The Kang Nam I, a North Korean 2,035-tonne general cargo ship, is pictured near Lantau Island in Hong Kong in this October 24, 2006 file photo. REUTERS/Paul Yeung/FilesFrom Yahoo News/Reuters:
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore will take action against a North Korean ship that the United States is monitoring, if the vessel heads to its port with a cargo of weapons, the government said on Saturday.
"Singapore takes seriously the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials," said a spokeswoman from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"If the allegation is true, Singapore will act appropriately." The U.S. Navy is monitoring a vessel called Kang Nam at sea under new U.N. sanctions that bar North Korea from exporting weapons, including missile parts and nuclear materials.
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My Comment: There are two things that strike me about this story .... (1) How small the North Korean freighter is. (2) How the U.S. (with its trillion dollar Navy) is intimidated by such a small ship that it is the little country of Singapore that will do the necessary dirty work on stopping the ultimate destination for this cargo vessel. To say that this is a mouse that is roaring and the elephant running away is an understatement.
1 comment:
It's not that the US Navy is intimidated by this freighter - that's ridiculous. The fear is that the North will live up to its statement that any inspection by the US on the high seas will be considered "an act of war", which could mean a nuclear attack against the South. By having Singapore, a more neutral third-party, do the inspection when the ship is in port will be less threatening to the North Koreans. So the US is playing it cool and letting other UN members contribute to the efforts against North Korea.
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