U.N gives Myanmar democracy warning

March 30 (Reuters) - A senior U.N. envoy has warned Myanmar it could not swim against the tide of democracy in Southeast Asia, and says many in the region are now demanding action from Yangon's junta after years of patience.

A move by Malaysian lawmakers for Myanmar to forfeit its turn to chair the ASEAN grouping next year unless it takes steps towards democracy highlights the concern, Razali Ismail, U.N. special envoy on Myanmar, told reporters on Wednesday.

"I don't think there's any attempt to punish Myanmar but to make them understand ASEAN is guided by certain principles in order to be a member or in order to be leading ASEAN for a certain period," he said.

"These principles must be adhered to. I think certain ASEAN countries have been very patient ... not wanting to interfere, but are looking at this situation in Myanmar," Razali said at a conference in the Malaysian administrative capital.

Besides Myanmar and Malaysia, ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN drew out Myanmar from isolation in the late 1990s, taking a more conciliatory approach of "constructive engagement" with Yangon's reclusive generals.

But there are signs ASEAN is now taking the gloves off, frustrated over the pace of democratic reform in Myanmar and worried about hurting ties with Europe and the United States, which have both slapped sanctions on Myanmar.

Razali said it was not for the United Nations to say whether sanctions by ASEAN were an appropriate move.

"Rather, the signal (should be) understood by the Myanmar government that these are inspirations of thousands and millions of people in this area, that there should be change," he said.