ICA worried about collateral damage at Myanmar

The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) has expressed its apprehension over the US ban on Burmese rubies. The president of US, George Bush had signed the Tom Lantos "Block Burmese JADE Act of 2008," on July 29, 2008, which bars gemstones of Burmese origin — specifically rubies and jadeite — from entering the United States via third party countries. This importation ban pertain to all jadeite and rubies coming from Burma, including stones processed in other countries such as Thailand.

ICA’s policies in general have always been to support national and international associations against the violent repression of individuals, human rights and pro-democracy movements in Myanmar (formerly Burma).

What concerned ICA over this is that the US decision to support a systematic ban on the trade of Burmese gemstones could infact impact the independent and poor populations engaged in mining, processing and trading activities in Myanmar and other countries, causing collateral damage upon them.

"Those who will suffer are the very people that the legislation intended to protect," Andrew Cody, President of ICA, said in a statement. "It is a pity that the leadership in national, international and governmental agencies, people that are not really in-the-know as to what takes place on the ground, failed to consult our association on this issue, and to our knowledge, no collateral damage study was undertaken," he concluded. ICA had asked its members to stop buying Burmese gemstones from any government sources and/or people who support those endeavors, keeping in mind its policies to support human rights.