Should it be Burma or Myanmar?

[Dale_M]

An answer to something I had been wondering!

Protest marches in Burma have entered a ninth day. But why is the country not known in the UK by its official name, Myanmar?

The eyes of the world’s media are focused on Rangoon, where tensions are rising in the streets, yet news organisations and nations differ in what they call the country.

The ruling military junta changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, a year after thousands were killed in the suppression of a popular uprising. Rangoon also became Yangon.

The change was recognised by the United Nations, and by countries such as France and Japan, but not by the United States and the UK.

A statement by the Foreign Office says: “Burma’s democracy movement prefers the form ‘Burma’ because they do not accept the legitimacy of the unelected military regime to change the official name of the country. Internationally, both names are recognised.”

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7013943.stm

 

[LCMS_No_More]

Burma

 

[Jennifer_G]

Burma. It’s easier to pronounce than Myanmar.

 

[iamrefreshed]

It should be democratic, like the people without the tanks want.

 

[rpp]

Personally, I do not care what they call their own country. But I would rather the people call it what they have always called themselves.

One sign of dictatorial is the renaming of locations, monuments, countries, etc. We saw that when the communists took over Russia in 1917. We see that with the wacky leftists here in this country. (Mt. McKinley is now Denali for example). They did it in Burma.

Names are powerful. Controlling a name gives people power.

 

[papaspicy]

Should it be Germany or Deutschland?

And don’t get me started on those Dutch people from the Netherlands… wait… or is it Holland?

Guess what, this is my 100th post!

Pax

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Should it be Germany or Deutschland?

And don’t get me started on those Dutch people from the Netherlands… wait… or is it Holland?

Guess what, this is my 100th post!

Pax

Deutschland, seit dem das ist der Name des Landes auf Deutsch *

• (Germany, since that is the country’s name in German)

Could be worse for the Netherlands. It is Pays-Bas in French