Advertisement When Myanmarâs military dictatorship imprisoned the countryâs democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, earlier this month, one of the ramifications was the trading halt on the Australian Stock Exchange of a small Australian listed mining company, Myanmar Metals. The companyâs key asset â a silver and lead mine in the war-torn Shan state that was once touted as the greatest deposit in the British Empire â was suddenly facing a surge in local violence and ongoing political uncertainty, the company said in a statement to investors. The ministers overseeing mining in the country had changed and there was the possibility of renewed international sanctions.