Gems
The articles in this section are largely technical and/or political. For sites dealing with sale of gems, do an Internet search for gems Myanmar etc (there are more than 40,000)
Websites/Multiple Documents
Description:
"Burmese Gems is one of the leading purveyors of rare, gem-quality rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. We carry both loose stones and custom-made finished jewelry for our clients. We have been in business for over eight decades and specialize mainly on gems from Burma as they are the most precious and rarest. We cater to customers who desire the best in life and who are unwilling to settle for second best. In essence, we are in the business of making beautiful people more beautiful..."
Source/publisher:
Burmese Gems
Date of entry/update:
2004-02-16
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
"The Gem and Jewelry World's foremost Resource on The Internet". A number of articles about gems in Burma (search Library or "Orchid" for Burma)
Source/publisher:
Ganoksin
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
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Description:
"...Established in 1931, GIA is the world?s largest and most respected nonprofit institute of gemological research and learning.
Conceived 73 years ago in the august tradition of Europe?s most venerated institutes, GIA discovers (through GIA Research), imparts (through GIA Education), and applies (through the GIA Gem Laboratory and GIA Gem Instruments) gemological knowledge to ensure the public trust in gems and jewelry.
With nearly 900 employees, the Institute?s scientists, diamond graders, and educators are regarded, collectively, as the world's foremost authority in gemology..." A search for "Burma" on the GIA site produced 47 results. For "Myanmar", 63.
Source/publisher:
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
Date of entry/update:
2004-11-20
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
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Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems, Gems - mining and trade
Language:
English
more
Description:
Browse the site to find information on Burmese gems
Source/publisher:
GRS
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Date of entry/update:
2010-10-25
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
... Gems and Complete Database of Gems Emporiums held in Myanmar (Burma) in Yangon (Rangoon)
Myanmar myanmar Gems gems, Myanmar myanmar Jade jade, Myanmar myanmar ... Online auction; sections on rubies, jade, pearls etc.
Source/publisher:
The Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd.
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
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Description:
Scrutinising and issuing permits for gemstone mining to local private entrepreneurs; manufacturing and marketing of jewelry.
..Not much there apart from a few maps and pictures and contact information.
Source/publisher:
SPDC/Ministry of Mines
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
Search for Myanmar
Source/publisher:
Professional Jeweler
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
A number of articles on gems and Burma
Richard W. Hughes
Source/publisher:
Ruby-sapphire.com
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
Provides certificates of origin.
Source/publisher:
SSEF
Date of entry/update:
2004-02-16
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
The newsletters, from 1995, contain a number of articles on Burmese gems, including jade.
Robert Genis
Source/publisher:
National Gemstone Corporation
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Individual Documents
Description:
"A new investigation from watchdog group Global Witness reports that jade mining is a major source of income for both the Myanmar military and armed ethnic groups, fueling conflict in the country.
While conflicts between the military and armed groups escalate elsewhere in Myanmar, Global Witness reports that major armed groups and the military work side by side in jade mines in Hpakant in the ethnic-minority state of Kachin.
Armed groups and individual officers have earned fortunes from the jade trade, while Kachin state’s environment, and the communities who depend on it, have paid the price.
Jade mining is fueling conflict in Myanmar, channeling money into the coffers of the military and ethnic armed groups, according watchdog group Global Witness.
The industry buoys the weapons trade and enriches military officials, including the son of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, the group says.
“In Hpakant our investigation revealed that warring parties were collaborating to profit even as conflict between them escalated elsewhere in northern Myanmar,” says a new report by Global Witness, which alleges that major armed groups worked side by side with the military in the jade mines.
The report also accuses Aung Pyae Son, the son of the general who seized power in a coup in February, of directly benefiting from corruption in the jade trade. Global Witness says he received a cut of payment for the import of dynamite and “also profited from arrangements to mine illegally in Hpakant” after the civilian government suspended new licenses.
As the generals enrich themselves and war continues to rage, the environment and the people who depend on it pay the ultimate price.
“The mountains are becoming flat valleys and the valleys are becoming mountains. In Kachin history, there were many historic mountains, but all are gone now,” said a researcher based in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state. The researcher, who asked not to be named, said some residents don’t even recognize the areas where they grew up.
An ethnic Rakhine jade miner, known as a yemase, agreed.
“All the trees are already destroyed. The rivers are filled up with land dug from the mountains,” he said. When he arrived in Hpakant some 10 years ago, the miners “used handheld drills to dig.” “There are much more big machines now and a lot of bulldozers,” he said, explaining this has escalated the environmental damage.
While Myanmar’s jade industry is estimated to be worth more than $30 billion, few local people reap the benefits, causing major grievances over issues of land and resource management. Some itinerant miners do strike it rich, but most risk their lives toiling under grueling condition for little pay. Deadly landslides are frequent, with three miners killed just this week.
Keel Dietz, policy adviser for Global Witness, said even before the coup there was “no sort of post-mining rehabilitation.”
“Companies are supposed to put together mine closure plans, but it’s just a check the box thing, they’re not expected to actually do anything. They usually just abandon them and this causes big environmental problems, huge open pits that fill up with water and waste chemicals,” he said.
In 2020, a landslide killed at least 174 miners. “Villages are perched on the precipice right on the edge of a mining site. There’s going to be more landslides in the future,” Dietz said.
Floods and landslides already plague villages in Hpakant. A flash flood in 2018 killed 11 people and destroyed 70 homes, while the U.N.’s humanitarian office estimated nearly 7,750 people were displaced by flooding in July 2020.
When the National League for Democracy won election in 2015, it struggled to assert control over the jade industry, which had been controlled by the military for decades. “Myanmar’s multi-billion-dollar jade industry is a paradigmatic example” of the country’s “partial reform” which was always “resisted” by the military, Global Witness said.
Matthew Baird, an environmental lawyer with years of experience in Myanmar, said that when the NLD came to power, even “talking about jade and gem mining was very risky.” He said the civilian government had made some progress, despite the “big challenge.” “We know a lot more about the industry, its corruption and its hazards that was not possible under the previous administration,” Baird said.
