Efforts intensified to secure release of Odisha hostages
March 26th, 2012 - 9:20 pm ICT by IANSBhubaneswar, March 26 (IANS) Intensifying efforts to secure the release of the second Italian and a legislator held captive by Maoists, officials representing the Odisha government held talks with two rebel-named mediators for several hours here Monday.
The government said the abducted Italian and the lawmaker are safe and in good health.
“The talks started on positive notes. We were discussing on all 13 Maoists demands,” a senior state official who was part of the negotiation process told IANS.
The guerrillas abducted Italians Bosusco Paolo, 54, and Claudio Colangelo, 61, from a forested area on the border of the state’s Ganjam and Kandhamal districts March 14.
The rebels also kidnapped ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislator and a popular tribal leader Jhina Hikaka, 37, in Koraput district Saturday.
The talks were halted on Saturday after the Maoist-backed mediators withdrew blaming both the state government and Maoists for the disruption in negotiations.
The talks were resumed Monday after the guerrillas released Colangelo to a group of journalists Sunday in a ‘goodwill gesture’ but kept hostage Bosusco Paolo.
The rebels have set several demands for the release of the two hostages, including a ban on the visit of tourists to the tribal areas, halt to anti-Maoist operations, and release of several prisoners.
–Indo-Asian news Service
jd/rn/dg
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- Hostage crisis: Odisha to release 27 prisoners (Lead) - Apr 05, 2012
- Hostage crisis: Odisha seeks more time to examine Maoist demands - Mar 30, 2012
- Hope of Italian's release brighten after mediators' appeal - Mar 31, 2012
- 'Can't be blackmailed on Odisha crisis' - Apr 02, 2012
- Negotiations to secure Italian's release may get delayed: Patnaik - Mar 28, 2012
- Odisha hostage crisis: CM holds meeting with top officials - Mar 25, 2012
- Maoists abduct Odisha MLA (Lead) - Mar 24, 2012
- Maoists release Italian hostage, MLA still missing (Second Lead) - Apr 12, 2012
- Odisha talks halted as Maoists seize legislator (Roundup) - Mar 24, 2012
- Odisha hostage crisis: Talks suspended over legislator's abduction (Lead) - Mar 24, 2012
Tags: abducted, asian news, claudio colangelo, dg, disruption, forested area, ganjam, good health, goodwill gesture, guerrillas, hostages, italians, lawmaker, legislator, maoist, maoists, mediators, negotiation process, tribal areas, tribal leader