The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political association founded in 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand. It was originally comprised of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, but grew to include Brunei (1984), Vietnam (1995), Laos and Myanmar (1997), and Cambodia (1999). Its declared aims are the support of economic growth, cultural development, and “social progress” in its member states, the promotion of regional security and rule of...

Close to 90% of people in Myanmar today are Buddhist, and virtually all of them practice Theravada Buddhism. This branch of Buddhism adheres most closely to the oldest texts in the Buddhist tradition and generally emphasizes a more rigorous observance of the monastic code than other schools of Buddhism. Theravada Buddhists ultimately aim to be released from the cycle of suffering, samsara, and to achieve nirvana. To achieve success in this world—and to advance to enlightenment in subsequent rebirths—they must build positive karma, or merit.

Lay people...

Is it called Burma or Myanmar? In 1989, the SLORC government mandated that their country should henceforth be known in English as Myanmar instead of Burma. (In all, several hundred place names were changed; another prominent example was the renaming of Rangoon to Yangon). This name change has not been accepted by all members of the international community. Some, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, did not recognize the legitimacy of the...

Burmans (also known as Bamar) are the largest ethnic and linguistic group in present-day Myanmar, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the population. They live primarily in the Irrawady Basin and speak Burmese. A distinction must also be made between Burman and Burmese; the latter term refers to any citizen of Myanmar, not just those of the Burman ethnic group.

Almost without exception, Burmans are Buddhist, a fact that has influenced its relationships with other ethnic groups for...