But with the military back in full control, Global Witness said it expects the situation to worsen, adding the coup has “crushed any hopes that these policies and regulations will be finalised, let alone improved.”.....The conflict economy: In 2019 and 2020, the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, and the Arakan Army fought a brutal war in Rakhine state. As of June 2021, the U.N. estimated that more than 81,000 people, mostly ethnic Rakhine, remain displaced as a result of the conflict. Despite this, both armed groups were operating in the mines in Hpakant, and likely cooperating, as was the Kachin Independence Army, which was largely avoiding clashes at the time.
The Rakhine yemase confirmed to Mongabay that the AA, which is hugely popular with ethnic Rakhine people, is active in the mines and collects money from workers, but denied this was a form of taxation. “The yemase people from Rakhine voluntarily share profit with the AA,” he said. He also said the AA settles disputes between Rakhine people and other miners, adding that the AA will sometimes impose fines on troublemakers of up to 300,000 kyat ($225).
Global Witness reported that a “well-placed Rakhine businessperson” claimed that jade is the “primary income source” for the AA, and said the industry likely fueled the group’s “rapid expansion and recruitment.” It also found evidence of at least one company run directly by the AA active in the mines.
The Kachin researcher in Myitkyina said that the military, AA and KIA are all taking taxes from people working in the mines, with each group’s business interests blurring into the others’. “Hpakant is brown, not black or white,” he said. He added that sometimes when one group needs to transport jade stones, it goes through the other group’s territory, requiring cooperation and payment.
A fourth armed group, the United Wa State Army, often pays the KIA in weapons, according to Global Witness, which also says a KIA intelligence official reported these weapons are then sold on to the AA for a profit.
Since the coup, however, this dynamic has been upended. The AA is now observing a temporary cease-fire with the Tatmadaw in exchange for political concessions, while the KIA has joined the pro-democracy movement, launching attacks on the junta. Fighting has even reached Hpakant, ending the informal agreement to avoid conflict in the mines. However, Global Witness said that “such cooperation could re-emerge in the future in a similar form.”.....Widespread corruption: The jade mines have long been a major source of income for the military and its generals. In addition to Min Aung Hlaing’s son, other high-ranking military officers and former officials benefit either through their own jade mining companies or by taking bribes to allow other companies to mine illegally.
Two military-controlled conglomerates “collectively control more mining licences than any other entity,” according to Global Witness. Meanwhile, the Myanmar Gems Enterprise is tasked with regulating the jade industry, while also maintaining its own commercial interests in jade, a clear conflict of interest, especially given that MGE includes former military officials.
“Now there are serious concerns that the military will simply re-open the licensing process, reaping a windfall in bribes and doling out access to the best jade mining plots to allies in exchange for loyalty and political support,” Global Witness said.
While some Western countries have imposed sanctions on MGE and the conglomerates, this may fail to significantly dent the junta’s profits, as “the overwhelming majority of jade is in fact smuggled out of Myanmar directly into China without ever entering the formal system,” according to Global Witness.
Baird said the Tatmadaw should not be recognized as a legitimate governing body, and called for it to be designated as a “transnational criminal enterprise” under the U.N. Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
“The current illegal exploitation of gems and natural resources, and the complicity of the Tatmadaw and the commercial enterprises makes them liable for these criminal acts,” Baird said, also appealing to China and Singapore to freeze any assets linked to military companies.
The Kachin researcher said military postings in the area are coveted, as they allow officials to build up connections in the industry. “When they were there, they built a good relationship with the local officials and they knew the local context,” he said, adding they later leverage these relationships for financial benefits.
Dietz said that with the Tatmadaw back in power, “there is little chance for serious reform.” “Why would the Tatmadaw reform an industry that it benefits from so much?” he said..."
Source/publisher:
Mongabay
Date of publication:
2021-07-02
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Description:
"Burma Campaign UK today welcomed the imposition of sanctions on state owned timber and gems enterprises, and on the Myanmar War Veterans Organisation (MWVO).
Timber and gems are significant revenue earners for the military, and the MWVO is part of the military and also has significant business interests, including in transport. Burma Campaign UK has been campaigning for the EU to sanction the timber and gems industry and the MWVO.
“These new sanctions from the EU are very welcome, not only cutting revenue to the military but also letting them know that economic pressure will keep increasing,” said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. “The EU must now also look at creative ways to stop oil and gas revenue reaching the military. It is vital to continue to systematically identify and cut sources of revenue to the military.”
Almost 900 people have been killed and more than 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since the military coup on 1st February.
The EU has also announced sanctions on 8 more individuals, bringing the total to 43..."
Source/publisher:
"Burma Campaign UK" (London)
Date of publication:
2021-06-21
Date of entry/update:
2021-06-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Sanctions - general, Business and the Military, Sanctions, Timber extraction, Burma's economic relations with the European Union, Gems, 2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état
Language:
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Description:
"Burma Campaign UK today welcomed an announcement by the British government that they are imposing sanctions on Myanmar Gems Enterprise (MGE). MGE manages the gemstones industry in Burma, which will be a significant source of revenue for the military now that it has seized control of government ministries.
MGE is a state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation. MGE was sanctioned by the USA on 8th April 2021.
The UK sanctions follow previous sanctions on two military-owned conglomerates, Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC).
Since the military coup on 1st February 2021 around 800 people have been killed, more than 5,000 arrested and more than 60,000 displaced from their homes by the Burmese military. It is essential that the British government uses all tools at its disposal, economic, legal, diplomatic and building an arms embargo coalition, in order to maximise pressure on the Burmese military.
“Today’s new sanctions are another positive step by the British government towards cutting revenue going to the military,” said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. “The government now needs to moves swiftly to ban imports of gems from Burma, and expand sanctions to the timber industry as well.”
Burma Campaign UK is also calling on the European Union to sanction Burma’s timber and gems industries, now that the military is the main beneficiary of revenue from these industries..."
Source/publisher:
"Burma Campaign UK" (London)
Date of publication:
2021-05-17
Date of entry/update:
2021-05-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Sanctions - general, UK-Burma relations, Economic activities of the Myanmar Military, Business and the Military, Sanctions, Gems - mining and trade, Gems
Language:
more
Description:
"Today I would like to express my most sincere thanks to the Government of the United Kingdom for designating Myanmar Gems Enterprise (MGE) with strict sanctions as a company that is directly supporting the killing of innocent civilians by supplying huge revenue streams to the terrorist regime forces.
