Thirty of Cambodia's garment factories have closed this year so far, according to the manufacturers' association, putting 20,000 workers out of work, the Phnom Penh Post reports.

The manufacturers attribute the closures to the US recession, but Chea Mony of the Free Trade Union says it's individual investors choosing to pull up stakes and leave Cambodia.

The Post cites Ministry of Commerce figures from 2007 of 380,000 garment workers at 319 factories, and $2.9 billion in exports.

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