Mainland Southeast Asia: Turmoil and Peace - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 412

Chapter 15

Mainland Southeast Asia:
Turmoil and Peace

“The waves of human passion rise
and fall; worldly things are as
transitory as passing clouds. ”

C AO B A -Q UA T (1809-1854)

In this chapter we will learn about the five countries

labor. This is Myanmar today—oppressive for most
within and despised by most without.
Officially , the country is called Myanmar (Figure 15-3),
but many people refer to it as Burma. The country' s origi-
nal name was Myanmar, but this was anglicized as
“Burma” by the British who invaded in 1885. In 1989, an
unelected military dictatorship changed the name back to
Myanmar and this is the name recognized by the United
Nations. However, there is a “democracy movement” in
Myanmar that insists on the name “Burma.” Those who
support this movement and who do not recognize the mil-
itary dictatorship as a legitimate government support the
name “Burma” as well. The problem with “Burma” is that
it refers to the majority Burman people (68 percent) and
does not represent the many other ethnic groups that live
in the country . Some think that Myanmar/Burma should
have a new name, one that represents all the people. We
will use Burma and Myanmar interchangeably in the text.
The 135 officially recognized ethnic groups of Myan-
mar are categorized into eight “major national ethnic
races” by region. For example, the Shan include 33 ethnic
groups speaking numerous languages in four different
language families (Figure 15-4). Aside from the 8 cate-
gories, there are many other unrecognized groups such as
the Burmese Indians and Chinese, and the Rohingyas.

of mainland Southeast Asia: Burma/Myanmar,
Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia (Figure 15-1).
As we will discover, the history of each unfolds in con-
text of the history of the others. Landscapes, with their
impress of rice cultivation, Buddhism, and battle-
grounds, are remarkably similar. Y et each country ex-
hibits its own character in terms of ethnicity , language,
political system, level of development, and various other
cultural aspects (Figure 15-2). The complexity of main-
land Southeast Asia makes it a geographic conundrum
leaving us with more questions than answers.

Burma/Myanmar: P aradiseLost

Imagine living in a country where your universities are
closed most of the time. Where you cannot stay at a rela-
tive' s or friend' s house without government permission.
Where you voted for democracy but your party is out-
lawed and your leader is under house arrest. Where
barbed wire barricades are stacked on streets ready to
block any march or protest. Where people meet in secret
to tell you about persecution of minorities and slave

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