Cubans plan Castro birthday with or without leader

HAVANA, Aug 12 (Reuters) Supporters of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, anxious to see him reappear after an unprecedented absence, are preparing to celebrate his 80th birthday tomorrow with or without him.

Castro has not been seen in public since July 26 and he stunned the country five days later by ceding power to his brother after complicated stomach surgery.

''We are hoping Fidel will say something to us tomorrow. I'm sure he will appear at some point,'' said pensioner Roque Mejias, 74, walking in Havana's Vedado district. ''We are very hopeful he will recover.'' Dozens of musicians will perform today night on the ''Anti-Imperialist Stage'' opposite the US diplomatic mission on Havana's Malecon seafront boulevard. They plan to play through midnight to sing Castro ''Happy Birthday''.

Some Cubans will do what officials termed voluntary work tomorrow to pay homage to the ailing revolutionary and to show support for his communist-run government.

Sugar industry workers will work four extra hours in cane plantations, officials said. Communist youth organizations will man building sites and other workplaces.

There was no new word yesterday on Castro's condition. Officials say he is recovering and will be back running the government in weeks if not months.

His ebullient Venezuelan ally President Huge Chavez said with typical rhetorical flourish on Thursday that Castro was fighting a ''great battle for life.'' But neither Castro nor his younger brother and acting president, Raul Castro, have appeared in public. Many Cubans, accustomed to knowing little about the internal workings of the government, were not sure who was running the country.

''I want to see him, and hear him say he is better. We love him very much,'' said Agustina Rodriguez, 63, dressed in white as is the custom in Afro-Cuban religion. She said she was praying for his recovery.

Rumors that Castro is dead have circulated wildly among the Cuban emigre community in Miami, where his enemies hope his demise will rid the Caribbean island nation of communism.

Some in Miami said they hoped that Castro's 80th birthday would be his last.

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