Hi,Yalqun. （ If I could be better in Chinese） If your words and punctuation are not wrong. Then this sentence does not explicitly say who wants to change its name，and did not mention why renamed. 思茅市政府将更名请示报云南省人民政府审核。 The meaning of this sentence is . The government of Simao reported the matter to the government of Yunnan(reported change name).Approved by the Yunnan government（我省略了市和省，那是行政单位，思茅市小于云南省）

我可以用中文吗。Can I use Chinese I think this private letter and you.But you don't have this option

在沈培平来思茅任职前，已有专家提出将思茅市更名为“普洱市”一事，但遭搁浅。沈培平2005年3月担任市长后，当年8月4日，思茅市政府将更名请示报云南省人民政府审核。 for this sentence: 思茅市政府将更名请示报云南省人民政府审核。 思茅市政府 将 更名请示 报 云南省人民政府 审核。 思茅市政府 wants to change the name of city. so it writes an application to its higher government to apply this application. 思茅市政府 is a city-government, so its higher government is province government, which is 云南省人民政府. In other words, 思茅市 is a city of 云南省. 报：报 means "apply" but only in the case of government affair: lower department 报(apply) something towards its higher department. 更名请示 is a 请示 about changing name. 请示: application. 更名请示：application of changing name 审核：verify so here is the thing in this sentence: 思茅市政府 wants to change its name. so 思茅市政府 sends a request to its higher department 云南省人民政府: I want to change my name, do you approve? after 云南省人民政府 getting this application, 云南省人民政府 will 审核 this application. after 审核, 云南省人民政府 will say: OK you can or NO you can't to 思茅市政府.

思茅市政府

A supplement to bear234's answer about why "思茅市政府" wanted to change its name, from "思茅市" to "普洱市". "普洱" is a very famous kind of tea which is made from the chopped dried leaves of the plant that is growed in the city, "思茅市". Then you may know the government just wanted to earn a good reputation and then the vice mayor(沈培平) could be promoted.