The gemstones of the military controlled Burmese nation are as blood soaked as are the diamonds
The two things which fill the famous Bujo Market in Yangon
are, precious stones & of course, the soldiers cloaked in their traditional Burmese civilian attire. Most of the women in the market, too, are related to the military in one way or the other, because much like the other sectors, the gemstone industry (the third biggest revenue earner for the government), too is controlled by the military junta. The garb under which the Burmese ‘soldiers of fortune’ carry out the dubious trade in gems is, the Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd., a holding company fully owned by serving as well as retired military personnel & the state-owned Myanmar Gems Enterprise.
Recently, the Americans stepped up the pressure on military junta to pave the way for democracy in Burma (US prefers to address Myanmar by its old name). The US House of Representatives have approved a legislation foreclosing all routes, which brought the rubies & high-quality jade from Myanmar into the US.
More importantly, even the Human Rights Watch, an international human rights watchdog, has raised fresh concerns about the gems trade (about 90% of the rubies in the world originate from Myanmar) from the country, where democracy is being ruthlessly suppressed by the military government to perpetuate its own corporate interests. The group has urged the international community to ban imports of all gems from Myanmar. “Burma’s rubies and jade are prized for their beauty but the ugly truth is that the trade in these stones supports human rights abuses. The sale of these gems gives Burma’s military rulers quick cash to stay in power,” says Arvind Ganesan, Director of the Business and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. But despite the human rights indictments against the Myanmar Government, some countries in Asia continue to support the regime. Expressing his indignation against such countries which are ready to condone the human rights abuses, Ganesan told B&E that he credits the governments which have refrained from “buying Burmese gems but the rest, have the blood of Burmese on their hands.”
Those who intend to support the continuation of military regime argue that imposing global sanctions on the gems industry would only harm the craftsmen engaged in cutting the stones into fine jewellery. But the moot point is, can the world ignore the conditions of workers in the mining industry & even the poor craftsmen who continue to be exploited by the top military hierarchy for personal aggrandizements, unjust & illegitimate perpetuation of their rule.
Unless Asian nations begin to acknowledge the fact that Burmese military is not Burma, the democracy will continue to elude Burmese nationals.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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The two things which fill the famous Bujo Market in Yangon
are, precious stones & of course, the soldiers cloaked in their traditional Burmese civilian attire. Most of the women in the market, too, are related to the military in one way or the other, because much like the other sectors, the gemstone industry (the third biggest revenue earner for the government), too is controlled by the military junta. The garb under which the Burmese ‘soldiers of fortune’ carry out the dubious trade in gems is, the Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd., a holding company fully owned by serving as well as retired military personnel & the state-owned Myanmar Gems Enterprise.Recently, the Americans stepped up the pressure on military junta to pave the way for democracy in Burma (US prefers to address Myanmar by its old name). The US House of Representatives have approved a legislation foreclosing all routes, which brought the rubies & high-quality jade from Myanmar into the US.
More importantly, even the Human Rights Watch, an international human rights watchdog, has raised fresh concerns about the gems trade (about 90% of the rubies in the world originate from Myanmar) from the country, where democracy is being ruthlessly suppressed by the military government to perpetuate its own corporate interests. The group has urged the international community to ban imports of all gems from Myanmar. “Burma’s rubies and jade are prized for their beauty but the ugly truth is that the trade in these stones supports human rights abuses. The sale of these gems gives Burma’s military rulers quick cash to stay in power,” says Arvind Ganesan, Director of the Business and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. But despite the human rights indictments against the Myanmar Government, some countries in Asia continue to support the regime. Expressing his indignation against such countries which are ready to condone the human rights abuses, Ganesan told B&E that he credits the governments which have refrained from “buying Burmese gems but the rest, have the blood of Burmese on their hands.”
Those who intend to support the continuation of military regime argue that imposing global sanctions on the gems industry would only harm the craftsmen engaged in cutting the stones into fine jewellery. But the moot point is, can the world ignore the conditions of workers in the mining industry & even the poor craftsmen who continue to be exploited by the top military hierarchy for personal aggrandizements, unjust & illegitimate perpetuation of their rule.
Unless Asian nations begin to acknowledge the fact that Burmese military is not Burma, the democracy will continue to elude Burmese nationals.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus
Top Articles on IIPM:-
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
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