Description:
"...Myanmar?s jade industry may well be the biggest natural resource heist in
modern history. The sums of money involved are almost incomprehensibly
high and the level of accountability is at rock bottom. As long as the ghosts
of the military junta are allowed to dominate a business worth equivalent to
almost half the country?s GDP, it is difficult to envisage an end to the conflict
in Kachin State. Lessons from other nations afflicted by the resource curse,
as well as Myanmar?s own history, suggest that the threats to the country?s
wider political and economic stability are also very real...Since 2011, Myanmar?s rebranded
government has told the world it is
transitioning from a pariah state run
by a ruthless military dictatorship
to a civilian regime committed to
wholesale political and economic
reforms.
In important respects, there has been real
change. Oft-cited examples include the release of
Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners,
and the government?s peace talks with ethnic
armed groups. But in other critical areas, the
reformist narrative bears little scrutiny. Nowhere
is this truer than in the jade sector.
Drawing on over a year of investigations, this
report shows for the first time how a multi-billion
dollar trade in one of the planet?s most precious
gemstones is tightly controlled by the same military
elites, US-sanctioned drug lords and crony
companies that the government says it is consigning
to the past. Companies owned by the family of
former dictator Than Shwe and other notorious
figures are creaming off vast profits from the
country?s most valuable natural resource, and the
world?s finest supply of a stone synonymous with
glitz and glamour. Meanwhile, very few revenues
reach the people of Kachin State, the site of the
Hpakant jade mines, or the population of Myanmar
as a whole.
As the country approaches an historic election,
the importance of these findings to Myanmar?s
future is hard to overstate. Our investigations
show that the elites who between them have most
to lose from an open and fair future also have
ready access to a vast slush fund in the shape
of the jade sector. This raises urgent questions
for reformers and their international partners.
What is happening to all this jade money? Is it only
being spent on real estate, fast cars and lavish
parties, or is it being used for political purposes
as well?..."
Source/publisher:
Global Witness
Date of Publication:
2015-10-23
Date of entry:
2015-10-24
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Language:
English, Kachin, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Local URL:
Format:
pdf pdf pdf
Size:
5.14 MB 925.67 KB 2.2 MB