US Measure Tightening Sanctions Has Gone Into Effect
Consumers should support a new US law banning Burmese gems by refusing to buy from jewelers unless they ensure their gems are not from Burma, Human Rights Watch said today.

The US government began enforcement on October 27, 2008, of a law that strictly bans the import of rubies and jade from Burma. The Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008 was approved unanimously by both houses of Congress, and on July 29, 2008 was signed into law by President George W. Bush.

“For years many American jewellery retailers have bought Burmese rubies and jade that help finance the military junta’s brutality,” said Arvind Ganesan, director of the Business and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. “Now it is illegal to support that trade.”

The new US measure tightens an existing ban on the trade in Burmese gems. The earlier ban blocked the import of gems sent directly from Burma, but a loophole allowed the import of Burmese gems cut or polished in third countries, such as India and Thailand. The Block Burmese JADE Act closes that loophole and blocks the import of any rubies or jade mined in Burma, regardless of whether they may have been processed and imported via a third country.
Link to HRW