Myanmar Crisis Hurts Garment Industry, Jobs, Hope
April 12, 2021
FILE - Workers iron and arrange clothing at a garment factory at Hlaing Taryar industrial zone in Yangon, March 10, 2010. (REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo)
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Two years ago, Li Dongliang opened his clothes factory in Myanmar. Today, he fears he will be forced to close his business and
lay off 800 workers.
Li’s business had already been struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then on February 1, the army took over the country and arrested many of its democratic leaders. People began to protest and were attacked by the army. During the violence, someone set fire to Li’s factory. New orders for clothes stopped.
Myanmar coup sounds death knell for garment industry, jobs and hope taipeitimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from taipeitimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In turmoil: Workers iron and arrange clothing at a garment factory at Hlaing Taryar industrial zone in Yangon. The garment industry in Myanmar is struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing military coup. Reuters
YANGON: Two years after opening his garment factory in Myanmar, Li Dongliang is on the verge of closing down and laying off his 800 remaining workers.
Business had been struggling because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but after a Feb 1 coup that sparked mass protests and a deadly crackdown, during which his factory was set alight amid a surge of anti-Chinese sentiment, orders stopped.
His story is emblematic of the perilous situation facing a sector critical to Myanmar’s economy, which accounts for a third of its exports and employs 700,000 low-income workers, according to UN data.
Myanmar crisis sounds death knell for garment industry, jobs and hope wtvbam.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wtvbam.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.