2 October 2020

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

[...] [L]obby 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. Otherwise “things will only get worse”, it warns.

[...]

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, says Yangon-based analyst Richard Horsey.

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

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But the jade also funds conflicts further afield, with militias and ethnic armed groups from across the country enmeshed in the trade, says Global Witness. And ubiquitous narcotics add yet more danger.

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