[Mr Lucky]

Originally Posted by dawsey

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Would be nice to think the military are pulling out, but can't believe they will.

Here's the text:

Burma to hold new gems sale despite boycott
AFP, BANGKOK POST

Rangoon - Military-ruled Burma said yesterday that it would auction off its world-renowned gems and jade next month, despite growing calls for a boycott on its precious stones _ a major money-spinner for the junta.


The Nov 7-19 auction will be the fifth this year, the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.


Each auction attracts buyers from around the world who spend as much as US$100 million, making gem sales a key source of revenue for the regime.


The announcement follows the biggest anti-government rallies in nearly 20 years and a subsequent crackdown by security forces that left at least 13 dead, sparking international condemnation. Burma supplies up to 90% of the world's rubies and has rich jade deposits that are highly prized in neighbouring China.


Despite sanctions on the regime, many stones from Burma are smuggled through Thailand, where they are often cut and polished for eventual sale in the United States or Europe.


The iconic New York jeweller Tiffany's is among the few that refuses to sell stones from Burma, but the industry group Jewelers of America (JA) this week asked the US Congress to specifically ban all gemstones mined in Burma.


JA is asking members to contact their suppliers to determine whether any of the gems they supply are from Burma. Members should also seek, on all future orders placed, written assurances from their suppliers that they will not knowingly supply any gems mined in Burma, until the process of democratic reform has started in that country.


The jeweller Cartier also said it had stopped buying gems that might have been mined in Burma until further notice.


For the past 700 years, the ''Valley of Rubies'' in the Mogok region of northeast Burma has been mined for ''pigeon blood'' rubies _ considered the finest in the world _ as well as for sapphires and other rare gems.


A top-notch ruby can cost more per carat than a diamond, making it a must-have accessory for the newly rich in Asia, Russia and the Middle East.


Last year, an 8.62-carat Burmese ruby fetched a record $3.7 million, or $425,000 per carat, at a Christie's auction.


Rubies are mined at a huge human cost, with reports of horrific working conditions in ruby mines, which outsiders are forbidden to see.


Burmese exiles want a boycott of the junta's gems auctions, claiming that mine owners rely on forced labour.


There are also reports of soaring Aids infection rates among mine workers due to needle-sharing by addicts and widespread prostitution, with drugs shipped in by local traffickers