Burma

Today the news agenda moves so fast that when stories stop getting coverage we often forget about them very easily. It's almost as though by losing interest in a story, the media are saying that the issue is resolved, or it no more of importance.

The fate of Burma is just such a story. In September, there was almost blanket coverage of the Monks' protest and the Military Dictatorship's draconian, outrageous and - I maintain - ultimately futile supression of that protest. In October I set out my views of the crisis, and how I would have liked the international community to respond here.

When it started, we had hopes that because it was led by Monks the regime would not dare crack down as they had in the past. We were sadly wrong. Today, the monasteries remain abandoned. Monks remain either imprisoned, or dispersed to rural communities where they are unable to foment trouble, as the regime would see it.

We need to keep the pressure up, even though there is little coverage of the problems. It isn't as though we have no leverage - China, the critical international player in this crisis is of course host of next year's Olympics which it doesn't want to be embarrassed over; so there is a real opportunity for the UN and individual countries to bring real pressure to bear.

There are three absolute priorities: all prisoners held as a result of this uprising must be released. The Monks must be allowed to return to their monasteries. And a roadmap to sincere political reform in Burma has to be drawn up, culminating in the release of Aung San Su Kyi - the democratically elected leader of that country.

The signs are the exact opposite. The UN envoy has been expelled. This has gone largely unreported, though it is a major concern. Without the media coverage, the international community will not feel any urgency to force change. And yet again the Burmese people will be left to stand alone against a regime they despise. Now is the time for the UN to demonstrate leadership, and show the world why it can be trusted to resolve today's diplomatic and human rights challenges.