‘Blood Jade Mine’ business in the hands of soldiers that kill people
Date 04 Feb 2021 at 20:10
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Opened the treasures of the Myanmar Army with great value but not falling to the hands of the people
Jade mine in Bagan City Myanmar’s northern Kachin state is the world’s largest and most valuable source of jade, with an enormous value almost equivalent to half of the country’s GDP, according to an NGO report. Global Witness Or create a value of more than 30 billion US dollars (more than 9 hundred billion baht) per year, but those funds are rarely reached by ordinary people or state funds.
According to the organization’s report, the jade trade is controlled by the elite of the Burmese army and their associates. They have accumulated huge profits on the hardships of the mine workers.
While the people of Kachin State suffered from the loss of their livelihoods and landscapes. Their most prized natural heritage was hijacked before their eyes.
“The trees were in our garden, but we were not allowed to eat the fruit.”
For many years the Myanmar jade has been a secret. Ordinary people do not have access to the information of the real owner of this treasure. Who owns the license? How did you get it? What are the terms of the contract? What fees have to be paid to the government? Quantity in production? Everything is still being questioned.
In 2015, Global Witness revealed that a large number of senior military officers were interested in the jade business, with a list of some of the stakeholders, including General Than Shwe, former Myanmar military dictatorial leader, Maung Maung. Maung Maung Thein, former Joint Government Party Secretary, and Ohn Myint, Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development, a former senior general in Kachin State.
In addition, the Myanmar Army also acquired a stake in the jade industry through Myanma Economic Holdings Limited and Myanmar Economic Corporation.
Many people in Kachin State believe that proceeds from jade will help support the military in its war against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).
Back in July last year. There was a falling rain at the jade mine which killed more than a hundred people in the area. Mine workers are buried in it. The jade industry in Myanmar was raised again and condemned for its lack of labor welfare and mining security measures.
The same incident happened in 2015 and 2019, which also killed nearly a hundred workers. But the mining industry has continued until history repeats itself in July, with no powerful authority to investigate and reform the mining.
Part of the article on the website ASEAN Today It said, “As long as the military continues to occupy the jade mine in Myanmar and surrounding local communities, it will remain in place. The oppressed mining workers will continue to face dangers in the industry as the elite generals reap profits.
website Justice for Myanmar Stated that the mine belongs to the soldiers and allies It operates without control and without transparency, creating serious conflicts and human rights violations. It revealed that the person responsible for last year’s mine collapse was Jade Land, owned by Yup Zaw Hkwang and his family.
Yup Sokwang is a close ally of the Myanmar military and is the richest man in Kachin State, while his Jade Land is named the largest jade company in Myanmar.
The Myanmar Armed Forces are linked to the jade industry through its stakeholders and leading subsidiaries, Myanma Economic Holdings Limited, also operating in the jade industry through its subsidiary Myanmar Imperial Jade, and it’s clear that huge profits flow. To the general soldiers In addition, the army also provided allies with a license to mine jade, such as the KBZ Group.
The report also lists other companies. Related, such as Jade Leaf, was charged by police in March 2020 for illegal mining.
Business magazine Frontier Myanmar It said that even though Myanmar has disclosed the registration and budget information of companies in the country, there are still some businesses stored in black boxes, the biggest and most profitable of the black boxes. Business interests of the military sector
Several companies were unable to clearly disclose information about stakeholders, including Myanmar’s military companies Myanmar Economic Holdings and Myanmar Economic Corporation.
The military previously claimed that these companies were helping to lighten the state budget. But it is not clear whether this is true or not. And where did the results of those companies end up and what was it used for?
In addition to failing to properly comply with useful proprietary rules, there are other cases. Indicating that the clan is playing outside the game Such as having a stake in several key ports in Yangon which creates a conflict of interest.
There were also cases where Ni Aung, the managing director of the Myanmar Port Authority, signed a natural gas import contract on the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, leased by the military’s Myanmar Economic Holdings, prosecutors said had an interest. Illegal overlap
When a soldier enters the business arena, it is imperative to follow the same rules as everyone else. Until the end, both of the above companies of the military were registered under the law and are competing in the private sector.
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