Zeenews Bureau
Yangon: Remaining adamant on calling her country by the name of Burma, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday said that she was free to use any name to refer to her country by virtue of the freedom of speech.
"Freedom of speech... And the right to speak one`s mind freely doesn`t insult anyone… So, I assume that I can use whatever (Burma or Myanmar) I want to use as I believe in democracy," said Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi, on her recent trips to Thailand and Europe, was found referring to her country as Burma and not Myanmar, inviting complaint from Myanmar`s election commission. The Myanmar government directed Suu Kyi to respect the constitution and stop using Burma as the country’s name.
Suu Kyi retorted that the name was altered in 1989 "without consulting any public opinion".
Opposition activists have used the name Burma as a form of protest against the now-defunct army junta that renamed the country two decades ago.
With Agency Inputs
