Life is hard for freelance miners in Hpakant, where the precious gem coveted in China generates billions of dollars in blackmarket revenue from which neither the people of Kachin State nor the government receive little benefit.
This edition of Political Insider looks at the impact of rare earth mining in eastern Shan State and how the pollution caused by this unregulated industry is affecting communities in Myanmar, Thailand and the wider Mekong region.
BY Frontier
