[lg policy] Myanmar: Ethnic-language signs’ vandalism rankles

[Harold Schiffman]

 Ethnic-language signs’ vandalism rankles [image: Print]
<http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/21036-ethnic-language-signs-vandalism-rankles.html?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=>
By Thu Thu Aung   |   Friday, 24 June 2016
3
<http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/21036-ethnic-language-signs-vandalism-rankles.html#>

*The deletion of ethnic-language words on Shan State signposts has stirred
up a row on social media. It is not clear who is responsible for effacing
the words, or other vandalism to the township signage that listed the town
name in both Myanmar language and Shan language, as well as in some cases a
third local ethnic language.*

*[image: A pre-vandalism sign is written in three languages. Photo:
Supplied / Facebook]A pre-vandalism sign is written in three languages.
Photo: Supplied / Facebook*

Signs were modified in at least five townships, according to posts on
social media, including Lechar/Laihka, Kyaingtong/Kengtung, Kunhein and
Tachileik.

Outrage swiftly erupted on Facebook. Social media poster Sai Lat Mike said,
“Can a Shan-language township signboard harm the Union?”

The dual-language signage was one of the government’s 100-days projects.
Previously the signs were only in Myanmar language, which not all local
residents can read.

Sai Hseng, of the Shan Youth Network (Namtu), said after the June 20
incident, “We heard that Shan language words had been deleted from a
bilingual [Myanmar and Shan] signboard recently. I want to see the Shan
language on township signboards in our state.”

To many ethnic Shan who expected changes under the new government, the act
seemed like a throwback to the days of the military regime, which had
repressed ethnic languages and cultures.

A cloth covering one bilingual sign in Tachileik township was partially
destroyed by fire on June 18.

Local officials denied any knowledge of the signage changes. “That wasn’t a
Shan State project. It was a Municipal Development Committee minister’s
project. I don’t know the situation,” said a spokesperson for Shan State
Chief Minister U Lin Htut.

*The Myanmar Times* was unable to contact the state municipal minister
named Sai Sun Hseng yesterday.

The Pyithu Hluttaw MP for Tachileik, U Htay Win, said, “This could affect
ethnic relationships. I don’t want this problem to get bigger. I understand
the Shan State government will discuss it at the next hluttaw meeting.”

Sai La Aung said on Facebook, “We have the right to access our own
language. Stop Bamarisation.”

“Bamarisation” of ethnic minority groups
<http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/in-depth/18955-lessons-learned-on-minority-languages.html>
under the military regime threatened the existence of ethnic traditions and
languages, with forced assimilation a long-held grievance among Myanmar’s
ethnic minority population that has led to conflict.

“Myanmar still has quite a long way to go to rectify discrimination
[against minority languages],” said Marie Lall, a professor of education
and South Asian studies at UCL Institute of Education in London, at a
conference in March on ethnic language policy in Myanmar.

http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/21036-ethnic-language-signs-vandalism-rankles.html

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