AsianWeek Should Not Ban 'Burma'

source : The Asianweek

Dear Editor:

Your article "Senate Bill BansBurma"(June 7) by Janet Ng continues to echo the position on Capitol Hill.

AsianWeek needs to present a fair, accurate, balanced and independent view of Myanmar, and that is done by researching, not regurgitating allegations provided by ILO, Senator Jessie Helms,R-NC, and Tom Harkins, D-Iowa.

Yes, Myanmar has problems, but do not equate them to the U.S. State Department standards because no two countries are alike, and their problems are unique in their own way.

The U.S. State Department does not recognize Myanmar or its government for changing its name. Would she be recognized if she resorted to the old name of Burma?

Countries and capitals change their names: Siam to Thailand, East Pakistan to Bangladesh, Peking to Beijing, Rangoon to Yangoon and so on. The reason is simple: breaking away from the colonial past or from Anglicized pronunciations. But I guess the U.S. State Department would rather have its blinders on and dwell in blissful ignorance rather than be educated.

Finally, the laundry list of U.S. corporations doing business with Myanmar was a joke. You failed to net the biggest fish: UNICAL. If UNICAL pulled out, there would be an economic tsunami for the Junta, but it will not happen until the folks on Capital Hill are serious about sanctions and not going on cherry picking expeditions.

Maung Norman Shwe Mo
via e-mail

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