Myanmar: Key Witness Missing in Illegal Jade Ownership Case

Jan 13, 2016 | Swan Ye Htut, Myanmar Times
View Original

Kachin State resident Ngwe Si Hein and the Runjan Stone company have been battling for three years over the ownership of a rock of rough jade that was confiscated by the Ministry of Mines. The ministry claims the type-A jade stone had been illegally excavated in Kachin State’s Hpakant township. Now parliament is considering authorising the courts to settle the case on the basis of a recorded confession from the missing witness, U La Taung, who originally found the jade. Pending a resolution of the case, the 44-kilogram (97-pound) stone, which is more than 0.33 metres (1 foot) long, is currently locked in a safe deposit box under ministry control in a dual-key system that requires the government and the Runjan Stone company to open it simultaneously.