As clothing giants H&M and Primark announce they will resume Myanmar orders for the first time since February’s military coup, Foreign Editor David Pratt examines what it means for ethical trading, sanctions, and due diligence over human rights and supply chains
It’s an age-old dilemma when imposing sanctions on an authoritarian regime. Just how do you hurt a military junta while ensuring that the people it oppresses are not hurt too?
It’s over 100 days now since the February 1 coup in Myanmar when the army under Senior General Min Aung Hlaing seized power, overthrowing and detaining the elected civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Since then, given the widespread protests and brutal crackdown by the regime alongside calls for international sanctions and boycott campaigns, Myanmar has been both a chaotic place to do business and posed an ethical challenge for foreign companies with links to the country.
In few other sectors has this been more apparent than in the country’s garments industry. The announcement then last week by international clothing…