I would also like to reiterate my sincere thanks to the People, Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom for standing in solidarity and being a strong voice for the people of Myanmar. I also want to express my gratitude for the efforts of the UK on coordinating targeted sanctions against key tatmadaw personnel, tatmadaw
linked companies and enterprises such as MEC and MEHL, and for providing extra funding to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. Additionally, I would like to further thank the UK government for taking a strong leadership role in the UN and G7 summits on behalf of the people of Myanmar, and for the recognition
of CRPH and NUG as important voices of many in this nation.
The UK has announced additional measures targeting the Myanmar regime today (17 May), with new sanctions imposed against Myanmar Gems Enterprise (MGE). These latest sanctions aim to cut off a key source of funding for the military junta, which is responsible for serious human rights violations against the people of Myanmar, including the killing of children. Foreign Secretary of UK, Dominic Raab, said:
“The military junta in Myanmar continues to crush democracy and attack its own people with brutal ferocity. We are working with our allies to impose sanctions that hit the junta’s access to finance, and deliver a return to democracy.” The asset freeze imposed by the sanctions prevents anyone from dealing with funds
or economic resources which are owned or controlled by MGE and held in the UK. It also blocks others from providing funds or economic resources to MGE..."
Source/publisher:
Ministry of International Cooperation Myanmar
Date of publication:
2021-05-17
Date of entry/update:
2021-05-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Sanctions - general, UK-Burma relations, Economic activities of the Myanmar Military, Business and the Military, Sanctions, Gems - mining and trade, Gems, 2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état, National Unity Government (NUG)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
58.94 KB
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Sub-title:
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announces sanctions on Myanmar Gems Enterprise (MGE), a state-owned enterprise under the military junta’s control.
Description:
"Foreign Secretary announces new sanctions against Myanmar Gems Enterprise
the move will deprive the junta of a key source of funding – the gem trade is a multi-billion dollar business for Myanmar
the UK has already sanctioned senior Myanmar military officers and their economic interests following February’s military coup
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has announced additional measures targeting the Myanmar regime today (17 May) with new sanctions imposed against Myanmar Gems Enterprise (MGE).
MGE is a state owned enterprise which oversees all gemstone activities in Myanmar and is now under the junta’s control following the military coup on 1 February.
The designation against MGE will cut off a key source of funding for the military junta, which continues to subvert democracy and is responsible for the violent repression and serious human rights violations against the people of Myanmar, including the killing of children. Myanmar is one of the world’s largest producers of rubies and jade – trade in jade for example is a multi-billion dollar business for the country.
Enforced with immediate effect, the sanctions are the first since the UK laid new Myanmar sanctions regulations in parliament on 29 April. They demonstrate the UK’s commitment to targeting the military junta’s funding streams to put pressure on them to immediately end the coup.
Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said:
The military junta in Myanmar continues to crush democracy and attack its own people with brutal ferocity. We are working with our allies to impose sanctions that hit the junta’s access to finance, and deliver a return to democracy.
The asset freeze imposed by the sanctions prevents anyone from dealing with funds or economic resources which are owned or controlled by the designated entity and held in the UK. It also blocks others from providing funds or economic resources to the designated individual or entity – in this case MGE.
Today’s announcement, made in conjunction with the United States and Canada, follows the recent G7 and ASEAN meetings which reiterated the strong and united view of the international community in opposition to the actions of the military junta in Myanmar. The UK, alongside the G7, is urging all countries to immediately suspend arms sales to Myanmar and welcomes the recent suspension of sales by Japan and the Republic of Korea.
The UK is clear that ASEAN has a central role to play in resolving the crisis and that the military regime must implement the ASEAN Five Point Consensus without delay. The UK calls for all companies to cut ties with military-linked businesses with direct effect..."
Date of publication:
2021-05-17
Date of entry/update:
2021-05-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Sanctions - general, UK-Burma relations, Economic activities of the Myanmar Military, Sanctions, Gems - mining and trade, Gems
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar earned over 59.4 billion kyats (39.6 million U.S. dollars) from a gems and jade sale event which was concluded on Tuesday, an official of Myanma Gems Enterprise (MGE) told media.
The gems and jade sale event, kicked off in capital city Nay Pyi Taw on Jan. 2, was organized by the Myanma Gems Enterprise (MGE) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.
A total of 3,491 jade lots and nine gem lots were sold at the event, with 2,023 merchants in attendance, said General Manager Thet Khaing.
All 25 state-owned jade lots were sold out at the event and fetched about 450 million kyats (300,000 U.S. dollars), he added.
The last gems and jade sale, which was held in June 2019, fetched 60.89 billion kyats (40.6 million U.S. dollars) from the sale of 49 gems lots and 3,011 jade lots, with 2,010 local merchants in attendance..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication:
2020-01-07
Date of entry/update:
2020-01-08
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Sales at the recent jade expo in Mandalay city totalled over K30 billion (US$19.72 million), according to U Kyaw Zaw Aung, chair of the event’s organising committee.
Description:
"The weeklong expo, which concluded October 29 at the Mandalay Convention Centre, included sales of raw and finished jade and gemstones.
“We sold more than 1800 jade lots and earned more than K30 billion,” he said. “We thank all those who displayed their gems at the event and jade and gems merchants.”
U Kyaw Zaw Aung said that more revenue than expected was generated by the event, considering the country’s economic difficulties.
He said the organisers were encouraged by the results and would continue to hold such events.
Over 2890 jade lots were offered for sale at the exhibition. Jade sellers had to pay 11 percent in jewellery taxes, and buyers paid 5pc in commercial taxes.
More than 6500 local and 500 foreign gem traders attended the exhibition. Admission was K20,000 for locals, and K100,000 for foreigners. Foreigners were not allowed to buy raw jade lots, but were able to buy finished gems..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2019-11-05
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems - mining and trade, Gems
Language:
more
Description:
"As if human rights abuses, corruption charges and deadly landslides haven’t hurt the industry enough, Myanmar’s multi-billion-dollar jade and gemstone industry now has to deal with the challenges of e-commerce.
Myanmar produces 90 percent of the world’s jade and is a major player in the global gem economy, but poor regulations mean up to two-third of the country’s production is possibly not subjected to tax according to a report by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) in March.
The increasingly affluent China is the biggest market for Myanmar’s jade, and Radio Free Asia has reported how the highly valuable stone is often smuggled untaxed across porous borders to Chinese buyers – and the direct sale of jade online may now make up about 80 percent of all purchases, bypassing Myanmar’s tax collectors..."
