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"When the name was changed it was a political statement," said San San Hnin Tun, a lecturer in Burmese language and visiting scholar at Cornell University. "It did not change how people refer to the country in Burmese." The junta justified it as shedding a legacy of colonial rule and better reflecting the country's ethnic mix. In reality, both "myanma" and "bama" denote the dominant Burman ethnic majority. There are 135 ethnic groups, and minorities have long fought for more autonomy. The junta actually entrenched Burman cultural control. It Burmanized many place names, angering minority groups. There's plenty of precedent for a nation changing its title or place names, particularly during decolonization or regime changes. Western nations have sometimes been slow to catch on. It took decades for China's preferred English spelling of Beijing to become the norm in the West, instead of Peking, and years for India's commercial center to become known as Mumbai instead of Bombay. The politically charged case of "Myanmar" has been particularly tricky, and usage has widely varied among governments and international organizations. Australia and the European Union use "Myanmar," although they've otherwise been in lockstep on policy with the U.S. and Britain, which use "Burma." Among rights groups, Amnesty International uses "Myanmar," but Human Rights Watch says "Burma." Among news media, The New York Times has used "Myanmar" since 1989; the main international news agencies including The Associated Press followed suit in 1998, but the BBC still sticks with "Burma." The Financial Times switched to "Myanmar" this January. Even U.S. diplomats say they sometimes use "Myanmar" in private with government officials as a matter of courtesy. Ernie Bower, Southeast Asia program director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said he believes the U.S. government is on the brink of switching its policy. Not quite yet though. The White House said Thursday it is sticking with "Burma."
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