Burma or Myanmar?

One would think after writing about the Rohingya since 2012 the confusion over whether to call it Burma or Myanmar would have piqued some curiosity from me. Slow on the uptake, it took till today before I decided to clarify the matter.

It turns out the military junta that took over in 1962 & 1988 coup d’etats changed it to Myanmar from Burma in 1989. Human rights & democracy activists & groups don’t accept the legitimacy of an unelected regime, including in making a name change. But it’s reported they don’t make the name change a central issue in their campaigns.

Formally the junta transitioned to a civil government in 2011 but that’s baloney. They rule with the same iron-fist now behind the human rights face of Aung San Suu Kyi.