YANGON, Myanmar—On July 2, a landslide in the jade mines of the Hpakant region in Myanmar’s Kachin state claimed around 200 lives. Myanmar is the world’s largest single source of jade, most of which comes from Hpakant, and its extraction comes at a high human cost. While the July 2 disaster was the deadliest on record, fatal incidents occur annually.
Each one brings renewed calls from rights groups and transparency advocates to reform Myanmar’s jade industry, which is dominated by powerful military generals, military-linked conglomerates, and ethnic armed organizations, and is plagued by scant regulation. Shortly after the National League for Democracy (NLD)—the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, now the country’s civilian leader—won national elections in November 2015, it pledged to tighten its enforcement of safety regulations in the industry.
