‘Gemstone industry needs to change’

Activists are calling for an urgent reform of the country’s deadly, corrupt and under-regulated jade mining trade.

A TORRENT of water, rock and heavy sludge spun Sai Ko as he clung to a corpse to survive – a memory that still traumatises the young “jade-picker” three months after Myanmar’s worst-ever mine disaster.

Heavy rainfall in July triggered a massive landslide in Hpakant – the green heart of Myanmar’s jade trade in northern Kachin state – that entombed nearly 300 miners.

Today, Sai Ko is still recovering from head injuries sustained when the unstable mountain of waste collapsed beneath him.

Two of his friends were less lucky, among the victims of the under-regulated, notoriously corrupt, multi-billion-dollar industry that exploits the most vulnerable.

“We fear all sides of the industry,” the 22-yearold said, now back in his home village in central Myanmar.

The July 2 disaster was the worst the country has seen, but fatal landslides in Hpakant are common, especially during the relentless monsoon rains.

As the country gears up for its November election, lobby group Global Witness says it now has a chance to “reset” its policies for an industry that continues to fuel decades-long conflicts.

It is calling for a stop to large-scale mining, regulation of waste dumping and environmental protection laws with “real punishments” for those who violate them. The once-stunning mountains of Myanmar’s Hpakant township have been destroyed beyond recognition.

Satellite images show a brown sore that has spread rapidly since the 1990s, cutting across swathes of the surrounding lush jungles.

Naung Latt from the environmental group Greenland estimates about 50 mountains have simply been mined away to nothing.

But powerful stakeholders are benefiting from the lack of regulation, says Global Witness.

The military’s direct involvement through its conglomerates presents a “huge conflict of interest”, the NGO said, explaining that the military also controls access to the area and enjoys oversight over much of the industry.

Hundreds of thousands of Myanmar’s poorest have for years headed to Hpakant to pick up what is left behind by the big companies.

They end up exploited by mafia operations that benefit kingpins and various armed groups, said Yangon-based analyst Richard Horsey.

“The whole industry is criminal, with these guys at the bottom,” he added.