A name can be a political matter. The Southeast Asian country bordering India, China, Laos, and Thailand is still referred to by two names: Burma or Myanmar.
This is not a simple difference in terminology. Behind the two names lies a long history of colonialism, military coups, democratic resistance, and a struggle for political legitimacy on the international stage.
Officially, the country’s name is Myanmar. Yet in a number of U.S. government documents, it is still referred to as Burma. The debate resurfaces whenever the Andaman Sea–facing nation comes under global scrutiny, especially following military coups that have repeatedly shaken its political system.
Why Myanmar Is Still Called Burma
The name change from Burma to Myanmar took place in 1989, one year after the military junta violently crushed pro-democracy uprisings that left thousands dead. At the time, the country was internationally isolated and widely viewed as a global pariah.
The military government announced that “Myanmar” better reflected ethnic unity and distanced the country from the legacy of British colonialism embedded in the name “Burma.”
Linguistically, however, the difference is minimal. In the local language, “Myanmar” is the formal version of “Burma” or “Bama,” the colloquial term used in everyday speech.
“Burmah,” the 19th-century spelling, is often considered a colonial-era adaptation of Myanmar. In essence, both names share the same roots and have been used for centuries.
The 1989 decision was therefore not merely a spelling update. The military government also renamed several colonial-era place names: Rangoon became Yangon, and Pagan was changed to Bagan.
The official justification was inclusivity—Myanmar was said to represent not only the Burman majority, but also the country’s 134 other ethnic groups.
The United Nations, along with countries such as France and Japan, accepted the change. In contrast, the United States and the United Kingdom rejected it, arguing that a country’s name should be determined by its people, not imposed by a military regime.
A Name as a Symbol of Political Position
Over the following decades, the use of these two names became a marker of political stance. Referring to the country as “Burma” has often been interpreted as an expression of solidarity with the pro-democracy movement and a rejection of the military junta’s legitimacy.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition figure who later became state counsellor, openly stated her preference for the name Burma, arguing that the name change had been imposed without the consent of the people. In her speech at the Singapore Summit 2013, she emphasized that democracy is about choice—and that such choices must be respected.
After taking office in 2016, however, she clarified that the constitution does not mandate the use of either name, allowing other countries to choose freely. For diplomatic purposes, she herself occasionally used “Myanmar.”
International Acceptance, Domestic Turmoil
The country gained independence from Britain in 1948 under the official name Union of Burma. Yet its post-independence history has been marked by prolonged conflict and civil war—often described as among the longest-running in the world. The military repeatedly cited instability as justification for seizing power.
Following a period of political liberalization beginning in 2010 and the 2015 general election that brought a civilian government to office, the use of “Myanmar” became increasingly widespread internationally. Even Barack Obama, during his 2012 visit, used both terms interchangeably in official remarks.
However, the 2017 military operations in Rakhine State—which forced more than half a million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh—followed by the February 2021 coup that once again toppled a civilian government, revived the long-standing debate.
In their official statements while in office, President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken chose to use the term Burma.
Today, most member states of the United Nations use Myanmar, while the United States and the United Kingdom maintain their longstanding position. Within the country itself, the two names continue to coexist—Myanmar on official documents, Burma in everyday conversation.