Source/publisher:
"The ASEAN Post"
Date of publication:
2019-10-19
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems - mining and trade, Gems, Burma's economic relations with China, Border Trade with China, China-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar’s poorly regulated Jade and Gemstones production means up to two-thirds of all the country produces is possibly not subjected to tax, a new report by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) reveals. Experts believe that this, as well as chronic undervaluing of registered jade and gemstones, costs the country billions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
Myanmar produces 90 percent of the world’s jade and is a leading producer of rubies, sapphires, and other varieties of coloured gemstones. China is the largest beneficiary of this trade, with untold amounts of jade and gemstones being imported and smuggled across the border to meet the demand of its growing elite.
Myanmar, a former British colony, was under military rule from 1962 to 2011, during which time it was increasingly internationally isolated and became one of the world’s most impoverished countries. Military rule was dissolved in 2011 and since then, the country has engaged in a turbulent liberalisation process. Its GDP has grown steadily over the past several years, reaching an all-time high of $69.32 billion in 2017.
Despite significant growth, 32 percent of Myanmar’s citizens still live in poverty and the nation’s infrastructure is ranked 146th out of 148 countries in the world. This is in large part because Myanmar does not collect enough tax. A recent report by the Asia Foundation revealed that Myanmar’s tax receipts for 2016-17 were only 6 to 7 percent of its GDP, the lowest among all ASEAN nations..."
Source/publisher:
"Belt & Road News" (China)
Date of publication:
2019-03-17
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems, Gems - mining and trade, Burma's economic relations with China, China-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"The jade trade between Myanmar and China is worth an estimated US$30 billion a year - about half of Myanmar’s GDP. But jade mining is a bloodstained business built on drug addiction, slave labour and massive environmental destruction. Who should be responsible for the dark side of jade?.."
Source/publisher:
CNA Insider
Date of publication:
2018-09-08
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems - mining and trade, Burma's economic relations with China, Gems, The impact of natural disasters on the environment and people of Burma/Myanmar
Language:
more
Description:
"A recent spate of bombings in Myanmar was attributed by police to local mining businessmen intent on stopping foreign investment. These rogue commercial elements were seemingly worried of the impact on their business interests.
The shadowy assaults, including a bomb that detonated in a room occupied by an American in the Traders Hotel, demonstrates just how complex the climate for investors is in Myanmar. It also reveals how opaque mining interests could derail the peace process underway between the government and armed rebels and jeopardize the country?s democratic transition.
Hype persists over Myanmar?s resource wealth, with the country gearing up for new waves of investment and new mining laws
predicted to shortly come into effect. A recent Asian Development Bank study noted that Myanmar could become Asia?s next "rising star" if it can leverage its rich resource potential. However, regardless of much optimism, difficulties remain and if not addressed could unsettle the peace process.
The most important issue for investors, but also populations living near resources, is the reform of legal and regulatory frameworks. The current uncertainty in these frameworks has undermined the investment climate. Similarly, land tenure must be defined and a sustainable agreement reached with armed ethnic groups for their greater inclusion into the democratic process. Greater transparency is also needed to boost confidence in local actors that remain entangled with military powerbrokers. If such a prudent approach is not achieved, resources could become more of a burden than a boon in the country?s transformation..."
Elliot Brennan
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times Online"
Date of publication:
2013-10-23
Date of entry/update:
2014-05-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Dialogue/reform/transition in Burma/Myanmar - analyses and statements, Economic development asistance to Burm/Myanmar - discussion, Gems, Economic oppression, Extortion, Robbery, Burma democracy movement's international supporters, General reports and articles, Regional economic geometry
Language:
English
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Description:
Part 1: Burma?s Jade MInes...Part 2: Jadeite Trading, Grading and Identification...Abstract: "The jadeite mines of Upper Burma (now Myanmar) occupy a privileged place in the world of gems, as they are the principal source of top-grade material. Part 1 of this article, by the first foreign gemologists allowed into these important mines in over 30 years, discusses the history, location, and geology of the Burmese jadeite deposits, and especially current mining activities in the Hpakan region. Part 2 will detail the cutting, grading and trading of jadeite – in both Burma and China – as well as treatments. The intent is to remove some of the mystery surrounding the Orient?s most valued gem".
Richard W. Hughes, Olivier Galibert, George Bosshart, Fred Ward, Thet Oo, Mark Smith, Tay Thye Sun, George E. Harlow
Source/publisher:
ruby-sapphire.com
Date of publication:
2000-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Griffin, W.L., Win, T.T., Davies, R., Wathanakul, P., Andrew, a., Metcalfe, I.
Source/publisher:
Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny of Continents (GEMOC)
Date of publication:
1998-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Peretti, a., Kanpraphai, Anong
Source/publisher:
Contributions to Gemology, No. 2, August 2003, p. 1-8.
Date of publication:
2003-08-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Abstract A lot of liquid-gas and liquid-gas-solid inclusions were found in Pharkant jadeitites,
northwestern Myanmar and their characteristics, geological setting and porphyroclastic jadeites with
inclusions in them were described in detail. The results analyzed by Raman spectrometer showed
that the component of liquid-gas phase and solid phase (daughter minerals) in fluid inclusions is
H2O + CH4 and jadeite separately. The results indicated that Pharkant jadeitites were crystallized
from H2O + CH4 bearing jadeitic melt which may originate from mantle. The P-T conditions in which
the jadeitites were crystallized were speculated to be T 650 , P 1.5 GPa..."
Keywords: Pharkant Myanmar, jadeitite, jadeite, fluid inclusion, H2O + CH4, jadeitic melt, mantle.
SHI Guanghai, CUI Wenyuan, WANG Changqiu & ZHANG Wenhuai
Source/publisher:
Chinese Science Bulletin Vol. 45 No. 20 October 2000
Date of publication:
2000-10-20
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
"n a remote corner of Upper Burma, thousands are busy, seeking, searching, clawing at a mountain, prying loose boulders from the compact brown soil. Jack hammers pound out a rat-a-tat beat, punctuated by the occasional cymbal crash of pick and shovel, while a choir of coolies stand behind with baskets to carry the debris out of this earthen tomb. As each boulder is turned over, it is quickly examined, then discarded, along with the mounds of dirt that surround it. So the process is repeated. Over and over, again and again, hour after hour, day after day. The operation is a study in patience. Patience, patience – those who hurry lose, they make mistakes, they miss the prize, they don?t go to heaven.
