value of official production of jade equated up to 48 percent of the official gross domestic product of Burma. However, because of corruption and a lack of transparency the economic gains of Burma are being pocketed by notorious leaders from the military junta, including former dictator Than Shwe and United States-sanctioned drug lord Wei Hsueh Kang, and vested interests in jade are undermining prospects for resolving the most intractable armed conflict in Burma. (10) On August 31, 2016, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the Government of Burma initiated the Union Peace Conference 21st Century Panglong, where more than 1,400 representatives of various concerned parties attended a peace conference in Naypyitaw in an effort to begin the process of ending Burma’s civil war and discuss options in forming a democratic state of Burma. On May 24, 2017, the Government of Burma held a second Panglong Peace Conference, with mixed results. (11) On October 31, 2016, the Department of State determined that Burma remains designated as a country of particular concern for religious freedom under section 402(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act ( 22 U.S.C. 6442(b) ), and that members of the Rohingya community in particular face abuses by the Government of Burma, including those involving torture, unlawful arrest and detention, restricted movement, restrictions on religious practices, discrimination in employment, and access to social services . (12) The February 2017 panels set up by the Burmese army and the Home Affairs Ministry are widely perceived to lack independence and impartiality. The December 2016 commission established by Burma’s President Htin Kyaw to investigate the October 2016 attacks dismissed claims of misconduct by security forces due to insufficient evidence . The 2012 commission government established to investigate violence in Rakhine State that year never held anyone accountable. (13) In a public address on October 12, 2017, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi laid out 3 goals for Rakhine State: