Hpakant
Encyclopedia
Hpakant is a town
in Hpakant Township
, Kachin State
of the northernmost part of the Union of Myanmar. It is located on the Uyu River
350 km north of Mandalay
in the middle of one of the world's most inhospitable and malaria
infested jungles, cut off for several months a year during the monsoons. It is famous for its jade
mines which produce the world's best quality jadeite
.
, Hpakant is accessible by a toll road
, recently rebuilt by Asia World Company. Asia World Company was founded by the former drug baron and war lord Lo Hsing Han
.
town of the American West
, Hpakant has been dubbed "the wild wild east" replete with alcohol, gambling, prostitution, and opium den
s. Since after the Kachin Independence Army
(KIA) came into the area before negotiating a cease-fire agreement with Burma's military government in the early 1990s, heroin is no longer openly on sale on the streets of Hpakant. Both addicts
and drug dealers were rounded up, taken to the nearby Uru River, shot and dumped in the river.
Concerns have been expressed regarding the encroachment on and destruction of the environment
from deforestation
and landslides resulting from mining activities and consequent flooding. The Uru River has also been affected by the dumping of soil. There have been instances of locals being forced to leave their homes when upland areas were bulldozed by the big mining companies.
The KIA however lost control of the jade mines once the cease-fire had been arranged, and firms from China
, Hong Kong
and Singapore
started to operate in the area after winning concessions from the government. More recently however the mining contracts went to the well known Burmese
tycoon Tay Za
's Htoo Group
and also to Myanmar Dagaung Co Ltd, a subsidiary
of the Hong Pang Group headed by Wei Hsueh-kang
, a former drug trafficker and leader of the Wa
insurgent
group UWSA turned entrepreneur after the cease-fire deal.
Maran Brang Seng
, former chairman of the Kachin Independence Organisation
(KIO) from 1976 until he died in 1994, was born in Hpakant in 1930.
National Army (PNA) headed by Aung Kham Hti
.
More than 30 (and up to 70) people are believed to have been killed in a massive landslide near Hpakant, Kachin State in early July 2009; official figures are not available. The flood waters swept away homes, blocked roads and cut communications. The disaster is being blamed on jade mining, which creates large deposits of debris that block heavy rain from reaching natural rivers and drainage, including the Uru river.
About 100 jade mining companies operate in the Hpakant area. The Kachin Environmental Organization, based on the Sino-Burmese border, says that people living in the Hpakant area had appealed to the companies not to dump waste near the Uru River and to avoid environmental damage. The companies enjoy government backing, however, and local complaints are regularly ignored.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16295
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Hpakant Township
Hpakant Township
Hpakant Township is a township of Mohnyin District in the Kachin State of Burma . The administrative centre is Hpakant. The major town is Kamaing.-External links:...
, Kachin State
Kachin State
Kachin State , is the northernmost state of Burma. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is . The capital of the...
of the northernmost part of the Union of Myanmar. It is located on the Uyu River
Uyu River
The Uyu River, also pronounced Uru River , is a river in northern Myanmar, formerly Burma. It is a major tributary of the Chindwin River, itself the largest tributary of the country's chief river, the Ayeyarwady. Its source lies in the Hukawng Valley of Kachin State, and it takes a southwesterly...
350 km north of Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
in the middle of one of the world's most inhospitable and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
infested jungles, cut off for several months a year during the monsoons. It is famous for its jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
mines which produce the world's best quality jadeite
Jadeite
Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral with composition NaAlSi2O6. It is monoclinic. It has a Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0 depending on the composition. The mineral is dense, with a specific gravity of about 3.4. Jadeite forms solid solutions with other pyroxene endmembers such as augite and diopside ,...
.
Transport
Located 48 miles from MogaungMogaung
Mogaung is a town in Kachin State, Myanmar. It is situated on the Mandalay-Myitkyina railway line.-External links:* Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.* Maplandia.com...
, Hpakant is accessible by a toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
, recently rebuilt by Asia World Company. Asia World Company was founded by the former drug baron and war lord Lo Hsing Han
Lo Hsing Han
Lo Hsing Han or Law Sit Han is a former Burmese drug trafficker and present-day major Burmese business tycoon, with financial ties to Singapore. He is an ethnic Kokang.-Rise and fall:...
.
Political economy
Like an old miningMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town of the American West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, Hpakant has been dubbed "the wild wild east" replete with alcohol, gambling, prostitution, and opium den
Opium den
An opium den was an establishment where opium was sold and smoked. Opium dens were prevalent in many parts of the world in the 19th century, most notably China, Southeast Asia, North America and France...
s. Since after the Kachin Independence Army
Kachin Independence Army
The Kachin Independence Army is the military arm of the Kachin Independence Organization , a political group composed of ethnic Kachins in northern Burma...
