"I had the honour of being invited by the friends of Aung San Suu Kyi to the unveiling of her portrait here in Edinburgh to mark her 60th birthday and years of resistance and detention for which she was awarded the Nobel prize.
Hundreds of people have been murdered in the past weeks and the population is being cowed. Our Prime Minister Gordon Brown led the world in calling for the brutal dictators to cease their brutality, stand down and hold legitimate elections. Both the Chinese and the Russians have vetoed any direct intervention in Burma, but the international outcry has certainly caused the Chinese to put pressure on the dictators.
I shall continue to press for firmer action and I am grateful to have the support of my constituents in this grave matter."