistic equipment to Myanmar, Iran and Syria. But in an interview with Singapore's Straits Times published inJanuary, Myanmar President Thein Sein denied his country was tryingto obtain nuclear weapons from North Korea, and called theallegations "unfounded". In a landmark visit to Myanmar in December, US Secretary of StateHillary Clinton called on the country to sever "illicit ties" withPyongyang to foster better relations with Washington. The defence minister on Saturday said Myanmar's links with NorthKorea resembled normal ties between any two countries. But Hla Min pledged that "in the future, we will be open andtransparent on this relationship, we will endeavour to do that". He also dismissed a suggestion from the audience that Myanmar allowinspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog, the International AtomicEnergy Agency, into the country. "We have nothing to check and nothing to see so it is irrelevant,"he said. Over the past year, Thein Sein, an ex-general, has takensteps to address criticism about the country's poor human rightsrecord and suppression of political dissent. The government has freed hundreds of political prisoners, easedmedia restrictions and welcomed Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi'sopposition back into politics. Myanmar held historic by-elections on April 1 in which Suu Kyi wona seat in parliament, and has signalled it is ready to accept moreforeign investment. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Co2 Laser Engraving Machine Manufacturer , UV Flatbed Printer Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Large Format Solvent Printer today!
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