Department Stores Boycotts Burma Gems
July 30, 23
(IDEX Online) - John Lewis, the high-end chain of British department stores, is to boycott rubies, sapphires and other gemstones from Burma, in protest at the military junta's civil war against its people.
"We remain extremely concerned to learn of developments around the conflicts that have taken place, and that continues to take place in recent years in Burma/Myanmar," the company said in a statement.
The junta now controls the vast majority of country's gem industry, worth an estimated $2bn a year, according to the Burma Campaign UK, which is urging retailers not to source stones from Burma.
Since Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government was toppled in February 2021, more than 1.5m civilians have been displaced by the junta's campaign of terror, according to UN figures.
It has reportedly killed almost 4,000 people, some in airstrikes on schools and hospitals, and has arrested more than 24,000 people.
Burma Campaign UK wants companies to make sure gems bought from Burma do not fund weapons or military atrocities. It is not calling for a blanket ban.