In dire straits

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.