Latest News

They made America’s clothing. Now they are getting punished for it

Published

10 months ago

2025/07/24

Priyan

Apparel hubs like Cambodia and Sri Lanka are heavily dependent on the US as an export market [BBC]

Already living from hand to mouth, millions of garment workers across Asia fear for their jobs as a deadline to strike a trade deal with the US – or face punishing tariffs – looms closer.

On 9 July, following a 90-day pause on tariffs for countries to negotiate deals, the US president notified several countries in the region of new levies set to begin on 1 August. The new rates, while lower than those proposed in April, have done little to allay anxieties.

Among nations that received letters from Donald Trump were apparel hubs like Cambodia and Sri Lanka, which are heavily dependent on the US as an export market. The letters said that the two nations would face tariffs of 36% and 30% respectively.

Nike, Levi’s and Lululemon are among big-name US brands that have the bulk of their clothing made in these countries.

“Can you imagine what will happen if we lose our jobs? I’m so worried, especially for my kids. They need food,” says Nao Soklin, who works in a garment factory in southeastern Cambodia.

Ms Soklin and her husband Kok Taok make a living sewing bags for 10 hours a day. Together, they earn about $570 a month – barely enough to cover rent and provide for their two young sons and aged parents.

“I want to send a message to President Trump, to tell him to please lift the tariff on Cambodia… We need our jobs to support our families,” she told the BBC.

Cambodia, which has become a popular alternative to Chinese retailers because of its ready supply of low-wage labour, exported more than $3bn worth of apparel to the US last year, according to the Asean Statistics Division. The sector, which employs more than 900,000 people, makes up more than a tenth of the country’s overall exports.

For Sri Lanka, exports to the US helped the garment industry – which directly employs some 350,000 people – earn $1.9bn last year, making it the country’s third-largest foreign exchange earner.

“If 30% is the end number, Sri Lanka is in trouble because our competitors, such as Vietnam, have received lower tariffs,” Yohan Lawrence, secretary general of Sri Lanka’s Joint Apparel Association Forum, told the Reuters news agency.

Sri Lankan authorities are hopeful of negotiating a further reduction to the tariffs but have not disclosed what they would consider as an acceptable rate.

Some of its leaders have noted that the country has received the highest concession – of 14 percentage points – so far as a result of earlier negotiations. “We see this as the beginning of a very good situation,” secretary to the Finance Minister Harshana Suriyapperuma said last week.

Cambodia, which got a 13 percentage point concession, is also seeking further talks. “We are doing everything we can to protect the interests of investors and workers,” said Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol, who leads the negotiating team.

“We want the tariff to be zero… But we respect their decision and will continue trying to negotiate a lower rate,” he said.

Getty Images A woman walking past a a Levi's store, where various types of clothing are displayed on racks — *Nike, Levi’s and Lululemon are among the big-name brands that have the bulk of their clothing made in these countries [BBC]*

Trump says the tariffs are needed to reduce the gap between the value of goods the US buys from other countries and those it sells to them.

“Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal,” the US leader wrote in letters to various countries last week, which he also posted on his Truth Social platform.

But analysts disagree.

Trump’s tariffs overlook the benefits that the US enjoys from existing trade agreements, including lower-priced clothing and higher profits for US companies sourcing from countries like Sri Lanka or Cambodia, says Mark Anner, dean at Rutgers’ School of Management and Labor Relations.

For decades, the US, European Union and Canada had in place a quota system that reserved a certain share of their markets for developing countries like Sri Lanka. The system, which was phased out in 2005, helped Sri Lanka’s garment sector flourish despite stiff competition.

“For the US to now impose prohibitive tariffs that effectively shut these countries out of the market goes against the very development path it once prescribed,” Prof Anner said.

*Trump’s tariffs add new pressures to familiar challenges in the industry: poverty and weak labour rights in Cambodia, and an ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka [BBC]*

It is unrealistic to expect small, developing economies to not run a trade deficit with the US, says Sheng Lu, a professor at the University of Delaware’s Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies. “How many Boeing airplanes does Cambodia or Sri Lanka need and can afford to purchase each year?” he asked.

Asst Prof Lu believes the strategic rivalry between the US and China is also a factor in trade talks, given how these garment-exporting countries are integrated into supply chains that rely heavily on Chinese inputs.

They now have to “strike a delicate balance” between maintaining economic ties with China while also meeting new US demands, which may include cutting the use of Chinese inputs in production, he says.

