The order banning imports of all Burmese gemstones encompasses all jadeite and rubies coming from Burma, including those stones that have been processed in other countries. The other ASEAN countries - especially Thailand – were used for exports of Burmese gemstones to the United States. Burmese rubies – often referred to as “blood rubies” – renowned for their deep and intense red color, are widely used for jewelry and enjoy popularity amongst consumers.

The US administration is very keen to further isolate the Burmese military junta and, as one New York based gem trader told this correspondent, to force it to establish a democratic government in the country, and release all political prisoners, including the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. There is widespread consensus here that the signing of the Block Burmese Jade Act is also intended to send a message to other ASEAN countries to force Burma to give up its repressive policies.

The New York based International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) expressed “deep concern” over the ramifications of the ban on US gem and jewelry trade. While reiterating that its policies are in line with all national and international associations against the violent repression of individuals, human rights and pro-democracy movement in Burma – the ICA has already asked its members to stop buying Burmese gemstones from any government sources and/or people who support these endeavors – the association has expressed fears that the US administration’s decision to support a systematic ban on the trade of Burmese gemstones may have a negative impact and cause “collateral damage to independent and poor populations engaged in mining, processing and trading activities in Myanmar (Burma) and other countries”.

It is not uncommon for US officials based in ASEAN countries to track the gemstone trafficking out of Burma. Thailand has, of course, been a hub for the gemstone trade; Burmese rubies and other stones worth millions of dollars change hands in Thailand and other ASEAN countries, according to gemstone trade sources in New York.
 
“Those who will suffer are the very people that the legislation intended to protect,” Andrew Cody, President of ICA, said in a statement. “It is a pity that the leadership in national, international and governmental agencies, people that are not really in-the-know as to what takes place on the ground, failed to consult our association on this issue, and to our knowledge, no collateral damage study was undertaken,” he concluded.

The late congressman Tom Lantos, who chaired the powerful Congress Foreign Relations Committee, and was looked upon as a “big hope” for establishing a democratic structure in Burma, by the Burmese diaspora living inside and outside the United States, had authored the Block Burmese Jade Act.