{"id":68742,"date":"2020-11-24T17:55:28","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T17:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadialogue.net\/?p=68742"},"modified":"2021-05-19T17:05:31","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T17:05:31","slug":"myanmars-jade-mines-danger-and-desperation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/justice\/myanmars-jade-mines-danger-and-desperation\/","title":{"rendered":"Danger and desperation in Myanmar\u2019s jade mines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe landslide is inevitable. It is a risk, we all know,\u201d said Aye Yi, a 33-year-old who has been working in Myanmar\u2019s jade mines since she was 14. \u201cWe don\u2019t know when it will happen. But we know it definitely will at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myanmar\u2019s deadliest mining accident in living memory killed at least 175 people<\/a> near Hpakant town on 2 July. Informal jade miners were digging through a mound of tailings \u2013 earth discarded by digger trucks \u2013 when the pile, already weakened by heavy rain, collapsed. The landslide swept dozens of people away as the hillside crashed into the lake below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Informal<\/div>
Informal miners wait while a truck dumps waste from industrial-scale operations at a nearby jade mine (Image \u00a9 Hkun Lat<\/a>)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Once<\/div>
Once the earth stops moving, the miners rush to dig through the rubble in search of overlooked stones. The dangerous working conditions lead to frequent injuries and deaths. (Image \u00a9 Hkun Lat<\/a>)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The environment minister, Ohn Win, blamed the miners<\/a>, who are often desperate, impoverished internal migrants, for the disaster that he said was caused by their \u201cgreed\u201d. Others pointed out that the civilian government has failed to regulate the jade industry effectively during its five years in power. Doing so would mean tackling the military\u2019s deep involvement in the jade trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government\u2019s inability or unwillingness to control the industry includes a failure to introduce and enforce environmental regulations. In 2017, it commissioned<\/a> a new environmental management plan to rein in the mining sector, but that still hasn\u2019t been implemented. Satellite imagery shows<\/a> major deforestation and scarring of the landscape in Hpakant and the surrounding area, as excavators rip mountains apart, digging ever deeper in search of a dwindling supply of jade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n