Washington’s tariffs add new pressures to familiar challenges in the industry: poverty and weak labour rights in Cambodia, and an ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

Women, who make up seven in 10 of garment workers in the region, are set to bear the brunt of the tariffs. More downward pressure on their already chronically low wages mean their children could go hungry, while potential layoffs would be even more devastating.

Surangi Sandya, who works in a factory in the Sri Lankan town of Nawalapitiya, says she feels an axe hanging over her.

“Companies don’t work at a loss… If orders decrease, if there is a loss, there may be a possibility that the company will shut down,” she says. Ms Sandya started out as a rank-and-file seamstress in 2011, then worked her way up to become the supervisor of a 70-women team.

If push comes to shove, some Cambodian workers say they will consider moving to Thailand to find jobs – even if they must do it illegally.

“Our livelihoods depend on the garment factory. We won’t survive if our boss shuts it down,” An Sopheak tells the BBC from her tiny 16 sq m room in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh.

“We have little education. We can’t find other jobs. We pray every day that President Trump will lift the tariff. Please think about us and our poor country.”

***[BBC]***

Getty Images Garment workers reporting for work at a garment factory in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Many are seen driving into the factory's compound on their motorcycles — *Nike, Levi’s and Lululemon are among the big-name brands that have the bulk of their clothing made in these countries [BBC]*

Trump says the tariffs are needed to reduce the gap between the value of goods the US buys from other countries and those it sells to them.

“Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal,” the US leader wrote in letters to various countries last week, which he also posted on his Truth Social platform.

But analysts disagree.

Trump’s tariffs overlook the benefits that the US enjoys from existing trade agreements, including lower-priced clothing and higher profits for US companies sourcing from countries like Sri Lanka or Cambodia, says Mark Anner, dean at Rutgers’ School of Management and Labor Relations.

For decades, the US, European Union and Canada had in place a quota system that reserved a certain share of their markets for developing countries like Sri Lanka. The system, which was phased out in 2005, helped Sri Lanka’s garment sector flourish despite stiff competition.

“For the US to now impose prohibitive tariffs that effectively shut these countries out of the market goes against the very development path it once prescribed,” Prof Anner said.

*Trump’s tariffs add new pressures to familiar challenges in the industry: poverty and weak labour rights in Cambodia, and an ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka [BBC]*

It is unrealistic to expect small, developing economies to not run a trade deficit with the US, says Sheng Lu, a professor at the University of Delaware’s Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies. “How many Boeing airplanes does Cambodia or Sri Lanka need and can afford to purchase each year?” he asked.

Asst Prof Lu believes the strategic rivalry between the US and China is also a factor in trade talks, given how these garment-exporting countries are integrated into supply chains that rely heavily on Chinese inputs.

They now have to “strike a delicate balance” between maintaining economic ties with China while also meeting new US demands, which may include cutting the use of Chinese inputs in production, he says.

Washington’s tariffs add new pressures to familiar challenges in the industry: poverty and weak labour rights in Cambodia, and an ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

Women, who make up seven in 10 of garment workers in the region, are set to bear the brunt of the tariffs. More downward pressure on their already chronically low wages mean their children could go hungry, while potential layoffs would be even more devastating.

Surangi Sandya, who works in a factory in the Sri Lankan town of Nawalapitiya, says she feels an axe hanging over her.

“Companies don’t work at a loss… If orders decrease, if there is a loss, there may be a possibility that the company will shut down,” she says. Ms Sandya started out as a rank-and-file seamstress in 2011, then worked her way up to become the supervisor of a 70-women team.

If push comes to shove, some Cambodian workers say they will consider moving to Thailand to find jobs – even if they must do it illegally.

“Our livelihoods depend on the garment factory. We won’t survive if our boss shuts it down,” An Sopheak tells the BBC from her tiny 16 sq m room in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh.

“We have little education. We can’t find other jobs. We pray every day that President Trump will lift the tariff. Please think about us and our poor country.”

***[BBC]***

All News Advertisement

Latest News

Trump announces three-day ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war

Published

13 hours ago

2026/05/9

Priyan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left), US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin [Aljazeera]

United States ⁠President Donald Trump ⁠says ‌there will be a three-day ceasefire in ⁠the war between ⁠Russia and ⁠Ukraine.

Posting on Truth Social on Friday, the US leader said the truce would last from ⁠Saturday to Monday.

“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump posted.

