It happens again and again - a country that just can’t seem to crawl out from under. I wrote a post about Burma only last autumn during the horrendous crackdown on demonstrating monks. All they wanted was freedom of expression, and above all freedom from the military junta. For a few weeks world headlines channelled our attention on them and calculated (hopelessly) the murders at the hands of the regime - then there was silence.

Poor Burma. It couldn’t quite swing it. I feel bad for not having blogged about it before but I was hoping against hope, ever optimistic, that things would change. And that they would change through China. Because this giant neighbour of Burma is the only world power who can possibly alter the mindset of the Generals. Shacked up in their new, soulless, purpose-built capital, miles from anywhere and completely out of touch with the people they rule so illegally, they will never be swung by penniless monks nor by the ineffectual UN. It’s money that talks and most of that comes from over the border in exchange for Burma’s incredible mineral resources of gas and precious stones.