Ruby Rush Ravages Mogoke as TNLA Prepares Handover to Junta

CJ

A last-minute mining frenzy is devastating Mogoke, Myanmar’s famed ruby town, as the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) prepares to hand control back to the military regime under a China-brokered truce. Residents say the ethnic army and affiliated Chinese companies are accelerating gem extraction, particularly across the town’s golf course, before withdrawing.

The TNLA seized Mogoke in July 2024 with support from the People’s Defense Force (PDF), the armed wing of Myanmar’s civilian National Unity Government. But under pressure from Beijing, the TNLA agreed in late October to return Mogoke and nearby Mongmit to the junta, triggering what locals describe as a final scramble for rubies.

Since taking control, the TNLA has granted large-scale mining rights to Chinese firms and allies from Kokang and Wa State. Locals accuse the group of monopolising extraction and excluding residents from mining sites — until recently, when limited access was granted to deflect criticism. Even now, local diggers must work at their own expense and surrender 70% of their gem-bearing earth to Chinese companies.

Photos comparing the golf course before and after the intensified mining show extensive environmental damage. “They’re trying to shift the blame onto us,” one resident told The Irrawaddy. “We weren’t even allowed near the site for a year. Now they let us in after it’s been destroyed.”

The situation has reignited fears of renewed conflict. Despite the TNLA’s planned withdrawal, PDF groups and allied resistance forces have vowed to continue defending the area. Nearly half of Mogoke’s population has reportedly fled, anticipating a junta offensive once the handover is complete.

Myanmar’s ruby industry has long been a source of wealth and conflict. A 2021 report by Global Witness estimated the sector’s true value could exceed $2 billion annually, far above official figures. Historically, the military controlled the mines through its economic arms MEC and MEHL, granting licences to armed groups including the United Wa State Army and Shan State Army-North.

Though nominally rivals, these groups have profited from mining and maintained business ties with the regime. When Mogoke fell to the TNLA last year, the junta lost control of much of the country’s ruby production. Now, with the town set to return to military hands, the cycle of exploitation appears poised to resume.

-2025-11-14