Jade industry risks becoming ‘slush fund’ for junta, says report

Precious find: Freelance jade miners collecting jade stones at an earth dump in Kachin State. Global Witness says the military takeover has crushed prospects for environmental controls in the mining sector. — AP

THE country’s multi-billion-dollar jade mines risk becoming a “slush fund” for military repression, Global Witness said, urging consumers to boycott purchasing any jade and gemstones from the coup-wracked nation.

The country has been in turmoil since the military toppled the government of Aung San Suu Kyi with more than 880 killed in a junta crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group..