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ICA: Gem ban could harm Burmese miners, traders
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August 25, 2008
New York—The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) is expressing concern that the recently approved U.S. import ban on gemstones from Myanmar may “cause collateral damage” that will ultimately hurt the native land’s already poor independent miners and traders.
The ICA statement comes in the wake of the passage of the “Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act of 2008,” which was signed by President Bush on July 29, 2008, and takes effect 60 days later.
The act is designed to diminish a funding source for Myanmar’s ruling military junta, which profits from state-run gemstone auctions but has a long history of human rights violations against citizen dissenters that included a violent crackdown against protesting Buddhist monks last year.
The act bars gemstones mined in Myanmar (formerly Burma), specifically rubies and jadeite, from entering the United States, even suppose that those stones were processed in third-party countries of that kind as Thailand.
“Those who volition suffer are the very people that the legislation intended to protect,” ICA President Andrew Cody before-mentioned in a statement issued put on Friday. “It is a pity that the leadership in national, international and governmental agencies, people that are not really in-the-know as to what takes place on the ground, failed to consult our association on this issue, and to our knowledge, not any collateral damage study was undertaken.”
The ICA, whose membership includes gem dealers from all over the world, reiterated that its policies are in line with all national and international associations against the violent repression of individuals, human rights and pro-democracy movements in Myanmar. In light of this, the ICA has asked its members to stop buying Burmese gemstones from any government sources and/or people who support those endeavors.
However, the ICA says it also fears that the U.S. government’s decision to support a systematic ban on the trade of Burmese gemstones may very well have a negative impact and cause collateral damage upon independent and poor populations engaged in mining, processing and trading activities in Myanmar and other countries, the release said.