Myanmar’s parliament seeks answers about jade mining conditions

22 December 2015
Myanmar’s parliament seeks answers about jade mining conditions
Myanmar’s parliamentary speaker Thura U Shwe Mann during a parliamentary session in Nay Pyi Taw on 16 November 2015. Photo: Hong Sar/Mizzima

Myanmar’s parliamentary speaker asked the government on Monday to explain jade mining conditions and the import of heavy machinery in the northern township of Hpakant, where more than 100 people died in a landslide of mining debris last month, RFA reported on 21 December.
Shwe Mann, speaker of the lower house of parliament, sent a letter to President Thein Sein in the wake of the deadly disaster, which has drawn attention to the dangerous work conditions of miners, most of whom are migrants from other parts of the country.
As of the end of November, nearly 630 companies, including many Chinese-led firms, were engaged in the jade mining industry on 22,500 acres of land around Hpakant, according to the government.