Mizzima News

New Delhi – The Human Rights Watch on Monday called on consumers to support a new United States law by refusing to buy jewellery unless they ensured that their gems were not from Burma.

The HRW, in a statement, said the purchase of Burmese Gems supports the military government with millions of dollars to remain in power, while its citizens remain under its repressive rule.

As part of increased pressure against the Burmese regime, the US on Monday enforced a new law strictly banning the import of rubies and jade from Burma. The Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008 was approved unanimously by both the Houses of Congress and was signed by President George W. Bush on July 29, 2008.

"It is one major step that the US has taken to put pressure on the military government of Burma. Gems trade can benefit the military government as well as its close private business," David Scott Mathieson, Burma Consultant of the HRW, told Mizzima.

However, he added, "There are some Burmese Gems still appearing on the US markets," and urged the US law makers to look into the situation by figuring out through their suppliers in Asia and try to verify the origins of the gems and rubies that they were selling.

"For many years American jewellery retailers have bought Burmese rubies and jade that help finance the military junta's brutality," Arvind Ganesan, Director of the Business and Human Rights Program at HRW said in a statement.

"Now it is illegal to support that trade," he added.

The law comes into effect after 60 days, but US Customs and Border Protection developed a phased-in implementation plan and granted a 30-day grace period, which expires on October 26, for the jewellery industry to adapt to the new rules.

In addition to complying with the Block Burmese JADE Act, the HRW urged gem dealers and retailers to carefully screen their purchase of other gems that Burma is known to produce in order to supporting the Burmese regime unintentionally.

Consumers should ask retailers about the origin of the jewellery they sell and decline to buy from retailers, who will not identify in writing the country where the gemstones were mined, such as on the sales receipt, Human Rights Watch added.

In addition to the import ban, the US Treasury Department has put in place targeted sanctions on a number of Burmese companies that are involved in the gem business, including the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Company, a military-owned conglomerate, Myanmar Gems Enterprise, Myanmar Pearl Enterprise, Myanmar Ruby Enterprise, and Myanmar Imperial Jade Company.

Despite the US's ban on Burmese jewellery, gem dealers and businesses in Burma said, they are least impacted by the law as most of their clients are from Asia such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand.

The private gem dealers in Rangoon said, the situation of selling jewellery is still in good condition with a lot of customers coming from regional countries. "We used to sell our gems in Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand," a gem dealer in Rangoon told Mizzima.

Despite the US embargo, Burma's military junta earlier this month held a gem exhibition in Rangoon, which generated more than $172 million.  The sale drew 2,648 gem merchants from nearly a dozen countries, including China, Thailand, Japan and Canada.