The construction of the Great Pyramids in Egypt was a study in patience; that in Upper Burma today is on no less a scale, but involves deconstruction, the dismantling of entire mountains, step by step, bit by bit, stone by stone, one pebble at a time. Like the builders of pyramids, all involved share a single-minded devotion to the task. Patience, patience – those who hurry lose, they miss something, they don?t go to heaven. Those who hurry don?t find jade..."
.
Richard Hughes, Fred Ward
Source/publisher:
ruby-sapphire
Date of publication:
1997-04-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
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Description:
Summary:
"There are two major sources of rubies in Myanmar (Burma)—Mogok (Mandalay Division) and Mongshu (southern Shan State)—and several minor sources Nawarat/Pyinlon (near Namkhan, Shan State); Tanai and Nayaseik (Kachin State); Katpana (Kachin State); and Sagyin and Yatkanzin stone tracts (Madaya township) near Mandalay. Mogok and the smaller deposits are similarly hosted in white marble with considerable diversity among the rubies from each tract and strong similarities among the rubies between the tracts. Mongshu, although associated with metasediments and marbles, yields distinctly different rough and treated stones. Thus, stones from Mongshu are easily distinguished from those found at Mogok and the smaller deposits. These differences can be discerned using an optical microscope. Basic characteristics of stones from the minor sources are described, however further research is required to assess criteria for distinguishing among these sources and Mogok...
Methodology: Several hundred rubies from these source areas in Myanmar were examined for features that could be recorded photographically using a Mark 6 Gemolite with a 10X eyepiece normally at maximum magnification (~60x). Images were recorded on 35 mm Ektachrome tungsten film (ASA 160) with an "eye-piece" camera and printed electronically on a FUJIX Pictography 3000 (TDT process printer). Images are presented here at relatively low resolution."
Han Htun, George E. Harlow
Source/publisher:
The American Museum of Natural History,
Date of publication:
1999-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
Just when the U.S. government has halted America?s Ruby market from banning all imports from Burma, dealers are starting to see the best red corundum?s to come from that country in years. These stones were coming in form a promising trickle of good s from a vast untapped area called Namya, which is not too far away from Mogok the world?s most famous ruby district.
By David Federman
Source/publisher:
Modern Jeweler
Date of publication:
2004-02-04
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
Editor?s note:
This first-hand communication from Giuseppe d?Amato appears to have been written
originally in Italian. It was translated for publication in the Journal of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal in 1833, although the translator?s name is not provided. However
short this account, it provides valuable detailed information mining in royal Burma as
well as a few hints concerning Chinese traders in Upper Burma.
M.W.C.
Père Giuseppe D’Amato
Source/publisher:
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal via SOAS Bulletin of Burma Research, Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring 2004
Date of publication:
1833-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Peretti, a., Günther D.
Source/publisher:
Contributions to Gemology, No. 2, August, p. 15-18.
Date of publication:
2003-08-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
Allein der Handel mit Rubinen und anderen Edelsteinen habe der staatlichen Firma "Myanmar Gems Enterprise" nach offiziellen Angaben zwischen April 2006 und März 2007 Einnahmen in Höhe von 297 Millionen US-Dollars verschafft. Dreimal im Jahr lade Myanmar ausländische Händler zu Edelstein-Auktionen ein. Bei der letzten Versteigerung im März 2007 seien Steine im Wert von 185 Millionen US-Dollars umgesetzt worden. Damit sei die Ausfuhr von Edelsteinen neben dem Handel mit Teak-Holz sowie mit Erdöl und Erdgas, der bedeutendste Devisenbringer des Landes. Gemstones
Source/publisher:
Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker
Date of publication:
2007-10-15
Date of entry/update:
2008-05-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Economy: general, analytical, statistical (various sources), Gems - mining and trade, Gems
Language:
German, Deutsch
more
Description:
An engaging account of the historical, social and technical dimensions of gem mining and trading in Burma. "For many centuries, Burma has been one
of the most important gem centers in the
world. The Mogaung area, practically in the
path of the famous World War II Burma
Road, is the only commercial source of
jadeite that produces qualities ranging from
the finest gem emerald green to the cheapest
utilitarian quality. The gem mines in Mogok
are the only sources of fine gem rubies; Siam
rubies are generally inferior. Only in rare
cases is a fine Siam ruby found. Today, approximately
eighty-five percent of all rubies
and sapphires mined are of Burmese origin,
especially since the Kashmir mines in India
have ceased operations on any large scale.
Despite sufficient time and adequate facilities
for making a complete and thorough
investigation, a superficial survey in the
course of several trips during the past two
years revealed the presence of immense
wealth still hidden within Burma. Until a
complete scientific investigation is made of
the gem areas in Burma, it is hoped that this
article will fill the interim gap..."
(c) Gemological Institute of America. Reprinted by permission.
Martin Ehrmann
Source/publisher:
"Gems and Gemology" Spring 1957
Date of publication:
1957-04-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-11-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
1.14 MB 2.64 MB
Local URL:
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Description:
"After spending nearly two weeks in October in the mountains where a rubymine was said to have been discovered, a 9-men team of gem specialists dispatched by Rangoon had finally decided that the rock formations there were still to young to be worthwhile, said gem traders close to the local militia.
"Samples that the experts obtained melted when they were heated, unlike Monghsu stones," one of the gem traders who also occasionally deal in drugs told S.H.A.N..."
Source/publisher:
S.H.A.N.
Date of publication:
2004-02-25
Date of entry/update:
2004-02-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This article is excerpted by the story written by Ted Themelis, an expert on Myanmar (Burmese) gem deposits, and it was published in the Gemkey Magazine (Dec. 1998-Jan.1999 issue). It was updated in October 2001 incorporating all the latest news and observations gathered during Ted?s latest visit to Mogok in September 2001. This article represents the most updated and authoritative account on Mogok available anywhere..."
Ted Themelis
Source/publisher:
Gemlab Inc.
Date of publication:
2001-10-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-02-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
Out of the Jungle, Part I
"Conversation with a Burmese gem smuggler in a Maesai snooker hall: "Can you get a big chunk of jade into Thailand?" "Sure, not a problem." "But we want a really big chunk ..." "It?s okay, the soldiers will deal with getting it across."
