“I spoke yesterday to my friends in Rangoon. They fear the worse but hope desperately for change. I make no excuse for pleading to you my friends on behalf of the Burmese people. This is their hour of need. Uncertainty, fear and just a glimmer of hope exist in that country. We can do something to support them, here and now.”

We can do something to help. I got a forwarded email this morning showing that there’s a two-way traffic of information and hope between Burma and the rest of the world.

I am pasting in the email, circulated by an Edinburgh branch of the Labour Party, asking for help on behalf of the Burma Educational Scholarship Trust, an Edinburgh based charity supporting Burmese refugees to continue with higher education.

“Of course BEST needs your support. Whatever happens over the coming days and weeks, change will not come quickly or easily. We will need to keep helping the constant stream of people fleeing from the country. And it’s not so far away. The UK government has just announced a dispersal of Burmese asylum seekers to Glasgow. If you think you can help us through raising awareness, personal support or would like to make a donation to BEST, you can go to the BEST website.”