(Rapaport…November 22, 2002) The government of Thailand has announced it will implement the Kimberley Process of rough diamond certification on January 1, Reuters reports. Thai officials had originally been among a group of Process participants who said they would start adhering to the new protocols at the end of 2003.
“Investors in the jewelry business were worried nobody would buy gems from them if Thailand did not adopt the scheme soon enough,” said Karun Kittisataaporn, permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry. “We might have been seen as buying diamonds from the rebels.”
The other Kimberley Process participants which plan to implement the rules at the end of next year are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Japan, Malta and Ukraine.
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