KIA reopens Burma’s Hpakant jade roads in Kachin state

WORKERS IN A JADE MINE.THE HPAKANT JADE MINE IS ESTIMATED TO BE THE THIRD HIGHEST SOURCE OF REVENUE FOR BURMA'S CENTRAL GOVERNMENT.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) restored public access to roads in the Hpakant jade mining area in Burma's northern Kachin State, having closed them for 9 days earlier this month due to security concerns.

According to KIA officials the roads were reopened on Friday January 13 at the request of jade mining companies, merchants and residents in the Hpakant (or Hpakan) jade mining town.

The closure of the Hpakant area's main roads created a shortage of food in the area, with the price of a sack of rice rising to 50,000 Kyat (US$65) from the previous price of 20,000 Kyat (US$ 26).  Local residents and people employed in the area's jade sector rely almost exclusively on rice brought in from outside the region.

Beginning January 4 when the KIA's blockade went into effect all three of the main roads which connect Hpakant, Kachin state's most famous jade mining town, were closed for civilian travel.  This included the Namti (or Mogaung) to Hpakant road, the Hopin to Gwi Hka road and the Khanti to Tamakhan road.

The KIA said it was necessary for public safety reasons to close the roads because of heavy fighting in the area against Burma's armed forces.

While civilian travel has once again resumed on Hpakant's roads, the journey still remains very dangerous with skirmishes between the KIA and the Burmese army happening on a daily basis, according to local KIA troops stationed in the area.

During the Kachin Independence Organization's (KIO) 17-year ceasefire with Burma's central government the Hpakant area's jade trade stayed largely under the control of the government, which maintains an official monopoly on the jade trade.

However, the government monopoly on the jade trade in the Hpakant area ended with resumption of hostilities between the Burmese army and the KIO in June 2011.  Now that the ceasefire has ended the KIO has once again resumed taxing the jade trade, something it did previously prior to the 1994 truce agreement.

The state enforced monopoly of Burma's jade industry is estimated to be the third highest source of revenue for Burma's central government.