H&M to 'phase out' Myanmar operations

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Swedish clothing giant H&M has said it would begin closing its operations in Myanmar, after reports of abuse against garment workers in the wake of the 2021 military takeover.

"After careful consideration we have now taken the decision to gradually phase out our operations in Myanmar," H&M said in an email to AFP.

The Southeast Asian country has been ravaged by deadly violence since a coup deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi's government in February 2021, unleashing a bloody crackdown on dissent that has sparked fighting across swathes of the nation.

"We have been monitoring the latest developments in Myanmar very closely and we see increased challenges to conduct our operations according to our standards and requirements," the company said.

A report published this week by rights group Business & Human Rights Resource Centre noted 156 publicly reported cases of alleged labour and human rights abuse in the period from February 2022 to February 2023, compared to 56 for the previous 12 months.

Out of the total 212 cases recorded by the NGO since February 2021, 20 were linked to H&M suppliers.

According to H&M the company does not own any textile producing factories in the country but sources products from 26 suppliers in the country with a total of 39 factories.

A slew of international companies have left the country following the military takeover.