Partners of the ruling Left Front in Kolkata are on a sticky wicket over Myanmar General Than Shwe’s two-day visit to the city, which starts on Thursday.

Though they oppose military dictatorship in Myanmar, the parties and their student wings are finding it difficult to stage a protest during Shwe’s visit to Bengal.

Unlike in Delhi, the plan for exiled Myanmarese students to stage a demonstration in Kolkata too during Shwe’s visit might have to be cancelled, All Burma Students League general secretary Kim indicated from Delhi over the phone on Wednesday.

“In Delhi, Left student and youth organisations like SFI, AISF and DYFI had supported us. In Kolkata, we are facing an additional difficulty.

One of our comrades in the city died yesterday.” SFI’s state president Sudip Sengupta said support had been extended to ABSL in Delhi as both the student bodies were members of International Union of Students Associations.

But, SFI had not taken part in Delhi’s protest. “We extend support to the movement for democracy in Myanmar. But, as our neighbors, we also want cordial relations with that country. Particularly, the Myanmarese rulers can extend a helping hand in removing camps of North-east militants that
are there in Myanmar,” he said.

Forward Bloc and RSP leaders pleaded that the time was too short to organise a protest rally.

“Being a festive season, it is difficult to organise a protest at short notice,” RSP leader Kshiti Goswami said. The Centre should make restoration of democracy a pre-condition for furthering trade relations between the two countries, he said. “Being a bigger nation, India should advise it on restoration of democratic rights.”

Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh said his party had learnt about Shwe’s visit to the city at the eleventh hour. “If we had known earlier, we could have debated on the issue.” In any case, Shwe is coming to Kolkata |on a “personal visit”, to see Victoria Memorial. “He is not on a political assignment,” he said.

Kim, however, said there is little hope the Myanmar government will take steps to evict militants from the Indo-Myanmar border area. For, a section of the Myanmarese security forces benefits from the presence of cash-rich militants.