Should it be Burma or Myanmar? Definitely Burma!

'Burma' to the pro-democracy camp 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 ANSWER It's known as Myanmar in many countries and at the UN But the UK doesn't recognise the legitimacy of the regime that changed the name The Adaptation of Expression Law also introduced English language names for other towns, some of which were not ethnically Burmese. 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." It's general practice at the BBC to refer to the country as Burma, and the BBC News website says this is because most of its audience is familiar with that name rather than Myanmar. The same goes for Rangoon, people in general are more familiar with this name than Yangon. But look in a Lonely Planet guidebook to Asia and the country can be found listed after Mongolia, not Brunei. The Rough Guide does not cover Burma at all, because the pro-democracy movement has called for a tourism boycott. HOW IS MYANMAR PRONOUNCED? There are various ways 'My' may be 'mee' as in 'street' or 'my' as in 'cry' And stress can be on the first, second or third syllable How to say 'Myanmar' So does the choice of Burma or Myanmar indicate a particular political position? Mark Farmener, of Burma Campaign UK, says: "Often you can tell where someone's sympathies lie if they use Burma or Myanmar. Myanmar is a kind of indicator of countries that are soft on the regime. "But really it's not important. Who cares what people call the country? It's the human rights abuses that matter. "There's not a really strong call from the democracy movement saying you should not call it Myanmar, they just challenge the legitimacy of the regime. It's probable it will carry on being called Myanmar after the regime is gone." Colloquial name The two words mean the same thing and one is derived from the other. Burmah, as it was spelt in the 19th Century, is a local corruption of the word Myanmar. They have both been used within Burma for a long time, says anthropologist Gustaaf Houtman, who has written extensively about Burmese politics. WHO, WHAT, WHY? A regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlines "There's a formal term which is Myanmar and the informal, everyday term which is Burma. Myanmar is the literary form, which is ceremonial and official and reeks of government. [The name change] is a form of censorship." If Burmese people are writing for publication, they use 'Myanmar', but speaking they use 'Burma', he says. This reflects the regime's attempt to impose the notion that literary language is master, Mr Houtman says, but there is definitely a political background to it. Richard Coates, a linguist at the University of Western England, says adopting the traditional, formal name is an attempt by the junta to break from the colonial past. The UN uses Myanmar, presumably deferring to the idea that its members can call themselves what they wish Richard Coates, Linguist "Local opposition groups do not accept that, and presumably prefer to use the 'old' colloquial name, at least until they have a government with popular legitimacy. Governments that agree with this stance still call the country Burma. "The UN uses Myanmar, presumably deferring to the idea that its members can call themselves what they wish, provided the decision is recorded in UN proceedings. There are hosts of papers detailing such changes. I think the EU uses Burma/Myanmar." Other countries to rename themselves like this include Iran (formerly Persia), Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) and Cambodia (Kampuchea). "They've substituted a local name for an internationally acknowledged one for essentially nationalistic and historical reasons." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7013943.stm

What is happening to the world??Where are all the good guys???

Karen Girl, 7, Raped and Killed: KWO
By LAWI WENG Wednesday, January 7, 2009


The Karen Women’s Organization (KWO), which is based in Mae Sot on the Thai-Burmese border, reported on Monday that a seven-year-old Karen girl was raped and murdered by a Burmese soldier in Pegu Division on December 27.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, KWO Assistant Secretary Blooming Night Zan said that the girl was playing outside her house in Ma Oo Bin village in Nyaunglebin Township at 5 pm. At around the same time, a Burmese soldier from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 350 was seen entering the village. Villagers said they heard a girl scream for help a short time later, followed by gunfire.

“The victim’s uncle ran to the scene and found the girl’s body. She had been shot three times in the chest and she had been raped,” said Blooming Night Zan.

The family of the victims and the village headman urged the battalion commander to investigate the crime. However, the commander didn’t take any action, she said.

The incident follows a report on January 6 by a Mon human rights group that in November a 17-year-old Mon girl was gang-raped in Yephu Township, northern Tenasserim Division, by seven Burmese soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 107.

Aue Mon, a member of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), said the victim was raped while working alone at her family’s betel nut plantation on November 13.

The HURFOM reported the victim’s mother as saying: “Both the captain and his solders raped my daughter. She nearly died. My daughter was crying when she told the story. Those soldiers are not human. They are like animals.”

According to HURFOM, the victim’s family was afraid of the army and has since left the village.

Both organizations have previously accused the Burmese military of using systematic rape as a weapon to terrorize ethnic people living along the borders.

In 2004, KWO published a report titled “Shattering Silences” which claimed that Burmese troops systematically raped Karen women. The report documented 125 cases of sexual violence committed between 1988 and 2004. The report said that half of the rapes were committed by military officers, 40 percent were gang-rapes, and in 28% of the cases the women were killed after being raped.

“Women are not safe in the Karen conflict zone. We want the UN to put pressure on the Burmese military to stop using rape as a weapon of war,” said the assistant secretary of KWO.

Women’s organizations in other ethnic areas have reported similar incidents. In 2002, the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) released a report titled “Licence to Rape,” which detailed testimonies from 173 ethnic Shan women who had been raped or encountered sexual violence at the hands of Burmese soldiers.

Blaming the resistance or the occupation?

This explains the whole conflict really well. Short,concise and straight to the point. The crux of who is to be blamed. And no surprise there as to who's the blameworthy one!


"Really, it is saddening to see some people confuse and mix the facts. According to all laws, divine and man-made, it is the right, and even the duty, of people to defend and protect lives, land, and honor against aggression and oppression. In Gaza, it is the occupation forces and those who assist it who bear the responsibility for the ongoing massacre that Israel is committing there.

In his response to your question, Sheikh Mohamed El-Moctar El-Shinqiti, Director of the Islamic Center of South Plains, Lubbock, Texas , states:

The oppression of the Palestinian people did not start today; it started six decades ago. If we suppose that the resistance stops now, the oppression will still continue in the form of an ugly occupation and a siege that starves innocent people.

What the world does not know, because of Zionist propaganda, is that 70% of the Gazan people are refugees from other parts of Palestine that were swallowed up by the Zionist state. These people have been living in desperate circumstances for decades. Moreover, the indigenous Gazans themselves have been under occupation since 1967.

Therefore, what is needed today is to stop the oppression, not to stop the resistance.

Moreover, Sheikh `Abdul-Majeed Subh, a prominent Azharite scholar, adds:

The Islamic resistance in Gaza is doing their sacred duty in defending their land against the oppressive occupation.

According to all laws, divine or man-made, people have the right to defend their land against occupation.

Given the above, the Islamic residence in Gaza is carrying out their duty in defending their land and their honor. Those who criticize and condemn them should support the truth and fear Almighty Allah. The responsibility for what is happening in Gaza falls on the oppressive occupation, not on those who defend their land."

From islamonline.net

Pan's Labyrinth

I cannot believe i cried watching Pan's Labyrinth! It was such a beautifully weird fantastical portrayal of a fantasy world existing parallel with the real world. And what really struck me was how everything flowed like fabric together and made perfect sense.

Tears just kept flowing down at the final scene where that monster of a captain/stepfather cum megalomaniac and psychopath took his newborn son, her half brother away from her, shoved her away and without any sign of human conscience shot that helpless,orphaned little girl right in the chest.

It was utter sadness...grief,awe and epiphany overwhelmed me at the baseness humanity could succumb to and also angelic heights that a mere human child could soar to, even to the extent of sacrificing her own life and future for that of her baby brother.