JA applauds Burmese gem ban

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JA applauds Burmese gem ban

July 24, 2008

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New York—Jewelers of America (JA) commends the U.S. Congress for its passage this week of a bill banning Burmese gemstones, a measure JA has been advocating for some time.

The ban places a total embargo on the importation of gemstones from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), including those that are mined in Myanmar and subsequently pass through third-party countries.

The law is intended to take aim at Myanmar's ruling military junta, which profits from state-run gemstone auctions but has a long history of human rights violations.

Entitled the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008, the bill was passed on Tuesday by the U.S. Senate after being approved earlier by the House of Representatives.

It is now being sent to President Bush to be signed into law.

If enacted, it is expected the legislation will have a big impact on imports of "Burmese rubies," as they are known in the trade, since 90 percent of the world's rubies originate in Myanmar.

"Jewelers of America welcomes the passage of this important amendment and stands ready to work with the administration as it moves to implement the new requirements," JA President and CEO Matt Runci said in a media release issued on Wednesday.

Last fall, JA called upon Congress to amend the Burmese Freedom Democracy Act of 2003 to include gemstones mined in Myanmar.

At the same time, JA, which represents 11,000 member stores in the United States, issued an advisory to its members detailing its concerns about the Burmese military government's human rights violations.

At the time, Runci said JA members believe it is their responsibility to support and respect the protection of international human rights within their sphere of influence and to make sure the sourcing of gemstones is not complicit in human rights abuses, all of which is in line with the commitments JA members assume to the association's Statement of Principles.

To see the complete JA Statement of Principles go to: Jewelers.org/aboutJA/responsibility.html.

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