Hpakant: Using heavy earth-excavators and explosives, miners have been tearing into Myanmar's northern hills in recent months in a rush to excavate more jade from the world's richest deposits of the gemstone before a new government takes office next year. Hectares of forest have been felled, leaving behind craters, barren cliffs and a web of dirt tracks in the once-picturesque Kachin hills as the Chinese firms that dominate the jade business step up mining and aggressively seek new concessions. They are anticipating the multi-billion dollar industry could change once Aung San Suu Kyi's election-winning National League for Democracy (NLD) party takes office with a promise of clean...
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