Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar says his planned trip to Burma to check on its progress with democratic reform has been put on hold.
The foreign minister told reporters today Tuesday that he asked Burma's military leaders for a date to visit this month, but they have not responded. He said the trip originally was scheduled for January.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations appointed Syed Hamid last year as a special envoy to visit Burma and verify the government's claims that it has been making progress towards democracy.
Burma, an ASEAN member, agreed to the visit. Western nations have accused ASEAN of not exerting more pressure on Burma's military to correct its human rights violations and restore civilian rule.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.
