Friday, June 29, 2012

Myanmar tells Suu Kyi not to call country 'Burma'

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Authorities in Myanmar have told opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi that she must refer to the Southeast Asian nation by its official name, and not "Burma."
The country's former military rulers changed the nation's name in English from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, but opponents and exile groups have persisted in referring to the country as Burma as a sign of protest and defiance.
Myanmar's election commission issued the complaint in the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Friday, saying Suu Kyi had referred to the country as Burma during her landmark trips to Thailand and Europe.
The commission supervises laws dealing with political parties.
Suu Kyi became a lawmaker after her party won dozens of parliament seats in April.

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi shakes hands with supporters from her vehicle during a visit to the Mae La refugee camp June 2, 2012 in the western province of Tak, Thailand. The camp is situated along the Burma-Thailand border and is home to around 45,000 mainly ethnic Karen people. The visit to Thailand is her first trip outside of Burma in 24 years where she also attended the World Economic Forum on East Asia. She was under house arrest  for 15 years before being released in November 2010. (Paula Bronstein, Getty Images)
Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi shakes hands with supporters from her vehicle during a visit to the Mae La refugee camp June 2, 2012 in the western province of Tak, Thailand. The camp is situated along the Burma-Thailand border and is home to around 45,000 mainly ethnic Karen people. The visit to Thailand is her first trip outside of Burma in 24 years where she also attended the World Economic Forum on East Asia. She was under house arrest for 15 years before being released in November 2010. (Paula Bronstein, Getty Images)

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