[lbo-talk] some post-US election recommendations............

kjkhoo at softhome.net kjkhoo at softhome.net
Thu Nov 4 21:22:43 PST 2004


At 10:44 pm -0500 4/11/04, Shane Mage wrote:
>>Patrick Bond wrote:
>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: <uvj at vsnl.com>
>>>> Why should there be any trade sanctions against Myanmar?
>>>
>>>It's called Burma, comrade.
>>
>>Huh? What are the politics of the name?
>>
>>Doug
>
>Some people think that when a gang of thugs takes over
>a country they can legitimately change its name against
>the expressed will of its people. That's their politics.
>Some refuse to grant the thugs such legitimacy. That's ours.

IIANM, in the local majority language, it has been Myanma since independence -- as in "Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw", i.e. the Union of Myanmar. But, in the international "community" it was referred to as "Burma", the official name from British colonialism. Not dissimilar to "Nihon/Japan", "Zhongguo/China", "Deutschland/Germany". I think in the parlance it's local vs. conventional name.

The SLORC promoted Myanmar as the conventional name for international use, as also "Yangon" instead of "Rangoon".

So, in Burma itself, I don't think there's any big deal. Speaking Burmese, it would be Myanma Naingnandaw. But it's to do with the relationship of the international "community" to the political groupings in Burma/Myanmar, and taken as a touchstone of the relationship to the regime.

As for trade sanctions on Burma -- can it really have any impact? I think S Africa was an exceptional case because of the major involvement of the international economy. But Burma?

kj



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