Myanmar or Burma, what’s in a name?
Sanne van Oosten
A rose by any other name will still smell as sweet…?Well, Shakespeare, you might just be wrong about that one. The two names Myanmar and Burma are often used interchangeably but have incredibly different implications. Burma was the name that came into fashion during the British colonial period in the second half of the 19th century. Myanmar was the replacement of that name instated by the military junta in 1989. Opposition leader and Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi prefers the name Burma because, as she has stated in various media: “the name was changed without any reference to the will of the people.” Even though I tend to side with Aung San Suu Kyi on just about any issue concerning the country’s politics, I think using the name Burma requires some rethinking. This name might just not smell as sweet to all of the people living in Burma/Myanmar. Read More…
2012: a new beginning for Myanmar?
Sook
A new year always allows for looking back and this could not be more true for Myanmar and 2012. Lots of things have been going on in the country formerly known as Burma. In March the government elected in 2010 in the first elections in 20 years, took office. On 1 April the so-called by-elections took place: in 48 constituencies new representatives were chosen to fill the places of those that had found a place in government and, as a consequence, had to give up their place in parliament. Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) competed this time and won 44 of the 45 seats they contested. Sounds like quite a victory, but keep in mind that the (two) houses of national and the 14 sub-national parliaments count over 1000 seats, 25% of these are automatically reserved for the military.
12 things you’ll only see in Myanmar
Sanne van Oosten and Davey Meelker
Because of years of isolation and economic sanctions from the West, Myanmar is a distinctively unique travel destination. For years it was even impossible to travel there as a tourist, making it a country that hasn’t been run down by tourists… yet. At the end of April 2012, the West started to lift the economic sanctions for Myanmar. We visited right before that, during April 2012. Take a look at what we saw here, but nowhere else.
Myanmar: a great step forward, but don’t crack open the champagne bottles just yet
Davey Meelker
While we were eating at a restaurant in Yangon, the biggest city of Myanmar, the owner of restaurant approached us. It was during the Water Festival, Tingyan, to celebrate the new year. The restaurant owner said in joyful voice: “The people are happy more than ever, because of the political changes in the country. It’s going to be great new year, we are looking forward to the future.” Is this optimism justified?
Splashing the military Junta – Water festival (Tyngan) 2012 in Myanmar/Burma
Sanne van Oosten
We are visiting Myanmar/Burma at a remarkable time. Indeed, preliminary elections have just been held, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) won almost all of the available seats. But the time we are visiting is remarkable for another reason as well. It is the end of the year according to the Buddhist calendar, meaning the time for the yearly water festival tyngan has come. How is the outcome of the elections influencing the festivities surrounding the water festival?
Photo’s of how Myanmar/Burma is slowly liberalizing
Sanne van Oosten
When I visited Yemen in 2008 I couldn’t escape photo’s of the (later ousted) dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh. When I visited Syria in 2009 I couldn’t escape photo’s of the (later severe war criminal and) dictator Bashar Al Assad and his stringy moustache. When I visited Myanmar/Burma in April of 2012… well contrary to the earlier mentioned countries, the pictures of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi were openly hanging in public. These images were by far not as prevalent of the pictures of the earlier mentioned dictators, but we did see some images here and there. In souvenir stalls, on the side of the road and we’ve even seen people walk around in t-shirt of the NLD of Aung San Suu Kyi. Yes, Myanmar/Burma is becoming more liberal and this is visible on the streets. The following pictures will show you some examples.
What did the economic sanctions actually bring Myanmar?
Sanne van Oosten
Traveling through Myanmar/Burma is a bit more challenging than traveling through any other Southeast Asian country we have visited so far. Part of this is because many Western countries are imposing economic sanctions on the country in order to pressure the government to reform. But, how useful are these sanctions and how does this change the way in which foreign visitors experience the country?
