But China has shown how much it has come on in recent years. It’s more open and reacts more swiftly to these types of events. It is acutely aware of its image to foreigners unlike Burma. So it shows that more open economies can help societies to open up. The Olympics has been a huge part of that process.

Burma, on the other hand, is still a monstrous regime and has reacted in the manner of an abusive system in meltdown, unaware of its actions, unable to see itself as others see it. And all reinforced by the lame regional and global organisations that fling wet bus tickets at it from time to time whilst quietly doing business in arms and resources.

Eventually the generals will go. Quietly or noisily it rarely matters. The people have suffered for a long time. I remember back 20 years when i was near the Thai/Burma border with the Karen people. Even then it was bad.

I’m surprised the UN didn’t do a targeted air drop under humanitarian regulations. And maybe one day we will see the generals in the dock at the International Court of Justice.

Clearly there is a connection between political/economic status and the degree to which natural disasters impact on ordinary citizens. Rapid economic growth in China has clearly led to some cutting of corners on the construction front. Schools and offices don’t just fall over for no reason. Is there such thing as an earthquake building code? My heart broke when I saw them pulling that little boy out alive from under a jumbled wreck of concrete. The kid was the same age as my son.

I shouldn’t be so smug. A 7.8 quake would wipe out much of downtown Wellington, despite our high building standards. But at least the Chinese government are mobilising fully to help their people. Contrast this with the absolutely pathetic response by the idiot generals in Burma. Their lethargy could prove to be their undoing in the long term.