Consumers and merchants should not buy jade, rubies, and other gems (ædelsten, red.) from Burma until the military government ends its repression, Human Rights Watch says.
Human Rights Watch advises consumers to ask retailers about the origin of the jewelry they sell.
And not to purchase from retailers who cannot offer informed answers or who are unwilling to identify the country of origin of the jewels.
FINANCIERER UNDERTRYKKELSE
Human Rights Watch has called for a boycott of a gem auction scheduled from January 15 to 19th in Rangoon, Burma.
– Sales of rubies and jade help finance Burma’s repressive military, said Arvind Ganesan, director of the Business and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.
– Consumers should insist that their jewelry is not made with Burmese gems, he added.
DYSTER BAGGRUND
The Burmese military government, notorious for decades of abuse, made international headlines in August and September when it used deadly force in response to peaceful protests by monks, pro-democracy activists, and ordinary civilians.
Hundreds of people remain arbitrarily detained.
– Burma’s generals are counting on gem sales to help pay for their abusive rule, said Ganesan.
– They deserve to be disappointed, he continued.
Kilde: www.hrw.org
