27 Jul 2016

The government will not renew mining permits for jade and gems when they expire and will only consider issuing new permits once by-laws to the Myanmar Gemstones Law have been passed, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation said…

The ministry wants to change the rules governing gemstone production, said U Thet Khaing, deputy director of the Licence and Registry Department under state-owned Myanmar Gems Enterprise…

The move follows a series of disastrous landslides that have killed several hundred workers, as well as reports about the wholesale looting of the country’s natural mineral wealth for the benefit of a few.

Myanmar has come under significant pressure from activist groups, environmentalists and foreign governments to clean up the vastly lucrative industry, which remains under US sanctions…