Bush Signs Burmese Gemstone Import Ban into Law

President Bush on Tuesday signed into law a bill to ban the import of gems, including jade and rubies, originating in Burma (Myanmar). The Tom Lantos Block Burmese Jade Act of 2008 bars Burmese gems from entering the U.S. via third party countries such as Thailand, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore, in an effort to withhold a major source of revenue from the ruling junta.

The bill also bars the regime’s generals and their families from acquiring visas to enter the U.S. and intensifies pre-existing financial sanctions against the regime.

The Jewelers Vigilance Committee explained the bill requires that within 60 days, jadeite or rubies originating in Burma cannot be imported into the U.S. The ban does not apply to gems imported for personal use nor to exports of Burmese gems from the U.S. In addition, the bill does not prevent U.S. sales of Burmese gems already in the U.S.

Tom Lantos, after whom the bill was named, was a long-serving Congressman, the only Holocaust survivor to be elected to Congress and a fierce champion of human rights. When he died in February, he was the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and had a personal interest in the fate of the Burmese people.