Miss Kolka

Burma has been our top story for a week now. Burma I say a bit confused because everyone else, all the media and even the United nations call it Myanmar - its the name the military gave the country in english after it seized power in 1989. It changed the name of the capital (until 2006) Rangoon into Yangon - but strangely enough France 24 seems to be the only network that refuses to use the term chosen by the military regime... On France 24 you will only see Burma or Birmanie in french with Rangoon and Rangoun. (this has caused problems in our online version since wires from news agencies AFP and Reuters are published there with the Myanmar name while on the screen we never use it)

Looking for more details I found that the original name, chosen by British authorities at the time of the independence in 1948 was Burma. Then the military regime who wanted to distance itself from the former British rulers, decided to change the name in english into "Myanmar" to reflect the official name in burmanese which is Myanma, or Bama on occasion. Also according to Wikipedia "the military thought that the name Myanma was more inclusive of minorities than the name Bama".According to an anthropologist cited by the BBC the "formal term is Myanmar and the informal, everyday term 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".

But it is a problem because minorities in the country had become used to the english name Burma over the years - and opposition parties have argued that the new name "Myanmar" reflects the policy of the ruling regime where the ethnic Burman majority rules over the minorities. Burma is made of many different racial groups coming either from India, China and Cambodia or descending from other groups formed many centuries ago from Siamese and thai tribes - so the racial mixture is important.

Its strange that the international community accepts the terms the military chose (at least for the name of the country - but not the choice of the new capital, Naypyidaw) and still does not recognise the power in place. (Musharraf in Pakistan came into power also after a military coup).
Since the violence began in Burma a week ago - The whole world has been condemning and warning the military of using force - and it also recognises Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in house arrest for most of the last 18 years, as the rightful winner of democratic elections in 1989.
Is France 24 by using these terms taking sides with the burmanese opposition? Isn't that a little bit unprofessional?
This whole thing is confusing.

And not only the nomenclature. The interest the world media have showned in the clashes from day one are clear. Its a little bit like waiting for disaster to happen. I believe we have seen huge protests in other countries before - somehow here because of the oppression and the difficulties of getting information out if the country I think the media see the opportunity of testing their limits. They all want to be the first with the story - and have exclusive access to it - so as soon as a journalist witnesses what happens it becomes breaking news. All the images coming out thanks to the internet and account of ordinary people make this a differently reported revolution. And the Internet has become one of the main factors to illustrate the difference between the crackdown in 1988 and now. Its strange how self-obsessed the media can sometimes be. Of course by this I don't mean that the events in Burma are of none importance but it is still intruiging how quickly it got the world's attention. Without anyone asking any questions how we were reporting it.

AFP 27/09/07 22h20 GMT+1
"Security forces swept through Myanmar's main city Thursday, killing nine people including a Japanese journalist, and arresting hundreds more in a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests."

9 killed - among those a japanese and probably a german...

In gaza - Israel killed 12 persons in air strikes during the last two days

In Iraq, 27 died in different bomb attacks around the country.

It does matter where you live.