Activists are calling on global consumers to boycott souvenirs and jewelry made of Burmese jade in order to avoid supporting Burma's abuse-ridden jade mining industry that provides the military regime with one of its largest sources of solid cash, according to a new report released today.
The report named "Blood Jade: Burmese Gemstones & the Beijing Games" was released by All Kachin Students & Youth Union(AKSYU) and 8-8-08 for Burma and urged individuals-global consumers, Olympic spectators and Olympic athletes and visitors to China for the 2008 Summer Olympics to boycott the sale of Burma blood jade in Beijing and beyond.
For the first time in history, Olympic medals will include a material other than gold, silver, and bronze while the medals of the Beijing Games are made with Chinese nephrite jade, Burmese jadeite has eclipsed nephrite in popularity in China. Gem-quality jade, a class of jadeite, is only produced by Burmese mines, which are controlled and operated by the military regime and its business partners.
The report said, "The Beijing Organizing Committee of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and the government of the Peoples Republic of China should take immediate action to curb the global trade in blood jade, beginning by ending their promotion of jade products from Burma."
Cristina Moon, executive director of the 8888 for Burma said, "We are relieved that the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games has sourced the jade for the Olympic medals and official souvenirs from China."
"But there is a growing demand for Burmese jade that will only increase due to the Olympic promotion of jade. The generals will keep using their jade profits to buy weapons and crush dissent in Burma unless individuals take a stand."
The report also details how the military regime that rules Burma makes millions of dollars per year from the export of jade, primarily to China.
Jadeite production comes at significant costs to the human rights and environmental security of the people living in Kachin State. Land confiscation and forced relocation are commonplace and improper mining practices lead to frequent accidents and base wages less than US$1 per day, says the report.
"Our mountains have disappeared and our youth are dying. The generals are letting their cronies mine away our future," said Naw La of the AKSYU. "We urge people not to buy blood jade from Burma,"
The report ends with a reminder: "It is critically important that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the rest of the Olympic movement find clear and creative means to distance itself from the trade in Burmese blood jade to protect the integrity of the most important symbols of the Olympics and the fundamental values enshrined in the Olympic Charter. They should take swift action to safeguard the trust of the world citizens who are at risk of becoming unwitting parties to a global blood jade industry mired in a system of abuse and lawlessness."
On 29 July, US president George W Bush signed a legislation into law to prevent US retailers of Burmese gems from legally profiting from the trade.
