Myanmar jade traders squeezed between junta and rebels

Women working in a jade workshop in Myanmar's Sagaing region. Myanmar jade traders are running from junta troops and dodging rebel attacks to sell dwindling volumes of the green gemstone, as the billion-dollar industry loses its shine months on from the coup. - AFP

MANDALAY (AFP): Myanmar jade traders are running from junta troops and dodging rebel attacks to sell dwindling volumes of the green gemstone, as the billion-dollar industry loses its shine months on from the coup.

The South-East Asian country has been mired in chaos since the February putsch, with the military trying to crush widespread democracy protests and the economy in crisis.