Myanmar’s elite dig ‘stone of heaven’ from mines of hell

HPAKANT, Myanmar: Everyday rickety homes in a remote Myanmar village inch closer to a cliff edge as bulldozers owned by the nation’s elite claw the earth beneath them, ravenously hunting jade to feed China’s multi-billion dollar demand.

“That’s our space. Now they’re entering through the places where we live,” said Daw Kareen, pointing at a water-filled ravine in the jade mining area of Hpakant in northern Kachin state.