Gandar Mount P.S.O

Bush signs law to ban gems trade

WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush on 29 July 2008 renewed a ban on imports from military-ruled Burma and also signed a new law that aims to keep Burma’s Gems from entering US markets via third-party countries.

In parallel the US treasury slapped financial sanctions on 10 companies owned or controlled by the Burmese Government or Government officials, including companies involved in the gem trade.

“On the Burmese regime,our message is: the United States believes in democracy and freedom,” Mr. Bush said during a White House ceremony in which he signed the two laws.

The Burmese freedom and Democracy Act renews a sanctions regime imposed since 2003 over the suppression of opposition leader Aung Sun Sukyi’s democracy movement.

Mr Bush also signed a new sanctions regime aimed at stopping gems including jade and rubies from entering the United State via third nations such as Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

The so-called Tom Lantos Block Burmese jade Act will deprive its ruling junta of hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue.

The gems trade is one of the most lucrative sources of profit for the Junta, accused of blatant human rights abuses and stifling democratic opposition.

The bill also makes the generals and their families ineligible for visas to the United States and enhances existing financial sanctions against the regime.

It includes new reporting requirements that will provide greater transparency about the Junta in terms of financial holdings,information about countries that provide military aid to the regime,and background on Burma’s timber trade.

The US sanctions targeted two state-controlled conglomerates, the Union of Burma Economic Holdings Limited and the Burma Economic Corporation, which are both involved in the gem trade, banking and construction directly and through subsidiaries. AFP

Although Mr. Khun Sa died his two sons Sam Seng and Sam Huarn, both aged over 40, have to be carrying on their profiable busines which is under protection of the Burmese Junta. The 2 brothers have long time been working the business and have well experience since before the surrender.

Sam Huarn permanently stays in Tachilek opposite Mae Sai border while Sam Seng stays in Bangkok to keep contacts from America, Singapore and Australia.

After the Surrender, Sam Seng moved to America where his three sisters living as permanently.

Khun Sa and his close alliance, family - linked smugglers and importers who are members of Chinese Triads.

They operate solely with relatives and transact million-dollar deals on a whispered word or a nod.

Their livelihood depends on a steady supply of heroin’s raw meterial,which they purchase from other supplyers.

They process the raw-opium into first-grade heroin and take it to Bangkok, where they smuggle it on to international flights or load it into false-bottomed fishing boats bound for Hong Kong or Penang, Malaysia.

From there it’s shipped to the Pacific Islands and to the West Coast of the Uinited States.

The key figure in this process is Khun Sa, for he controlls the supply of opium.

Khun Sa is directly responsible for about one-thard of the heroin used by the drug addicts in the United States.

The U.S is primarily interested in Asian heroin.

Which is usually very pure and comparatively cheap and represents about 35 percent of the heroin that’s available in the States.

The flow of heroin from the Shan State had become doubled as Khun Sa was concessionaire of drug corporation.

He spent about 250 million US dollar for road construction Between Rangoon and Mandalay, about 800 miles distance,which is for good transportaion.

Air conditioned coachs imported from Singapore to run between the two cities.