Monday, 09 April 2012 12:32 Mizzima News
(Mizzima) - While things are quickly changing in Burma – especially following the successful conclusion of the by-election –some things are staying the same.
For the U.S., at least, it will continue to use Burma in referring to the country others call Myanmar.
For years the U.S. and England have used Burma, a name that reflects the country’s colonial past, which is not acceptable to government officials and others.
Reporters noted last week that U.S. officials were occasionally using the word “Myanmar” in a briefing. Was it intentional?
“It is the case that in certain meetings that government officials are … occasionally unhappy with the use of the term,” the official said in response. However, “official practice” is to keep on saying “Burma,” the official told reporters.
The official explained that U.S. leaders were concerned about “the process of how the decision was made” when the government abruptly changed the name to “Myanmar” in 1989 after the military crackdown on pro-democracy opposition groups. The government also changed the name of Rangoon to Yangon, saying the name changes reflected the country’s original linguistic roots.
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