According to Kachin Human Rights Watch, at least 60 people have died and 120 more wounded in reported clashes during the junta’s push into the region. But local groups suggest these figures may understate the true toll.
While the glittering 60th Myanmar Gems Emporium officially opened in Nay Pyi Taw on November 17 under the patronage of Acting President and State Security and Peace Commission Chairman, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, disaster continues to stalk Myanmar’s most prized resource: jade.
Gems Emporium Opens Amid Junta Display
The ten-day gemstone trade fair launched at the Mani Yadana Jade Hall in the capital city, showcasing jade, pearls, and precious stones in front of domestic and foreign merchants. The emporium is widely regarded as a major source of foreign exchange for the ruling military regime, which continues to control the sector tightly.
In his opening remarks, the acting president underscored the event as a sign of economic ambition. Local state media highlighted not only the sumptuous display of gem lots, but also high-level endorsement.
Yet, outside the polished halls of Nay Pyi Taw, a very different reality persists – one of conflict, death, and human suffering in Myanmar’s jade heartland.
Jade Conflict Ravages Civilian Lives
In the northern town of Hpakant, in Kachin State, civilians tied to the jade-mining economy are bearing the full brunt of military offensives and unregulated extraction. According reports, the military’s assault – launched in April – forced thousands to flee, as fighting intensified around jade mining areas.
Among those killed is 21-year-old Zau Laphai, arrested by soldiers in his village after a military convoy passed through. His body was returned to his family a week later with signs of torture, though the junta claimed he died of illness. His death shattered not just a family but the fragile aspirations of many young people who hoped to make a living in jade trade.
According to Kachin Human Rights Watch, at least 60 people have died and 120 more wounded in reported clashes during the junta’s push into the region. But local groups suggest these figures may understate the true toll.
Displacement, Deaths, and Religious Targets
The offensive has uprooted entire communities. Volunteer aid groups estimate over 10,000 people have been displaced since the intensification of fights this summer. Many sought refuge in churches and monasteries: Hpakant has a large Christian population, and religious centres have become impromptu shelters for fleeing civilians.
But safety has been elusive. Reports document shelling, torture, and summary executions carried out by junta forces. One particularly harrowing incident involved a migrant jade miner, Ma Nwal, and her three-month-old baby, who were sleeping in a tent when they were hit by an artillery shell. She survived, but many others were not so lucky. On June 6, four children and five other civilians were killed in a targeted shelling of a village, a crime that observers say appeared deliberate.
Religious sites have not been spared either: monasteries and churches sheltering displaced families have allegedly been struck in drone and jet attacks.
Jade Profits Fund Conflict, Critics Warn
Observers note that the devastating human toll cannot be separated from the economic exploitation underpinning the jade industry. For decades, jade mining in Myanmar has been closely linked to the military and ethnic armed groups alike. Anti-corruption watchdogs, including Global Witness, argue that the industry acts as a “slush fund” for the junta – especially after the 2021 coup – funnelling vast revenues into military coffers.
Human rights advocates warn that while the Gems Emporium dazzles in Nay Pyi Taw, the suffering in jade-rich Kachin State tells a darker tale. The very stones being traded at high prices are extracted at tremendous cost – lives, homes, and dignity – especially among the poor migrant workers who salvage jade from tailings, risking landslides, death, and displacement.
Those calling for reform are joined by civil society voices demanding international scrutiny. Some urge consumers abroad to avoid Burmese jade, pointing to its role in funding violence.
A member of Global Witness says the opening of the 60th Gems Emporium may signal economic confidence for the regime, but for many in Hpakant, the price of jade is paid far beyond the auction floor.
