A lawsuit has been filed against 13 small-scale jade miners in connection with a recent landslide in Whaykhar village, Hpakant, Kachin State, that killed nearly 200 people, and three of them have been arrested , according to Hpakant Township Police Force. 

The 13 employers facing the lawsuit under the gemstone law reportedly hired mining workers to seek raw jade by providing meals and promising half-shares of profits. Three of them were arrested but the remaining are still at large, Police Major Than Win Aung said.

“We filed a lawsuit against 13 employers for forcing workers to work in a dangerous environment. The landslide scene has already had warning signs. There are restricted areas. Jade scavengers were asked to work there. So we sue the employers. Three have been arrested. The rest are on the run,” he said. 

Section 50 (a) of the gems law can send the offender to prison for three years. No bail is granted, he added. 

“The bereaved families did not file a lawsuit. We do this under the directive of higher level authorities. I think they do so to ensure workers are not sent to a dangerous worksite later. As the culprits face up to three years in prison, bail is impossible,” the police officer said. 

The landslide occurred on July 2 at a jade mining site of Shwepyi Company (locally known as 111 Company) in Whaykhar village, Hpakant, Kachin State, killing 172 people and injuring 54 and 19 went missing. 

On July 3 the President formed an investigation team with several ministers including Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Ohn Win as chairman. 

The investigation team made a field trip to the scene and other dangerous sites on July 5.