(KIA) came into the area before negotiating a cease-fire agreement with Burma's military government in the early 1990s, heroin is no longer openly on sale on the streets of Hpakant. Both addicts
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and drug dealers were rounded up, taken to the nearby Uru River, shot and dumped in the river.
Concerns have been expressed regarding the encroachment on and destruction of the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
from deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
and landslides resulting from mining activities and consequent flooding. The Uru River has also been affected by the dumping of soil. There have been instances of locals being forced to leave their homes when upland areas were bulldozed by the big mining companies.
The KIA however lost control of the jade mines once the cease-fire had been arranged, and firms from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
started to operate in the area after winning concessions from the government. More recently however the mining contracts went to the well known Burmese
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
tycoon Tay Za
Tay Za
Tay Za is a Burmese business tycoon, and a close associate of the former country's Head of State, Than Shwe.According to one source, he was born in 1964 at YGN. His father was an ex-Lt Col. He was the youngest of total 6 siblings. He passed 10th standard at TTC of Yangon in 1982. He was one of...
's Htoo Group
Htoo Group of Companies
The Htoo Group of Companies is a Burmese holding company, with headquarters at 5 Pyay Road, Hlaing Township, Yangon, Myanmar. HGC is the parent company of Air Bagan, a privately held Burmese airline company. The company has several subsidiaries. Htoo Wood Products Company Ltd. is engaged in...
and also to Myanmar Dagaung Co Ltd, a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of the Hong Pang Group headed by Wei Hsueh-kang
Wei Hsueh-kang
Wei Hsueh-kang is an infamous drug kingpin currently operating as the Southern Commander of the United Wa State Army.-Insurgent leader:Originally a member of Khun Sa’s Mong Tai Army , he was one of the original founders of the UWSA in 1989 following the factional division of the old Communist...
, a former drug trafficker and leader of the Wa
Wa State
Wa State is an unrecognised state in Myanmar and is currently subsumed under the official Wa Special Region 2 of the Northern Shan State. The administrative capital is Pangkham . The name Wa derives from an ethnic group, who speaks a language in the Austroasiatic family of languages...
insurgent
Insurgency
An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents...
group UWSA turned entrepreneur after the cease-fire deal.
Maran Brang Seng
Maran Brang Seng
Maran Brang Seng, was a Burmese politician and Chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization .-Mr Maran Brang Seng:...
, former chairman of the Kachin Independence Organisation
Kachin Independence Organisation
The Kachin Independence Organization is a political organization of Kachins in Burma which effectively controlled the Kachin State during 1960s-1990s until the 1994 cease-fire with the Myanmar government...
(KIO) from 1976 until he died in 1994, was born in Hpakant in 1930.
Mining hazards
One thousand miners apparently drowned in 2000 when flood waters of the Uru River rushed into the underground mines, but the news was hushed up by the authorities according to the locals. An explosion at Hpakant Gyi mine on New Year's Eve 2008 killed 2 miners and injured 7. It is owned by another one of the ethnic cease-fire groups, the Pa-OPa-O
The Pa-Oh form an ethnic group in Burma, comprising approximately 600,000. The Pa-Oh form the second largest ethnic group in Shan State, and are classified as part of the "Shan National Race" by the government, although they are believed to be of Tibeto-Burman stock, and are ethnolinguistically...
National Army (PNA) headed by Aung Kham Hti
Aung Kham Hti
U Aung Kham Hti is a former monk and a Burmese politician. He was the Chairman of the Pa-O National Organization , which he re-organized in 1976. Its military wing, known as the Pa-O National Army was also headed by him. On 11 April 1991, the PNO, under his leadership, agreed a ceasefire with the...
.
More than 30 (and up to 70) people are believed to have been killed in a massive landslide near Hpakant, Kachin State in early July 2009; official figures are not available. The flood waters swept away homes, blocked roads and cut communications. The disaster is being blamed on jade mining, which creates large deposits of debris that block heavy rain from reaching natural rivers and drainage, including the Uru river.
About 100 jade mining companies operate in the Hpakant area. The Kachin Environmental Organization, based on the Sino-Burmese border, says that people living in the Hpakant area had appealed to the companies not to dump waste near the Uru River and to avoid environmental damage. The companies enjoy government backing, however, and local complaints are regularly ignored.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16295
External links
- Satellite map Maplandia.com
- Sources of Jadeite Jade Geohavens
- Burmese Jade: The Inscrutable Gem Palagems.com
- Journal of the Geological Society, Sep 2004 Morley, C K
- Hpakant Jade Exhibition in China Jiegao Border Trade Zone, RuiliRuiliRuili City is a county-level city in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwest China.It is a major border crossing between China and Myanmar, with Muse town located across the border.- Name :...
, Yunnan Province - Mandalay-Myitkyina train times