Wealth from jade mining fuels extravagant lifestyles among some KIA soldiers in Hpakant
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Phyo/Thant Zin (NP News) - Jan 20
In the Hpakant region, where jade is mined, some KIA soldiers are so wealthy that they can afford to hire date girls for months, locals told The Statesman.
“There’s nothing strange about hiring date girls on a monthly basis in Hpakant. They even hire models from Yangon, Mandalay,” said a local man.
In addition, it is reported that members of the KIA, from various ranks, are enjoying prostitutes in KTVs and hotels in the Hpakant region, without even showing any regard for the environment.
“They live that lifestyle regardless of their position. Even the low-ranking KIA guys do it. Even the NGOs do it. So do the KIA’s civilian administrators. Think about it. These guys are moving around in a brand new cars,” said a local man.
Similarly, a local wrote on his Facebook page that KIA soldiers could even rent date girls for hundreds of thousands of kyat in hotels in Hpakant, where they receive a lot of financial benefits from the mining and extortion of local people.
"Who do you think is spending piles of 10,000 kyat notes for prostitutes? The lower-level members pay date girls tens of million kyats a month to sleep with them. They rent hotels on a monthly basis. A job that earns money by wielding a gun is really appealing," he wrote.
In the Hpakant region, the revenue collected from two taxes, fuel and lubricants, within seven months of the start of the mining season, is estimated to be around ten billion kyats.
It is reported that there is a lot of quarrying with the permission of the KIA, including the areas such as public hospitals, cemeteries, schools, and religious land in the Hpakant region.