Hpakant mine disaster 2020

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In the Hpakant mine disaster on July 2, 2020, more than 170 people were killed in a landslide near a jade mine in Hpakant ( Kachin State ). It was the worst accident in Myanmar's jade industry to date .

background

Industrial jade mining in Hpakant (2018)
People looking for jade on a waste dump (2018)

Hpakant is one of the most important jade mining areas. Myanmar produces around 70 percent of the world's jade. The majority of it is smuggled out of the country, primarily to China . According to official figures, jade mining in the country generates US $ 790 million annually, but according to estimates by the NGO Global Witness , the business brings in almost US $ 31 billion per year (as of 2014), i.e. almost half of Burma's gross domestic product. The country loses hundreds of millions of tax revenues annually through smuggling. The proceeds from the jade business funded a decades-long war in Kachin State between the Myanmar Army and the Kachin Independent Army . The peace agreement with the rebel group United Wa State Army in 1994 was bought with lucrative mining rights. Other beneficiaries are the military, drug cartels and Chinese actors. Corruption, poor enforcement of industry standards and a lack of controls mean that mining is carried out without social protection, without regard to human rights or environmental regulations. About 300,000 people work in the jade industry in Myanmar. Many of them are poor internal migrants from other regions of Myanmar, who comb the spoil heaps of the large mines for overlooked stones in the hope of wealth.

Often accidents occur in the jade industry of Hpakants. According to deviating information, at least 116 to 133 people were killed in a landslide on a spoil dump in 2015, and more than 100 were considered missing. In 2018 at least 18 people died in a landslide, in 2019 at least 137 people died in seven landslides near the Hpakants mines.

The landslide

Because of the heavy rains in the monsoon season, local authorities have been warning against work in the mines since June 20, 2020. On June 26, authorities ordered all mines in the region to be closed by the end of September. As a result, on July 2, there were no more regular workers in the mine operated by the Myanmar Tagaung Co. However, numerous people were looking for overlooked jade stones on a mine dump when the landslide occurred around 8:00 a.m. as a result of the intense rainfall. The masses of earth and debris rolled down the slope into a valley filled with water, burying more than 200 people under a wave of mud. According to the local fire brigade, 174 dead had been recovered by July 6, at least 54 people were injured. About 20 people were still missing.

On July 3rd, 77 casualties were buried in a mass grave. On July 4, another 40 dead were buried. Many others were in accordance with Buddhist tradition cremated .

President Win Myint set up a six-person committee headed by the Minister for Natural Resources and Conservation, Ohn Win, to investigate the accidents in the jade industry and develop a plan to prevent further accidents. The board also includes Interior Minister Lieutenant General Soe Htut, who is himself the largest shareholder in Myanma Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), a military conglomerate that holds most of the mining licenses in Myanmar. The NGO Global Witness describes the appointment of a MEHL shareholder to the committee that is supposed to decide on reforms in the jade sector as absurd. Military-related companies are said to be the biggest obstacle to reform in the area.

On July 6, Kachin State Security and State Border Minister Colonel Nay Lin Htun and an unnamed military officer were removed from their posts. They failed to report the presence of unauthorized persons on the mine site.

The government promised the families of those killed a compensation of around 1900 € each.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d Till Fähnders: The accident in Burma sheds light on a bloody business. In: faz.net . July 2, 2020, accessed July 8, 2020.
  2. ↑ a b c Peter Yeung, Zaw Moe Htet: Lethal landslips and drug addiction: Myanmar's toxic jade trade. In: theguardian.com . February 25, 2019, accessed on July 5, 2020.
  3. ↑ a b Myanmar: Over 100 dead in jade mine landslide disaster. In: dw.com . July 2, 2020, accessed on July 5, 2020.
  4. ^ Jade: Myanmar's "Big State Secret". In: globalwitness.org . October 23, 2015, accessed July 8, 2020.
  5. ↑ a b Myanmar jade mine landslide kills 160. In: bbc.com . July 2, 2020, accessed July 8, 2020.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g Aung Theinkha, Zarni Tun, Jia Ao, Nandar Chann, Roseanne Gerin: Corruption, Weak Rule of Law Cited as Myanmar Probes Latest Jade Disaster. In: rfa.org . July 7, 2020, accessed on July 8, 2020.
  7. ↑ a b c Kyaw Ko Ko: Investigators visit site of Hpakant mining disaster. In: mmtimes.com . July 6, 2020, accessed on July 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Dozens Swept Away in Myanmar Landslide While Hunting for Jade. In: nytimes.com . July 17, 2018, accessed July 8, 2020.
  9. ↑ Death toll rises to 166 in Myanmar jade mine collapse. In: cgtn.com . July 3, 2020, accessed on July 9, 2020.
  10. ↑ Cape Diamond, Shereena Qazi: Families mourn as Myanmar jade mine disaster kills more than 170. In: aljazeera.com . July 5, 2020, accessed on July 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ a b Danny Fenster, Hay Man Pyae: Jade-rich Tatmadaw general to investigate deadly Hpakant mine disaster. In: myanmar-now.org . July 8, 2020, accessed on July 9, 2020.
  12. ↑ Myanmar army sacks two officers over landslide tragedy. In: channelnewsasia.com . July 6, 2020, accessed on July 9, 2020.
  13. ↑ At least 170 dead after landslide in Myanmar's jade mines. In: kathisch.de . July 6, 2020, accessed July 11, 2020.