michael lambe

Tuesday is generally the challenging day of the week; i.e. the day on which I teach my most immature and socially backward students. Recently, the class which used to be worst has improved a lot and a class which used to be fine has gotten pretty bad. But today they surprised me by switching back to their original roles and so my last class today got gold medals for sheer-pain-in-the-arseness. To be plain: today was a tiring day and I feel the need for a beer. However, I get home and I get this message from avaaz:

Dear Avaaz members in Asia,

Leaders at the East Asia Summit this Wednesday have the power to change Myanmar’s course - let’s send them a flood of messages from all around Asia, calling for real action now:

Send Your Message
Between them, our governments hold most of the leverage over the military dictatorship in Myanmar. Now Asian leaders are coming together at the East Asia Summit in Singapore this Wednesday 21st November.

We have less than 36 hours to act. This expanded meeting at the end of the ASEAN summit is vital. After one-on-one briefings from United Nations envoy Ibrahim Gambari, Asia’s key leaders will decide what — if anything — they will do to help progress in Myanmar/Burma. Let’s send a wave of messages from around Asia: these leaders need to offer practical support to the UN effort, and take real steps to press the Myanmar junta into freeing the prisoners and entering into real dialogue. Click below to send your own message to Asian leaders right now – you can personalise the wording, or just fill out your details and hit send (then tell your friends!):

http://www.avaaz.org/en/myanmar_needs_asia/1.php

Allowed to meet with the regime and her own party colleagues for the first time in years, democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi says she’s ready to engage in dialogue if it is time-bound and meaningful. But despite the hope, thousands are still in jail after September’s protests, with monk leader U Gambiri and labour activist Su Su Nway among the latest to be imprisoned.

The Myanmar junta has tried such tricks before – pretending to engage in talks while the world’s eyes are on them, then backing out later. Just this week, it has pressed Singapore to stop the UN’s Gambari from addressing the East Asia Summit directly.

China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are joining Myanmar’s ASEAN neighbours at the East Asia Summit. Coordinated Asian pressure could decide whether dialogue in Myanmar will be genuine, or just another con-trick. These leaders between them hold huge influence over the military and its supporters, through a web of military, financial, diplomatic, energy and economic relationships. Until Myanmar is on a better road, “business as usual” cannot continue with this regime. So let’s ask our Asian leaders to pledge action for a real transition this Wednesday. Remember, we only have 36 hours - so click here to send your own message, then send the link to friends and family and ask them to do the same:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/myanmar_needs_asia/1.php

Avaaz members have already targeted key Myanmar allies like China and Singapore. Singapore has refused to rule out UN sanctions, and key junta allies have found their Singaporean bank accounts under pressure. China may be starting to move, albeit too slowly thus far. Much more is needed.

Driven off the streets for now, the people of Myanmar/Burma depend on us to make their voices heard. We must not let them down.

With hope and determination,

Paul, Ricken, Graziela, Iain, Galit, Pascal and the whole Avaaz team

And after reading that I think about Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest since God knows when and still giving out the good word with unflagging good grace and those monks baring their heads to military truncheons for the sake of what they believe and an entire nation carrying an enormous weight of oppression, and I think: my life’s a breeze really eh? The least I can do is click on that link and spend (literally) one minute filling out my details to send my own message… LINK