"Myanmar quake-hit garment industry warns Trump’s 44pc tariff threatens survival as death toll hits 3,600", 8 April 2025

Myanmar’s garment manufacturers have warned US tariffs threaten to hobble the country’s recovery from a devastating earthquake, as the death toll rose to 3,600.

President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs will see the Southeast Asian country hit with a 44 percent tax on US imports as it reels from last month’s tremor which razed thousands of homes, schools and monasteries in its central belt...

The Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA) said the tariffs due to take effect from Wednesday were causing “considerable concern” in an industry employing more than 500,000 people, mostly young women.

“Amid Myanmar’s current challenging context, the new tariffs will increase the vulnerability of Myanmar businesses that have been struggling to stay afloat,” the group said in a statement on Monday evening.

“The recent devastating earthquake... will only exacerbate the many challenges confronting Myanmar businesses and communities,” it added...

The MGMA asked the United States to consider “a more lenient rate in light of the country’s multiple crises”....