Myanmar Spring Chronicle – August 13 Scenes
MoeMaKa, August 14, 2023
At least 40 people died in the usual occurrence of the Hpakant landslide; The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly plans to visit Myanmar
It is reported in the news that at least 20 to more than 40 people who are looking for rough stones and gold are likely to die from the landslides in the abandoned land in the Hpakant region of Kachin State, which is famous for producing the most jade in the world. In the afternoon of August 13, a 200-foot landslide caused waves to form in the lake, killing people who were searching for rocks and those who were mining gold near the lake.
The Hpakant region is rich in jade resources and the largest jade production region in the world, and it is not wrong to say that it is a region where attacks, killings, crimes, and drug trafficking occur for the benefit of armed organizations, and such accidents frequently occur.
Landslide accidents like this occur frequently, and even if one or two people die, it would not even be considered as news. One of the worst incidents was the landslide that occurred in July 2020, which killed 170 to 190 people, and that was during the NLD government, which was in office at the time. During the NLD period, with the aim of preserving the resource for a long time, the policy was made to allow the mining of Hpakant jade only in small blocks. After the military coup, cronies have started digging more than usual, viewing the political instability as an opportunity and putting aside all laws and policies. Cronies have given financial bribes to the armed people because it is a region only ruled by armed organizations, and the decisions of those with weapons and power became the main ones. Similar trends are occurring not only in the mining of jade, but also in the production of valuable teak hardwood by forests.
The companies that produce jade in Hpakant Township are paying profits to entrepreneurs related to the military or companies that have distributed a lot of profits to the military, as well as taxes to the KIA. Those who search for jade in the heap of land produced by the company’s machines and make a living are known as rough stone hunters in the local term, and they are the ones who lose their lives when such accidents occur.
Crime, drugs, taxes on armed attacks, illegal gambling rings, kidnappings, and murders are words associated with the jade land of Hpakant. Despite the frequent incidents of loss of life, it is like an area where hundreds of thousands of workers, people working in restaurants and other businesses, work because of the easy earning of a livelihood.
The next news item for today is that the chairman of the Indonesian Parliament said that representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly are preparing to visit Myanmar. At the moment, it is known that there are various opinions among the ASEAN countries regarding the planned trip, and that the situation is being discussed, according to a news article. AIPA, which is a group of parliamentarians from ASEAN member countries, has not yet announced the details of who it will meet with during its visit to Myanmar, nor has it been announced exactly when and what date it will visit.
As for the military council, it extended the emergency period on July 31, in other words, the term of the military council administration was extended for another 6 months, and it continues to rule more than 40 townships under martial laws. Even after 2 and a half years, the military council has not been able to implement the ASEAN 5-Point Consensus, which has been urged to be implemented, and Myanmar is starting to look like a country that violates and destroys initiatives for ASEAN.
Myanmar Spring Chronicle – August 13 Scenes
MoeMaKa, August 14, 2023
At least 40 people died in the usual occurrence of the Hpakant landslide; The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly plans to visit Myanmar
It is reported in the news that at least 20 to more than 40 people who are looking for rough stones and gold are likely to die from the landslides in the abandoned land in the Hpakant region of Kachin State, which is famous for producing the most jade in the world. In the afternoon of August 13, a 200-foot landslide caused waves to form in the lake, killing people who were searching for rocks and those who were mining gold near the lake.
The Hpakant region is rich in jade resources and the largest jade production region in the world, and it is not wrong to say that it is a region where attacks, killings, crimes, and drug trafficking occur for the benefit of armed organizations, and such accidents frequently occur.
Landslide accidents like this occur frequently, and even if one or two people die, it would not even be considered as news. One of the worst incidents was the landslide that occurred in July 2020, which killed 170 to 190 people, and that was during the NLD government, which was in office at the time. During the NLD period, with the aim of preserving the resource for a long time, the policy was made to allow the mining of Hpakant jade only in small blocks. After the military coup, cronies have started digging more than usual, viewing the political instability as an opportunity and putting aside all laws and policies. Cronies have given financial bribes to the armed people because it is a region only ruled by armed organizations, and the decisions of those with weapons and power became the main ones. Similar trends are occurring not only in the mining of jade, but also in the production of valuable teak hardwood by forests.
The companies that produce jade in Hpakant Township are paying profits to entrepreneurs related to the military or companies that have distributed a lot of profits to the military, as well as taxes to the KIA. Those who search for jade in the heap of land produced by the company’s machines and make a living are known as rough stone hunters in the local term, and they are the ones who lose their lives when such accidents occur.
Crime, drugs, taxes on armed attacks, illegal gambling rings, kidnappings, and murders are words associated with the jade land of Hpakant. Despite the frequent incidents of loss of life, it is like an area where hundreds of thousands of workers, people working in restaurants and other businesses, work because of the easy earning of a livelihood.
The next news item for today is that the chairman of the Indonesian Parliament said that representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly are preparing to visit Myanmar. At the moment, it is known that there are various opinions among the ASEAN countries regarding the planned trip, and that the situation is being discussed, according to a news article. AIPA, which is a group of parliamentarians from ASEAN member countries, has not yet announced the details of who it will meet with during its visit to Myanmar, nor has it been announced exactly when and what date it will visit.
As for the military council, it extended the emergency period on July 31, in other words, the term of the military council administration was extended for another 6 months, and it continues to rule more than 40 townships under martial laws. Even after 2 and a half years, the military council has not been able to implement the ASEAN 5-Point Consensus, which has been urged to be implemented, and Myanmar is starting to look like a country that violates and destroys initiatives for ASEAN.