Maoists getting weapons from China: Home Secretary

New Delhi, Nov 8 (PTI) The Indian Government Sunday
indicated that China may be a source of arms for Maoists with
whom it is willing to have a dialogue but they should abjure
violence.

"Chinese are big smugglers... suppliers of small arms. I
am sure that the Maoists also get them," Indian Home
Secretary G K Pillai said when asked if the Naxals were having
links with China.
This is for the first time that someone high in the
government has said that the Maoists are getting arms from
China.
He, however, said the government no information that the
Maoists have any links with China except getting arms. "I do
not think so, except getting arms," he told reporters on the
sidelines of a function here.
Pillai did not elaborate on the source of the Chinese
arms.
Earlier, addressing a conference, the Home Secretary said
if the Maoists abjure violence, there was a possibility for
dialogue and operation by the government against Naxals was
not really a problem.
"We have taken up (the issue). Home Minister (P
Chidambaram) has written to (former Lok Sabha Speaker) Rabi
Ray. He said please start. We got some reply. Some dialogue,
some process is starting. Let us see. But unless they give up
violence I don't think it is possible to talk," he said at the
conference organised by South Asian Free Media Association.
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