Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar has said he hoped he would see evidence of democratic reform during his upcoming visit to Burma, amid widespread criticism over the slow pace of change there.

"I hope my visit will fulfil the goal agreed upon during the conference, which was to see Myanmar gaining democracy," he was quoted as saying late Saturday by the state Bernama news agency, using the military junta's new name of the country.

At last month's summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Kuala Lumpur, Syed Hamid was tasked with assessing the progress of democratic reform in Burma, which has been ruled by the military since 1962.

The move came after the 10-nation bloc came under intense pressure to tackle the country's ruling military junta over its foot-dragging on reforms.

Asean under fire

Syed Hamid said Asean would remain under fire for not tackling the situation, should the generals in Yangon fail to show any progress.

"If we leave Myanmar in this current situation, the pressure ... will not only be on Myanmar, but also Asean," said the minister.

"When Myanmar asked Asean to assist them towards democracy, of course Asean will help, to give confidence to this country's community and internationally that they are in fact moving towards democracy," he said.

No firm date has been set for the visit, but Syed Hamid said discussions were being held with his counterpart in Burma and that he hoped to make the trip this month.