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Burma junta forges pact in jade for



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          BURMA JUNTA FORGES PACT IN JADE FOR CEASEFIRE, PROFIT

The Asian Age (New Delhi)
April 20, 2001

By Daniel Kestenholz

Bangkok, April 19: It is more expensive than diamond, wonderful to cut
yet harder than steel, and no two pieces are alike. Jade is mined in
northern Burma, and is the most desirable stone in Asia.

The jade trade is bizarre, a kind of roulette, bringing fortune or ruin.
As a British commissioner to Burma in the colonial era put it: ?he jade
trade is an unprofitable antagonism, which requires elucidation,
clarification and the light of day.?

But the Chinese are obsessed with jade, which they call ?heavenly stone?
and consider the bridge between man and the gods, a healing stone that
protects against death.

Now the military junta in Burma, desperate for foreign currency, wants
to make use of this heavenly stone - epitome of a nation in which
gamblers, rebels and smugglers remain the main political protagonists.

?Kyaukseinmyo (Jade Country)? in the Christian Kachin region of the
country is one of the most inaccessible jungles, which makes the hopes
and myths surrounding it all the more fabulous. Those who go in search
of this stone need many years of experience - and luck. Rough jade,
oxidised over millions of years and barely distinguishable from lumps of
granite, is bought raw and recognised by ? light windows? sound and
feel.

The tens of thousands of jade hunters in the jade mines of Hpakan, where
rubble is sorted from riches, engage in a painful ?game of patience.? If
he is not careful, a jade prospector can throw away a fortune with one
block of stone. If you are too swift you will stumble, they say in
Hpakan, Burma? wild west, also called ?Little Hong Kong.?

It is known for its cognac, gambling, girls and AIDS. The roads into
jade country are either dust hills or muddy tracks, depending on the
season, and are sometimes only passable by foot, on horseback, or by
elephant. The mines regularly flood during the monsoon period.

Here, where dynamite fuses are lit with cigarette ends and where safety
precautions are too expensive a luxury, an ant-like mass of people drive
narrow shafts into the ground.

Daring prospectors, equipped with metre-long air-hoses, dive into water
after the most precious river jade. But most of it is mined by hand from
tunnels, without pneumatic drills, water pumps or conveyor belts. A
human life is worth little here.

There are bandits by the drove. With a little luck, you might reach
China or Thailand, where jade blocks are worth small fortunes.

The miners and porters work for one US dollar a day, rough jade pieces
change hands for a few dollars. In Mandalay, 300 km and a few days
travel away, they cost a few hundred dollars. In Rangoon they can bring
a few thousand, in the jade centre Hong Kong they can make a few
thousand dollars. In 1998, a jade choker necklace was auctioned for
$2million.

The junta has now sanctioned jade trading between locals and foreigners,
in order to profit finally from the country? wealth in jade.

It has broken up the state monopoly of the ?Burma Gems Enterprise? and
given the Kachin exclusive licences in exchange for a ceasefire. It is
meant to stop smuggling and fill the empty state coffers.

But the ceasefire is shaky, trading remains dominated by the Chinese,
and anyone who hits on a jade deposit, keeps the knowledge to himself.
Traders will beware of telling the military leadership their true
turnover in order to avoid a 10-per cent tax or even confiscation of
revenues. There is talk that around 70 per cent of jade sales are in the
hands of smugglers.

Meanwhile, Rangoon has started holding gem auctions twice a year. No
self-respecting Asian jeweller can afford to stay away from the event,
which is also increasingly attracting Western players to the supposed
pariah state. ?it is a nirvana for jewellers,? said a Californian gem
trader.

Politics remain taboo at these trade fairs. Jade trading is a game
between appearances and reality. Individual stones can decide fortunes.
No wonder then that the uncut pieces, as big as bowls, are nervously
examined by specialists with the help of special essences and pocket
lamps. Individual jade pieces are cut open, but there are enough traders
who will risk big sums for uncut pieces with a crack, a ?window,?
although the real value is recognisable only in broken and polished
pieces.

American visitor Richard Hughes, who in 1997 together with German film
maker Georg-Peter Mueller was one of the first Westerners to travel into
jade country since the 1960s, remembers one incident in Bangkok where a
trader was offered a large sum for a particular raw stone. He chose
instead to break it up himself only to find the stone was worthless, and
shot himself. ?he jade trade is a gamble,? Mr Hughes said. ?The leaders
in this game, the Chinese, love a gamble.? Jade, next to teak wood, has
become a main revenue source for the junta in a trade which remains
dominated by adventure seekers, dreamers and cheats. The heavenly stones
become devilish stones in a business of risk, adventure and hardship,
where it is all a question of luck.