Soon after, Ukrainian ⁠President ⁠Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on X that ⁠a three-day truce ⁠had been arranged as part of ‌US efforts to negotiate an end to the more than ⁠four-year-old war.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov later said “an agreement on this matter was reached during our telephone contacts with the US administration. In turn, US representatives were in contact with Kyiv.” He said the agreement followed a recent telephone conversation between President Vladimir Putin and Trump, in which the two presidents “emphasised that our countries were allies during World War II and also discussed the possibility of a ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations.”

Russia had previously announced a two-day unilateral ceasefire to mark its May 9 World War II Victory Day on Saturday. Ukraine previously stated that it too had offered a truce but that this had been ignored by Moscow.

“This request was made directly by me,” Trump said on Friday, thanking his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts for agreeing to it.

“The Celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II. This Ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country,” Trump said. Zelenskyy also confirmed the prisoner swap would take place.

[Aljazeera]

Latest News

Heat Index is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the North-central and Eastern provinces and in Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts during the daytime

Published

14 hours ago

2026/05/9

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 08 May 2026, valid for 09 May 2026

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the North-central and Eastern provinces and in Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts during the daytime

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on the human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED

Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

Latest News

Finn Allen’s 47-ball ton powers Kolkata Knight Riders to huge win over Delhi Capitals

Published

14 hours ago

2026/05/9

Priyan

Pathum Nissanka carried Delhi Capitals in the first half of the innings [Cricinfo]

Kolkata Knight Riders picked up their fourth win on the trot, their spin bowlers (12-0-76-3) capturing Delhi Capitals in a vice-like grip and never letting go Finn Allen made sure that wouldn’t repeat in the second innings. He pulverised DC’s spinners (9-0-102-1) to score his first IPL century even though he only had 143 to chase.

Pathum Nissanka scored a good half-century. He made 50 of DC’s first 85 runs at a strike rate of 172. The other end could only contribute 33 at a strike rate of 103. It was symbolic of how hard it was for a new batter to settle in and how much pressure comes on the set batter on a pitch like this. Even though he was going at a good clip, and had hit the previous ball for four, he still left his crease looking for more and was stumped off Anukul Roy. The left-arm spinner took another wicket, four balls later.

DC were 74 for 2 after eight overs. But only four of those overs were from spin bowlers and three of them were inside the powerplay. Given the comfort of five fielders on the boundary, and a pitch that was slow and turning, Roy, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy started to dictate proceedings. At one point, DC scored just 11 runs in 30 balls. This was between overs 12 to 16. No IPL team in nearly two decades has ever been this sluggish in this period of play.

Roy set this choke up, stumping Nissanka out with a slower and wider delivery and bowling Tristan Stubbs out with the exact opposite of that. That was solid range for a bowler with no mystery about him.

With DC at 89 for 5, Axar Patel in wretched form (his 44 runs, with only three boundaries, are the fewest by any batter this season having faced at least 50 balls) and the conditions not helping run-scoring, all Narine and Varun had to do was what they do so well. Amp up the mystery. Aim at the stumps. Narine finished with 4-0-17-1. Varun, badly limping when he bowled his final over which cost 16 runs, finished with 4-0-28-0.

Ashutosh Sharma broke a boundary drought that last 38 balls in the 17th over. He reverse swept Vaibhav Arora, coming around the wicket, for six in the 19th over. His cameo – 39 off 28 balls – carried KKR to 142 for 8.

For the first time in his IPL career, Allen played through the powerplay. This was his eighth innings. He might have felt bad for running out his captain Ajinkya Rahane when his straight drive flicked Mitchell Starc’s outstretched finger and deflected onto the stumps but he quickly got over it. DC played a part in that a well with Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam bowling balls right in the slot. Allen is superb down the ground and needed no second invitation. From 20 off 17, he launched 10 sixes, the last of them when KKR needed two to win and he needed six to bring up 100.

Allen had a strike rate of 235 against spin (73 off 31). The next best, from both teams, was Rahane with 167, benefiting from playing just three balls and scoring five runs.

In a match where his former team’s spinners held so much sway (economy rate 6.33), Kuldeep suffered, going at 13.66 an over even though he was spared the trouble of bowling in the powerplay. Axar bowled three with the field up and still finished with figures of 4-0-27-1.

Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 147 for 2 in 14.2 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 13, Finn Allen 100*, Cameron Green 33*; Axar Patel 1-27 ) beat Delhi Capitals 142 for 8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 50, KL Rahul 23, Axar Patel 11, Ashutosh Sharma 39; Kartik Tyagi 2-25, Anukul Roy 2-31, Vaibhav Arora 1–29, Sunil Narine 1-17, Cameron Green 1-12) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]