We have arrested two Italian tourists who like hundreds of foreign tourists ... treat the local people as monkeys and objects of ridicule: Maoists earlier.

The two kidnapped Italian tourists along with their Indian accomplice last Saturday from the Kandhmal-Ganjam border of Odisha are fine says one of the key personalities involved in the talks to resolve the hostage crisis, on Thursday . The negotiations began with former bureaucrat and social activist B D Sharma, Civil rights activist Dandapani Mohanty along with the government negotiators. Talks seemed positive. "All 13 demands made by the abductors of two Italians were discussed threadbare as the three government negotiators showed a positive approach during talks," Mohanty told reporters. He added the negotiation would continue on Friday when something positive was likely to emerge. The state government was represented by Home Secretary U N Behera, Panchayatiraj secretary P K Jena and ST & SC Secretary S K Sarangi.

One of the two tourists, Boscusco Paolo, has been visiting Odisha since 1999 and runs a travel agency in Puri that takes foreign tourists on tribal tours. The other, Clandio Colangilo, is a tourist. Their Indian accomplice Santosh Maharana was also kidnapped but later released.

The Maoists demands included immediate halt to combing operations and releasing three people from jail - Gananath Patra, Sabyasachi's wife Subhashree Panda and Ashutosh Soren. They also wanted the government to act on the 13-point charter of demands, which include the long-standing demands like the release of political prisoners and the halt to Operation Greenhunt. (With inputs from internet- AarKay)