The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic Palaung armed group, is monopolizing ruby mining operations in Mogoke town in northern Mandalay Region and harming the local environment by conducting excessive extraction, according to residents.
With the help of the People’s Defense Force (PDF), the armed wing of the civilian National Unity Government (NUG), the ethnic army seized Mogoke from the junta in July 2024 after a month of fighting.
Since taking control, the ethic army has imposed its rule on the ruby-rich town.
According to a report released by Global Witness in late 2021, Myanmar’s colored gemstone industry was worth “an average of $346 million to $415 million a year based on official production data”. However, the rights watchdog estimated that the sector could in reality be worth as much as five times that amount.
Mogoke residents said the TNLA and its senior officers are monopolizing ruby mining operations in the town.
The armed group officially permitted small-scale mining in September 2024. While companies affiliated with the previous military junta were banned from operating, locals allege that large-scale mining rights have been granted to individuals connected to TNLA leaders and foreign business interests, particularly from China and the Wa State—which is controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA)—and that those mining operations are causing serious environmental damage.
Meanwhile, the TNLA is imposing restrictions on ruby mining by local businessmen, according to residents.
“They [the TNLA] seize back mining sites from locals as soon as quality rubies are discovered. One of my businessman friends was removed from his ruby mining site by the armed group,” a businessman from Mogoke told The Irrawaddy.
Residents have complained on social media that the TNLA and its approved companies are conducting excessive mining, harming the environment and natural beauty of the town, which residents have conserved for decades.
Mogoke residents also said ruby mining is being conducted at the Mogoke Golf Course. Satellite images back up the claim, showing the golf course being destroyed by mining operations.
A Mogoke Facebook user commented on the excessive ruby mining in Mogoke: “Seeing the golf course broke my heart. No matter who governs, I can only pray that they value our town over greed. I know such prayers may never be fulfilled.”
Mogoke residents say they fear for their environment and the very existence of their town due to the unregulated and excessive mining.
At a June 5 press conference, when The Irrawaddy asked specifically about the reports of excessive mining operations by the TNLA and other miners it has approved—and whether there is a gemstone mining policy to protect the environment and support the town’s development—TNLA spokesperson Lway Yay Oo did not provide a direct answer.
Instead, she said the TNLA has formed a gemstone committee that includes representatives from the Palaung State Liberation Front, which is the political wing of the TNLA, as well as experts with technical knowledge in gemstone mining, representatives of local communities currently involved in mining, and residents concerned with land and forest conservation.
Ruby mines in Mogoke currently operate under the guidelines of the gemstone committee, Lway Yay Oo said.
Anyone who wants to mine rubies must go through the committee, she added.
Replying to follow-up questions by other media about Mogoke’s ruby mining operation, the TNLA spokesperson said the gemstone committee is still drafting a gemstone policy.
She added that anyone can file a formal complaint with the TNLA’s legal department or at the nearest TNLA police station if they see mining being conducted by the armed group or others that is harming the town and its environment.
According to the Global Witness report, starting in the 1990s, Myanmar’s military consolidated control over the country’s ruby mines through military-owned companies Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and Myanmar Economic Holding Limited (MEHL). Both companies are controlled by regime leader Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in a coup in 2021.
The military also granted lucrative ruby mining licenses to the powerful UWSA, Shan State Army-North and other armed groups in Shan State. Nominally enemies, the groups have profited from the mining and are compromised by their business relationships with the military, Global Witness said.
However, the regime lost control of most of the country’s ruby mining when Mogoke fell to the TNLA and allied PDF groups in July 2024.
This story was produced with support of the Internews Earth Journalism Network.
