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Liz Claiborne Withdraws



        Date: 15 Nov 94 1900 JST
        From: NBH03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        Reply-to:Conference "reg.burma" <reg.burma@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
        To:Recipients of:<reg.burma@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>


Some U.S. manufacturers pulling out of Burma
New York Times News Service
(Reprinted in Asahi Evening News, Nov. 15)

NEW YORK--Liz Claiborne Inc., one of the United States'  largest apparel
makers, has decided to stop making and buying apparel in Burma, because of its
authoritarian government.

Liz Claiborne buys goods from 40 countries, and knits and woven apparel from
Burma represented less than 1% of its volume, a company spokeswoman said.  Its
announcement would thus seem to be largely symbolic. 

Liz Claiborne does considerably more business with China, which has also been 
the
subject of human rights complaints, but has no plans to examine its commitment
s
there.

Other American companies have withdrawn from Burma.  Levi Strauss & Co.
stopped buying clothes made there in 1992 after learning that the military jun
taowned an interest in the factories.  Amoco Corp. pulled out in April, citing
economic reasons.

In a statement Friday, Jerome A. Chazen, Liz Claiborne's chairman, said: "Thou
ghthe facilities with which we work have complied with our strict human rights
standards, we cannot support the activities of this country's current governme
nt." 
The spokeswoman said Chazen was not available to take questions.

The Liz Claiborne announcement could depress Burma's apparel industry, said
Andrew Jannis, president of the Marketing Management group, an apparel industr
y
consultant.

"A lot of importing is about networking," he said.  "When a company like
Claiborne abandons a location, it might have a very adverse affect on sourcing
 ."
Burma, with 43 million people, is controlled by a government that seized power
 in
1988 and has a record of human rights abuses.  The leader of the main oppositi
onparty, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, is under house arres
t. 
The opposition party in exile, saying foreign investment props up the regime, 
has
called for a trade boycott.	R









company officials said Friday.

Most of the other American companies with ties to Burma may well receive relat
edresolutions, said Sister Valerie Heinonen, program director of the Interfait
h Center
on Corporate responsibility, a group of religious investors with $35 billion i
n
assets.

/E