We pump the smuggler for more information, but he senses that we?re more interested in who "the soldiers" are than in buying jade. He departs without making an arrangement. But you can be sure that along the porous Burmese-Thai border that night, several large pieces of jade and other goods ranging from the sacred to the profane crossed over rivers and through mountain passes into Thailand, to be distributed to the rest of the world..."...FOR PARTS 2 AND 3, CLICK ON "ARCHIVES" AND NAVIGATE.
Damon Poeter, Ted Themelis
Source/publisher:
The Spleen
Date of publication:
2001-07-09
Date of entry/update:
2004-02-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Note: On July 28th 2003, US President George W. Bush signed into law the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 (H.R. 2330). This act bans the importation into the United States of any article that is produced, mined, manufactured, grown or assembled in Burma. The following piece is actually two:
1. Thoughts on the US Embargo Against Burma by Richard W. Hughes;
2. How Sanctions Can Work by Brian Leber...
In these two articles, Richard Hughes and Brian Leber examine the impact of these sanctions on the US gem trade, along with the entire issue of national sanctions, both pro and con."
Richard Hughes, Brian Leber
Source/publisher:
Ruby-saffire.com
Date of publication:
2003-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"...Introduction to Burmese sapphires
Although it is rubies for which Burma (Myanmar) is famous, some of the world?s finest blue sapphires are also mined in the Mogok area. Today the world gem trade recognizes the quality of Burmese sapphires, but this was not always the case..."
Richard W. Hughes, U Hla Win
Source/publisher:
Journal of Gemmology (Vol. 24, No. 8, October, pp. 551?561)
Date of publication:
1995-10-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
"...Mogok is not the only active ruby mining area in Burma. Stones from the Möng Hsu (pronounced Maing Shu? by the Shan; Mong Shu? by the Burmese) deposit, located in Myanmar?s Shan State, northeast of Taunggyi, first began appearing in Bangkok in mid-1992. Since that time they have completely dominated the world?s ruby trade in sizes of less than 3 ct. Indeed, 99% of all the rubies traded today in Chanthaburi (Thailand) are from Möng Hsu..."
Source/publisher:
Australian Gemmologist (1998, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 70?74).
Date of publication:
1998-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Peretti, a.
Source/publisher:
Contributions to Gemology, No. 2, August, p. 19-20.
Date of publication:
2003-08-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
Gems, drugs and conflict in Burma
Richard W. Hughes
Source/publisher:
The Guide, Vol. 20, No. 4, Issue 5, Part 1, Sept.?Oct 2001, pp. 8?14.
Date of publication:
2001-10-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
"...Long before the Buddha walked the earth, the northern part of Burma was said to be inhabited only by wild animals and birds of prey. One day the biggest and oldest eagle in creation flew over a valley. On a hillside shone an enormous morsel of fresh meat, bright red in color. The eagle attempted to pick it up, but its claws could not penetrate the blood-red substance. Try as he may, he could not grasp it. After many attempts, at last he understood. It was not a piece of meat, but a sacred and peerless stone, made from the fire and blood of the earth itself. The stone was the first ruby on earth and the valley was Mogok..."
Richard W. Hughes
Source/publisher:
ruby-sapphire.com
Date of publication:
1996-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
In four substantial parts, with text, pictures, maps, tables...
Richard W. Hughes
Source/publisher:
ruby-sapphire.com
Date of publication:
1997-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
"... This article resulted from the first visit by foreign gemologists to Burma?s jade mines in over thirty years. the mines are described in detail, along with the road to and from the area...For over thirty years, foreigners had petitioned the Burmese government to visit the jade mines. Due to the war which had raged between the central government and successionist rebels, the answer always came back no. But times had changed. The country was now called Myanmar. And the central government had recently made peace with the rebels. So, hat in hand, we went and asked again. And we received. They said we could go..." ... I did not see any publication date for the article, but the journey was in 1996, which I have therefore put as the date of the article.
Richard Hughes, Oliver Galibert, Mark Smith & Dr. Thet Oo
Source/publisher:
Ganoksin
Date of publication:
1996-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
"...Burma is home to one of the planet?s richest sources of gem wealth. Rubies and sapphires from Mogok, rubies from Möng Hsu, jade from Hpakan, pearls from the Mergui Archipelago, these are but a few of her treasures. But since 1962, Burma has also achieved notoriety of a different sort ? home to one of the planet?s most repressive regimes.
Richard W. Hughes
Source/publisher:
Momentum magazine (1997, Vol. 5, No. 16, pp. 16?19)
Date of publication:
1997-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2004-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
1 FOREWORD BY ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU;
INTRODUCTION:-
3 FLAWED IMPLEMENTATION;
3 MOVING AHEAD;
4 RESISTANCE;
4 BROKEN PROMISES;
5 NO DELAY;
6 SMART SANCTIONS...
PART 2: THE STORY SO FAR:-
7 CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS;
9 ROADMAPS LEADING NOWHERE:
* Thai �road map' _ Much Ado About Nothing;
* The SPDC Roadmap_ the Perfect Stalling Tactic;
* National Convention background;
* What's missing from the �road map';
* What the convention does offer;
* NLD & ethnic nationality participation not required;
12 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS;
14 BROADER INDIRECT IMPACT OF SANCTIONS;
17 LIMITATIONS OF SANCTIONS:
* �Carroty Sticks';
