| Submit your comments on this article | |
| India-Pakistan | |
| India offers talks if Maoist rebels stop attacks | |
| 2010-05-19 | |
The offer followed a rebel ambush on Monday of a bus in central India that killed 31 police officers and civilians and highlighted the Maoists' strength despite a government offensive aimed at ending one of Asia's longest rebellions. The rebels, who have tapped into the rural poor's growing anger at being left out of the country's economic gains, are now present in 20 of the country's 28 states and have an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 fighters, according to the Home Ministry. Home Minister P Chidamabram said in a TV interview on Tuesday that the government welcomes peace talks, as long as the insurgents halt attacks. “The Maoists should say, ‘we abjure violence from any date they fix for 72 hours, he told the CNN-IBN news channel. The government would then convene talks with the insurgents, he said. The CNN-IBN news channel quoted Ramanna, a Maoist leader in Chhattisgarh state, as saying over the phone that the government should first withdraw thousands of paramilitary soldiers deployed to fight the rebels and create peaceful conditions for talks. In a sign the government is also losing patience with the ongoing rebel attacks, Chidamabram expressed a willingness to authorise the use of air power in the fight.' The security forces, the chief ministers want air support,' he said in an earlier interview with NDTV. When asked why he cannot convince the union cabinet to authorise air strikes, Chidamabram said, “I will try'. Top Indian officials have been reluctant to escalate the fight, arguing it is inappropriate to use air strikes against India's own citizens. The home minister said the government would need to revisit its policies after a spate of recent insurgent attacks. Last month, the rebels ambushed a paramilitary patrol, killing 76 troops. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 MAOISTS/NAXALS have repor formally refused this offer by India. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-05-19 00:59 |