26th-03-2012

BHUBANESWAR: Maoist rebels in India today released one of two Italian men kidnapped 11 days ago while on an adventure holiday in the eastern state of Orissa.

“It was a frightening experience. They have finally released me today,” Claudio Colangelo, a 61-year-old tourist from Rome, told NDTV news channel after being freed. “Let’s hope, they release Bosusco soon.”

Colangelo and Bosusco — a professional tour guide living in India — were kidnapped while travelling in a remote region of Orissa, one of several states where an armed Maoist insurgency holds sway over much of the countryside.

They were the first foreigners to be taken hostage by rebels, who have previously kidnapped local officials and villagers, freeing some after negotiations but killing others.

“I have no idea what conditions have been laid down by the Maoists. I hope they will understand that Bosusco has nothing to do with the whole issue,” Colangelo said.

The rebels had issued a series of demands for the Italians’ release, including a ban on tourists visiting tribal areas, an end to anti-rebel operations and release of jailed Maoist leaders.

Bosusco (54) from Turin has been living in Orissa for a decade and runs an adventure tourism and trekking company, while Colangelo is a doctor in Italy.

“My family is in Rome and I will soon talk to them,” Colangelo said after Maoists released him.

NDTV news channel said its reporters had trekked for 16 hours to arrange the handover with local Maoist commander Sabyasachi Panda in Kandhamal.

In Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said Colangelo had spoken by telephone with Italy’s consul-general, who had flown to Bhubaneswar to support efforts to bring the men to safety. “He told him that he was in good health and was now travelling with some Indian journalists who had succeeded in reaching the area where the two were,” Terzi said in a statement.

Terzi said Italian officials continued to count on the cooperation and availability of the Indian authorities as they try to secure Bosusco’s release.

The Maoist guerrillas, who say they are fighting for the rights of tribal people and landless farmers, exercise control over large areas of central and eastern India. They have waged a low-intensity war against state and national authorities for decades, and have been targeted since 2009 by government forces.

“The state government is willing to talk and I hope they will shun violence and come to the negotiating table for a peaceful dialogue,” Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said after Colangelo’s release.

AFP

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