Oil and Gas Exports With the jade economy booming, control of it became a strategic priority for the military. As a result, UMEHL and other conglomerates linked to the military were given special access to Burma’s various economies, including the jade mines, and were accorded monopolies in various consumer industries, in particular, the export of oil and gas. Keeping Burma’s major profit-producing economies in the hands of enterprises with direct links to the military guaranteed that yields would go directly to the generals or the military. A clear example of this is the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). Established in 1963, MOGE is the sole operator of exploration and production of oil and gas as well as domestic gas transmission (Total SA, December 2003). The Timber Sector Another example of the military’s creative methods for controlling and monitoring the national economy is seen in the timber sector. The value of timber extraction grew rapidly in the late 1990s and early 2000s causing the military to renegotiate existing ceasefire agreements in order to support its own economic interests in extractive economies. Because these various extraction economies are important, control of land became a crucial aspect of also controlling those economies. As FelbabBrown (2017) explains, the military on a large scale and even some individual Tatmadaw commanders engaged in major land grabbing efforts in order to accelerate various economic activities. These land grabs (including clearance operations in Rakhine State as 50