Myanmar – Blazingcatfur

This Canadian family fuelled Myanmar’s civil war with ‘blood pearls’

A company with Canadian directors has operated a lucrative pearl farm in Myanmar together with a state-owned enterprise that has direct ties to the country’s murderous military regime, according to corporate and government records obtained by CBC News.

The company, Belpearl, operates through a network of related entities registered in Toronto, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Myanmar. One of those entities, Belpearl Myanmar, operates a pearl farm with two adjacent locations in the country.

Pearls have not yet seen their value drop as diamonds have thanks to the increasing market for man made stones.

by Blazingcatfur•March 10, 2026March 10, 2026•0•Myanmar

Myanmar becomes world’s biggest producer of opium, overtaking Afghanistan

Myanmar became the world’s biggest producer of opium in 2023, overtaking Afghanistan after the Taliban government’s crackdown on the trade, according to a United Nations report.

Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 metric tonnes of opium – essential for producing heroin – this year, according to the latest report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Opium throughout History.

by Blazingcatfur•December 15, 2023December 14, 2023•0•Myanmar

Dissident Myanmar beauty queen Han Lay granted asylum in Canada

A beauty queen from Myanmar who sought refuge in Thailand after criticising the military junta in her homeland has been granted asylum in Canada.

Han Lay, 23, made headlines around the world last year when she used a pageant speech to call for help for the people of Myanmar amid a military crackdown. She faced being sent back to her home country after Thai officials stopped her at an airport in Bangkok last week because of an issue with her passport.

by Blazingcatfur•September 28, 2022September 28, 2022•0•Canada, Myanmar