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Two More Saipan Garment Factories To Close

Friday: July 25, 2008

(Saipan Tribune)

Two more Saipan garment factories will shut down, the Saipan Tribune reports.

United International Corp. and Onwel Garment Manufacturers will close in the coming months, the newspaper reported.

The report did not specify how many workers are affected by the planned closings, or what the potential economic impact is for the Northern Mariana Islands.

Once the mainstay of the commonwealth’s economy with nearly 30 garment factories employing tens of thousands of foreign workers, Saipan’s garment industry is down to a handful of factories.

Changes in international trade regulations, which removed most of the U.S. island group’s tax benefits for imports to the United States, hastened the collapse of the industry.

http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=81949&cat=1