"In 2008, Burma, also known as Myanmar, produced a variety of mineral commodities, including cement, coal, copper, lead, natural gas, petroleum, petroleum products, precious and semiprecious stones, tin, tungsten, and zinc.... Production: On May 2, 2008, tropical storm Nargis caused extensive damage, especially in southwestern Burma, and flooding as much as 50 kilometers (km) inland. The storm was considered the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of the country. During 2008, most of Burma?s mining sector experienced a significant decline in mineral production. Copper production decreased by about 54%; spinel production, by 32%; coal, 12%; crude petroleum, 5%; and petroleum products, 4.6%. On the other hand, significant increases in production were reported for zinc (100%) and sapphire (86%). Other mineral commodities for which production increases were reported were jade (54.5%), ruby (34%), refined lead (22.4%), and cement (11%) (table 1; Thaindian News, 2009). Burma?s sole copper mine (the Monywa copper project) halted operations in April 2008 for undisclosed reasons. Operations were expected to restart in the second quarter of 2009 (Intellasia.net, 2009)..."