For over 40 years the U.S. Bureau of Mines has issued an annual summary of mining activity in Burma which is now available on-line. These useful reports include information about surveying, mapping, exploration, concession grants, mineral exports and imports and the operations of major mining companies, as well as a valuable five year tonnage table for all major mineral products. The reports cover a wide range of mine products including base metals, precious metals, non-metallic minerals and petroleum. Cement and steel products are also covered. The focus of these reports is on large-scale mining operations and they tend to leave out of consideration the activities of smaller national companies and the mining ?rushes? that occur from time to time, attracting the participation of thousands from around the country. There is little emphasis on the environmental concerns associated with mining activities in Burma. Burmese government reports provide the major sources for the information provided in these reports, but, particularly in recent years, they have also included information from the section on Burma (Myanmar) in the Mining Annual Review produced by the Journal of Mining. The reports are usually a year out-of-date by the time are made available on-line. In 2003, Burma?s gross domestic product (GDP) based on purchasing power parity was estimated to be $73 billion (International Monetary Fund, 2004§). Burma?s economy is based primarily on agriculture, including fisheries, forestry, and livestock, which accounts for nearly 54% of the GDP. The country?s mineral resources include antimony, coal, copper, gemstones, lead, limestone, marble, natural gas, petroleum, precious stones, tin, tungsten, and zinc. Burma?s export market totaled about $2.6 billion during 2003 and included natural gas (23.3%), forest products (14.8%), garments (14.4%), beans (about 11.7%), marine products (6.8%), and other products (27%). Imports totaled about $2.4 billion and included machinery and transport equipment (20.2%), refined mineral oil (12.3%), base metals and manufactures (9.4%), fabrics (about 8.8%), plastic (4.6%), and other products (44.7) (U.S. Department of State, 2004). In 2003, Burma hosted the second annual meeting of the Joint Economic Quadrangle Committee in the capital city of Yangon. The meeting, which was attended by representatives of Burma?s Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the counterpart organizations from China, Laos and Thailand, supported increased trade and investment in Burma from the neighboring countries of the Mekong region (Cambodia, China, Laos and Thailand). Thailand, which was the third leading investor in Burma, invested $1.29 billion in Burma in 2002, and China, about $64 million. Burma?s 2002 border trade with China was valued at $276 million, which was an increase of 35% compared with that of 2001. Trade with Thailand totaled $170 million in 2002 (Myint, 2003). Major events in early 2003 that disrupted Burma?s economy included a major banking crisis that shut down 20 private banks in the country, followed by a Japanese freeze on new bilateral economic aid. The decline in foreign investment that had taken place since 1999 continued owing to an unfriendly business climate, political pressure from Western consumers and shareholders, and the effect of U.S. economic sanctions on the country?s economy (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 2004; U.S. Department of State, 2004).