18 SANCTIONS & THE ECONOMY...
PART 3: CURRENT SANCTIONS:-
21 CANADA'S SANCTIONS ON BURMA;
22 EUROPEAN UNION SANCTIONS ON BURMA;
23 JAPAN'S POLICY ON BURMA;
24 UNITED STATES SANCTIONS ON BURMA;
25 SANCTIONS & ACTIONS: AN ASSESSMENT;
25 IMPORT BAN:
* Direct Impacts;
* Room For Improvement;
26 BAN ON REMITTANCES TO BURMA:
* Direct Impacts;
* Room For Improvement;
28 FOREIGN INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS:
* Direct Impacts;
* Room For Improvement;
30 ARMS EMBARGO / NON-PROVISION OF ARTICLES/SERVICES
THAT COULD BE USED FOR REPRESSION
* Direct Impacts:
* Room For Improvement;
33 ASSETS FREEZE:
* Direct Impacts & Room For Improvement;
34 TRAVEL/VISA BAN:
* Direct Impacts;
* Room For Improvement;
35 BAN ON DIRECT FOREIGN ASSISTANCE:
* Direct Impacts & Room For Improvement;
* Japan Suspends Aid to Burma;
* Drug Eradication Assistance;
* Direct Impacts & Room For Improvement;
37 SUSPENSION OF MDB & IFI ASSISTANCE:
* Direct Impacts & Room For Improvement;
38 TRADE PREFERENCE SUSPENSIONS:
* Direct Impacts;
* Room For Improvement;
40 DIPLOMATIC DOWNGRADES;
40 INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION (ILO):
* A Model For Sanctions;
43 UNITED NATIONS:
* SPDC Thumbing Their Nose At The UN;
* UN Interventions;
* Extreme Violations;
* Broad Based Support;
46 WHAT ABOUT THE UNSC?
47 UN SECRETARY GENERAL'S SPECIAL ENVOY TO BURMA:
* Turning of the Tide;
* A New Strategy;
* UN Special Envoy's Mandate;
49 THE UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR'S OBLIGATION:
* A Different Tune;
50 UNDERMINING ITSELF;
PART 4: RECOMMENDED ACTIONS & SANCTIONS:-
51 �RECIPE FOR RECONCILIATION';
51 PRINCIPLED ENGAGEMENT:
* Nominations for the Burma Diplomatic Squad;
* Components of the Recipe;
* Reconstruction of Burma;
54 NO MORE TOYS FOR THE BAD BOYS;
54 WIDEN BAN ON REMITTANCES TO BURMA;
55 IMPORT BAN ON GOODS FROM BURMA:
* 10% of Exports Profits Directly Fund the Regime;
58 BAN ON CONFLICT RESOURCES:
* SPDC Involvement;
* Examples of SPDC �unofficial' involvement in logging;
* Local Communities â? Logging often hurts more than it helps;
* Gems;
* Environmental Destruction;
* Employment;
* Forced Labor;
* Ethnic Nationalities â? Between A Rock & A Hard Place;
* Drugs, HIV/AIDS & Money Laundering;
* Resource Diplomacy;
* Who's Operating?
* Some of the Big Boys...
70 BAN ON NATURAL GAS IMPORTS FROM BURMA;
71 RESTRICTION ON FUEL SALES TO BURMA;
72 BAN ON OIL & GAS FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (FDI):
* Oil & Gas;
* New Pipeline Proposal;
* Yadana Partners Strike Again;
* Greater Mekong Subregion Project;
74 FULL INVESTMENT BAN:
* Major FDI Players;
* FDI 2001-2002;
* Trade Fairs;
* FDI Exposure to Money Laundering;
* What About the Workers?
79 SPECIAL FOCUS: TENTACLES 'S HOLD ON THE
FORMAL ECONOMY:
* The BIG Tentacles â? A Snapshot!
* Ministry of Defense;
* DDP: Directorate of Defense Procurement;
* DDI: Directorate of Defense Industries;
* MEC: Myanmar Economic Corporation;
* UMEH (UMEHL): Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings;
* MOGE/MPE/MPPE;
* Ministry of Industry I;
* Ministry of Industry II;
* Myanmar Agricultural Produce Trading (MAPT);
* Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE);
* Myanmar Export-Import Services (MEIS);
* Ministry of Post and Telegraphs (MPT);
* Ministry of Hotels & Tourism;
* Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE);
* Directorate of Ordnance;
* State-Owned/Controlled Banks;
86 A CLOSER LOOK: UNION OF MYANMAR ECONOMIC
HOLDINGS LTD (UMEH/UMEHL/UMEHI):
* Gems;
* Jade;
* UMEH Business Ventures;
* Keeping It In The Family: Industrial Estates;
* It Gets Worse;
* Six Degrees Of Separation;
* Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA);
* Na Sa Ka: Making Human Rights Violations Profitable...
95 WIDEN THE ASSETS FREEZE;
95 IMPLEMENT FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE (FATF)
RECOMMENDATIONS;
98 WITHHOLD ASSISTANCE FROM IFI/MDBS:
* Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS);
* East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC);
* Power Trade Operating Agreement (PTOA);
* Technical Assistance;
* Withhold GMS Funding For Projects In Burma...
102 SUSPEND JAPAN'S OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
(ODA) TO BURMA:
* Options;
105 PRESSURE ON JAPAN;
105 BOYCOTT AND DIVESTMENT CAMPAIGNS;
108 DELAY TOURISM:
* Benefiting Whom?
109 ASEAN TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY:
* The Reality;
* Credibility on the Line;
111 INCREASE PRESSURE ON THE REGIME'S KEY PARTNERS;
112 SPORTS EMBARGO;
113 OFFICIAL RECOGNITION FOR THE CRPP;
113 INCREASE CAPACITY OF THE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT;
114 PUT SPDC ON PROBATION;
114 TAKE BURMA TO THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL
(UNSC):
* Rampant Military Growth;
* Known weapons procurement during 2001-July 2003;
* Civilian Military Porters;
* Child Soldiers;
* Drugs;
* Civil War;
* Displacement of People;
* Systematic human rights abuses;
* Failure to recognize democratic elections;
* Regional Implications...
PART 5: MYTHS & REALITIES:-
132 MYTH 1: Sanctions on Burma have not worked.;
133 MYTH 2: The effectiveness of sanctions is too limited to beconstructive;
134 MYTH 3: The SPDC is not influenced by international
pressure;
135 MYTH 4: Sanctions can be used as a scapegoat by the SPDC
for internal policy failures;
136 MYTH 5: Sanctions will alienate the �moderates' in the regime;
137 MYTH 6: Sanctions take away incentives for the regime to
make progress;
138 MYTH 7: Constructive engagement would be successful in
bringing reforms in Burma;
139 MYTH 8: Sanctions and principled engagement cannot work
as complementary approaches;
141 MYTH 9: Western nations' economic stake in Burma is not
large enough for sanctions to be effective;
142 MYTH 10: Sanctions will not impact the regime but will mostly
hurt civilians:
* Formal and Informal Economy;
* Reality Check;
* Jobs Lost?