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<center><b><font color="#0000FF"><font size=+2>BURMA JUNTA FORGES PACT
IN JADE FOR CEASEFIRE, PROFIT</font></font></b></center>

<p><font color="#990000"><font size=+1>The Asian Age (New Delhi)</font></font>
<br><font color="#990000"><font size=+1>April 20, 2001</font></font>
<p><font size=+1>By <font color="#400040">Daniel Kestenholz</font></font>
<p><font size=+1><font color="#CC0000">Bangkok, April 19:</font> It is
more expensive than diamond, wonderful to cut yet harder than steel, and
no two pieces are alike. Jade is mined in northern Burma, and is the most
desirable stone in Asia.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The jade trade is bizarre, a kind of roulette, bringing
fortune or ruin. As a British commissioner to Burma in the colonial era
put it: ?he jade trade is an unprofitable antagonism, which requires elucidation,
clarification and the light of day.?</font>
<p><font size=+1>But the Chinese are obsessed with jade, which they call
?heavenly stone? and consider the bridge between man and the gods, a healing
stone that protects against death.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Now the military junta in Burma, desperate for foreign
currency, wants to make use of this heavenly stone - epitome of a nation
in which gamblers, rebels and smugglers remain the main political protagonists.</font>
<p><font size=+1>?Kyaukseinmyo (Jade Country)? in the Christian Kachin
region of the country is one of the most inaccessible jungles, which makes
the hopes and myths surrounding it all the more fabulous. Those who go
in search of this stone need many years of experience - and luck. Rough
jade, oxidised over millions of years and barely distinguishable from lumps
of granite, is bought raw and recognised by ? light windows? sound and
feel.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The tens of thousands of jade hunters in the jade mines
of Hpakan, where rubble is sorted from riches, engage in a painful ?game
of patience.? If he is not careful, a jade prospector can throw away a
fortune with one block of stone. If you are too swift you will stumble,
they say in Hpakan, Burma? wild west, also called ?Little Hong Kong.?</font>
<p><font size=+1>It is known for its cognac, gambling, girls and AIDS.
The roads into jade country are either dust hills or muddy tracks, depending
on the season, and are sometimes only passable by foot, on horseback, or
by elephant. The mines regularly flood during the monsoon period.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Here, where dynamite fuses are lit with cigarette ends
and where safety precautions are too expensive a luxury, an ant-like mass
of people drive narrow shafts into the ground.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Daring prospectors, equipped with metre-long air-hoses,
dive into water after the most precious river jade. But most of it is mined
by hand from tunnels, without pneumatic drills, water pumps or conveyor
belts. A human life is worth little here.</font>
<p><font size=+1>There are bandits by the drove. With a little luck, you
might reach China or Thailand, where jade blocks are worth small fortunes.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The miners and porters work for one US dollar a day, rough
jade pieces change hands for a few dollars. In Mandalay, 300 km and a few
days travel away, they cost a few hundred dollars. In Rangoon they can
bring a few thousand, in the jade centre Hong Kong they can make a few
thousand dollars. In 1998, a jade choker necklace was auctioned for $2million.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The junta has now sanctioned jade trading between locals
and foreigners, in order to profit finally from the country? wealth in
jade.</font>
<p><font size=+1>It has broken up the state monopoly of the ?Burma Gems
Enterprise? and given the Kachin exclusive licences in exchange for a ceasefire.
It is meant to stop smuggling and fill the empty state coffers.</font>
<p><font size=+1>But the ceasefire is shaky, trading remains dominated
by the Chinese, and anyone who hits on a jade deposit, keeps the knowledge
to himself. Traders will beware of telling the military leadership their
true turnover in order to avoid a 10-per cent tax or even confiscation
of revenues. There is talk that around 70 per cent of jade sales are in
the hands of smugglers.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Meanwhile, Rangoon has started holding gem auctions twice
a year. No self-respecting Asian jeweller can afford to stay away from
the event, which is also increasingly attracting Western players to the
supposed pariah state. ?it is a nirvana for jewellers,? said a Californian
gem trader.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Politics remain taboo at these trade fairs. Jade trading
is a game between appearances and reality. Individual stones can decide
fortunes. No wonder then that the uncut pieces, as big as bowls, are nervously
examined by specialists with the help of special essences and pocket lamps.
Individual jade pieces are cut open, but there are enough traders who will
risk big sums for uncut pieces with a crack, a ?window,? although the real
value is recognisable only in broken and polished pieces.</font>
<p><font size=+1>American visitor Richard Hughes, who in 1997 together
with German film maker Georg-Peter Mueller was one of the first Westerners
to travel into jade country since the 1960s, remembers one incident in
Bangkok where a trader was offered a large sum for a particular raw stone.
He chose instead to break it up himself only to find the stone was worthless,
and shot himself. ?he jade trade is a gamble,? Mr Hughes said. ?The leaders
in this game, the Chinese, love a gamble.? Jade, next to teak wood, has
become a main revenue source for the junta in a trade which remains dominated
by adventure seekers, dreamers and cheats. The heavenly stones become devilish
stones in a business of risk, adventure and hardship, where it is all a
question of luck.</font>
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