Two Shan political parties, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) in Namkham township, northern Shan State, jointly released a statement on 21st November objecting to the suggestion to the parliament by U Aung Thaung from Myanmar’s ruling party (USDP), to change the names of Burma’s states from ethnic-based names to city-based names.

The statement also mentioned the two parties’ surprise that such a proposal could be made by a member of parliament while the country is working to achieve national reconciliation and establish a democratic society. The statement also urged all the ethnic nationalities in Shan State and other states to object to any kind of attempt to change the name of the states.

The SNDP secretary of Nam Kham, Sai Tun Hla, said that this kind of proposal should not be made. He commented to SHAN, “We are already trying to make sure that the local names of the villages, townships, and cities in our states can be preserved. So, as a representative of the two Shan political parties in Nam Kham and also as a citizen, I strongly object to this proposal to change the name of the states.”

This proposal to change the names of the states could create major problems for the ethnic nationalities, said one of the Shan politicians who wanted to remain anonymous.
Sai Tun Hla also suggested that all citizens and the people of Shan State should study the 2008 constitution, so that they could better understand how to handle problems related to the constitution.