Myanmar Shave just doesn't have the same cachet... 
Posted on 05/07/2005 9:49:35 AM PDT by killjoy
Near simultaneous explosions at two busy supermarkets and a convention center in Myanmar's capital on Saturday wounded more than a dozen people, witnesses said.
The cause of the blasts was not immediately known. Several people were seen leaving one of the supermarkets, a City Mart in northwestern Yangon, with blood on their faces after the explosion around 3 p.m., a witness said on condition of anonymity.
The exterior of that store was severely damaged, with large window panes shattered and appliances from the store's shelves scattered amid debris on the ground floor of the 11-story building. Authorities blocked off the four main roads in the area, while riot police with batons and shields stood guard, telling residents to leave the area because of the threat of further explosions.``We managed to escape, but some of my friends were hurt,'' a sales girl cried at the scene.
Residents in the area said more than a dozen people had been hurt in that explosion, and that the victims were taken to the emergency ward of a local hospital.
An explosion at another City Mart store in northern Yangon wounded several people and caused similar damage, another witness said. Smoke poured out of the ground-floor supermarket and soldiers moved in to guard the area.
The third explosion outside a convention center where a Thai trade fair was being held blew out windows as high as the second floor and wounded many people, according to a witness attending the function who asked not to be identified.
Sawasdee Krap'ing!
"You most likely know it as Myanmar, but it will always be Burma to me."
It's Burma. "Myanmar" is an invented name by the Junta.
Burma has tons of oil. My great great grandfather was an oil speculator there. Of course, Burma went through a revolution, kicked out all the foreigners and expropriated their property. It sounds aweful, but I don't really care for them that much.
Countries that change their name have such identity problems that they aren't worth thinking about. Such a load....Burma to Myanman. India has changed Bombay to MOMBUM or some such thing. It's all butthump.
NOW, when the USSR had to re-name, THAT was worth something. I am glad too, for some peculiar reason, that Leningrad is back to St. Petersburg.
Note the African countries that keep changing names. The Congo River is the only thing that keeps its name. But, that may change someday too.
No more invented than 'Burma'. The current government calls it Myanmar and the stamps in my passport from them also say Myanmar... so Myanmar it is.
<< Sawasdee Krap'ing! >>
Sawasdee khrap -- sabai dee mai khrup?
The opposition to the Burmese dictatorship doesn't recognize that name.
BTW, the U.S. Government doesn't also recognize "Myanmar".
"Myanmar-Shave"?
So, is this an ROP related incident or some sort of autonomy / opium thing.
Mumbai, I think. Probably what it was called before a Brit Viceroy who was hard of hearing accidentally renamed it!
You have a SEA Ping List, by chance?
If so please include me in?
Khap khun khrap -- B A
I was up on the border a few months ago, still want to go there, its the only SE Asian country I haven't been to.
Next trip.
Hummm Thai trade fair, Japanese joint venture (from goggle) City Mart??????? Could the government have a hand in this???
Myanmar Shave just doesn't have the same cachet...
I have meet numerous refugees in Thailand from Burma who call it Myanmar. I hate the government there as much as the next guy, but thinking that refusing to call a country by a certain name somehow makes the government less legitimate is quite funny. I am sure there are people out there who still refer to zimbabwe as rhodesia. I don't think Mugabe cares.
Free BURMA Coalition:
http://www.freeburmacoalition.org/
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