Myanmar's top military general began a five-day visit to India Sunday for talks with senior leaders aimed at deepening ties between the two South Asian neighbors. Pro-democracy advocates protested his arrival and promised to step up demonstrations. Senior Gen. Than Shwe is scheduled to hold discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior leaders in New Delhi, as well as sign a slew of cooperation agreements to combat drug trafficking, smuggling and terrorist activities across the India-Myanmar border. Than Shwe's first stop after his arrival was the eastern Indian Buddhist hub in Gaya. He then traveled to several Buddhist temples in nearby Kushinagar. Scores of pro-democracy activists held a demonstration Sunday in New Delhi to protest the military junta's efforts to snuff out democracy in Myanmar and to express their dismay over the Indian invitation to the junta chief. Members of the All Burma Monks Alliance and the All Burma Students' League gathered in a central Delhi park, where they shouted pro-democracy slogans before dispersing peacefully. They will step up protests on Tuesday when Than Shwe is scheduled to meet Singh for talks, a League representative said. After many years of supporting the democratic movement in Myanmar led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, India switched tracks to reach out to the military regime for help in tracking insurgents from India's restive northeastern states who often seek shelter in the dense jungles straddling the border. India has established deep economic and military ties with Myanmar's generals over the past decade and has said it believes talking quietly is a better approach than sanctions. New Delhi's overtures have also grown as concerns mounted in India over China's increasing influence in Myanmar. The country's extensive natural gas reserves, are also an attraction for India, a major fuel importer. Than Shwe's visit to India comes ahead of planned elections in Myanmar, which the junta has said will be held this year, without giving a date. Critics have dismissed the election as a sham designed to reinforce nearly 50 years of military rule in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Suu Kyi ‘s party is boycotting the election as she has not been allowed to participate. On Friday, the US State Department said it hoped India would press Myanmar over democratic reform, engaging the opposition and other ethnic groups in the country. “We would encourage India and other countries to send a clear message to Burma that it needs to change its course,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Friday in Washington.
