US extends ban on gem imports from Myanmar

The Obama administration on Wednesday announced it would extend a ban on precious gems from Myanmar, despite an end to a broader ban on other imported goods. "The administration is maintaining restrictions on specific activities and actors that contribute to human rights abuses or undermine Burma's democratic reform process," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said. Obama "is taking this step to advance our policy of promoting responsible economic engagement and encouraging reform that directly benefits the Burmese people," Rhodes said in a statement. Late last year, Obama lifted a ban on other imported goods from Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, as bilateral relations improved in response to the South Asian nation's adoption of democratic reforms. Rhodes said that Obama "fully supported" the end of the broader ban. Myanmar produces 90 percent of the world's rubies and much of the trade is controlled by the military, which ruled the country for over half a century. Human rights activists say the country's gem trade comes primarily from Kachin state and other conflict-torn zones, where ethnic minorities are forced to work in the mines under harsh conditions, for little pay.