146 MYTH 11: Sanctions are starving the population:
* Very Low Nutrition and Life Expectancy Rates;
* More Displacement in Ethnic and Central Areas;
* Logging and Increased Poverty;
* Military Forces and Arms Procurement Have Increased;
* More Oppression;
* Four-Cuts Program;
* Mawchi Township: Impoverished by the SPDC;
151 MYTH 12: Investment and trade has brought better working
conditions;
153 MYTH 13: Sanctions destroyed Burma's investment climate:
* Mandalay Brewery: A Cautionary Tale;
156 MYTH 14: Sanctions created Burma's current financial crisis;
* Foreign Exchange Certificates (FECs);
158 MYTH 15: Burmese people do not want sanctions;
159 MYTH 16: International pressure & sanctions will isolate the
regime, push it closer to China;
PART 6: IRREVERSIBLE STEPS FORWARD:-
162 LESSONS FROM AFGHANISTAN:
* A Few Steps Behind;
* Engagement & Reward â? A Dangerous Game;
* Transformation;
164 SANCTIONS FOR CHANGE:
* Clear Recipe;
* Period of Leverage & Enforcement Actions;
* Timing & Strength;
* Committee oversight;
* Communication;
* Moderates?;
* Lose-Lose Situation;
* Premature Action;
172 EU'S NEW STRATEGY APRIL 2003 â?
WHY IT DIDN'T MEASURE UP;
174 LESSONS FROM HAITI, NIGERIA, AND SOUTH AFRICA:
* Haiti;
* Nigeria;
* South Africa;
179 RECIPE FOR SUCCESS:
* A Non-Zero Sum View of the Conflict;
* Sticks as Well as Carrots;
* Asymmetry of Motivation Favoring the State Employing Coercive Diplomacy;
* Opponent's Fear of Unacceptable Punishment for
Noncompliance;
* No Significant Misperception
Source/publisher:
Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma)
Date of publication:
2003-11-20
Date of entry/update:
2003-11-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Sanctions, Formal Sanctions, Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings (UMEH), Gems, ALTSEAN-Burma archive
Language:
English
more
Description:
"?Capitalizing on Conflict? presents information illustrating how trade in timber, gems,
and gold is financing violent conflict, including widespread and gross human rights
abuses, in Burma. Although trade in these ?conflict goods? accounts for a small
percentage of the total global trade, it severely compromises human security and
undermines socio-economic development, not only in Burma, but throughout the
region.
Ironically, cease-fire agreements signed between the late 1980s and early 1990s
have dramatically expanded the area where businesses operate. While many
observers have have drawn attention to the political ramifications of these ceasefires,
little attention has been focused on the economic ramifications. These ceasefires,
used strategically by the military regime to end fighting in some areas and
foment intra-ethnic conflict in others and weaken the unity of opposition groups,
have had a net effect of increasing violence in some areas.
Capitalizing on Conflict focuses on two zones where logging and mining are both
widespread and the damage from these activities is severe... Both case
studies highlight the dilemmas cease-fire arrangements often pose for the local
communities, which frequently find themselves caught between powerful and
conflicting military and business interests. The information provides insights into the
conditions that compel local communities to participate in the unsustainable
exploitation of their own local resources, even though they know they are destroying
the very ecosystems they depend upon to maintain their way of life. The other
alternative — to stand aside and let outsiders do it and then be left with nothing — is
equally unpalatable..."
Table of Contents:
Map of Burma;
Map of Logging and Mining Areas;
Executive Summary;
Recommendations;
Part I: Context;
General Background on Cease-fires;
Conflict Trade and Burma;
Part II: Logging Case Study;
Background on the Conflict;
Shwe Gin Township (Pegu Division);
Papun Districut (Karen State);
Reported Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts;
Part III: Mining Case Study;
Background on the Conflict;
Mogok (Mandalay Division);
Shwe Gin Township (Pegu Division);
Reported Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts;
Conclusion.
Ken MacLean
Source/publisher:
EarthRights International (ERI), Karen Environnmental & Social Action Network (KESAN)
Date of publication:
2003-10-00
Date of entry/update:
2003-11-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Gems, Minerals and Mining - Burma (general articles and analyses), Gems - mining and trade, Deforestation
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
939.97 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"The history of Burma?s jade mines in the West is a brief one. While hundreds of different reports, articles and even books exist on the famous ruby deposits of Mogok, only a handful of westerners have ever made the journey to northern Burma?s remote jade mines and wrote down their findings. Occidental accounts of the mines make their first appearance in 1837. Although in 1836, Captain Hannay obtained specimens of jadeite at Mogaung during his visit to the Assam frontier (Hannay, 1837), Dr. W.Griffiths (1847) was the first European to actually visit the mines, in 1837 (Griffiths, 1847). The following is his account, as given in Scott and Hardiman (1900?1901):..."
Richard W. Hughes
Source/publisher:
Journal of the Geoliterary Society (Vol. 14, No. 1, 1999). via ganoksin
Date of publication:
1999-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Foreign investment in mining, Gems
Language:
English
more
Description:
Dhaka, 3 February: "The Burmese stall at the ongoing Dhaka International Trade Fair has become well-known for selling ?the most costly items?, according to a stall-owner in the fair.
The items to be found in the Burmese gems stall include gold jewellery with precious Burmese stones like emerald, ruby, jade, sapphire and diamonds as well as cultured pearls..."
Source/publisher:
Narinjara news
Date of publication:
2003-02-03
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Narinjara News, Gems
Language:
English
Format :
htm
Size:
9.05 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"More than a million miners desperately excavate the bedrock of a remote valley hidden in the shadows of the Himalayas. They are in search of just one thing - jadeite, the most valuable gemstone in the world. But with wages paid in pure heroin and HIV rampant, the miners are paying an even higher price. Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark travel to the death camps of Burma...Hpakant is Burma's black heart, drawing hundreds of thousands of people in with false hopes and pumping them out again, infected and broken. Thousands never leave the mines, but those who make it back to their communities take with them their addiction and a disease provincial doctors are not equipped to diagnose or treat. The UN and WHO have now declared the pits a disaster zone, but the military regime still refuses to let any international aid in..." jade
Adrian Levy & Cathy Scott-Clark
Source/publisher:
The Observer (London)
Date of publication:
2001-11-11
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
html
Size:
25.12 KB
Local URL:
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