Disturbing recent developments concerning evidence of the Burmese military regime’s close cooperation with the North Korean regime, including acquisition of long-range ballistic missile technology, must serve as an urgent wake-up call to members of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

It is time for the ARF, which brings together ASEAN member states and regional dialogue partners, to move beyond unconditional diplomacy and reduce the Burmese military regime’s capability to threaten the comprehensive security of the region.

Action must include restrictions and greater regulation of transactions and entities implicated in weapons deals with the regime and its proxies. It is particularly crucial that those implicated, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and China, take effective steps to stem the flow of funds and technology needed for such deals. These sanctions are less likely to hurt ordinary Burmese who do not use the formal banking system because of prohibitive commissions and rules on retail customers.