Indian Maoists acknowledge past links with LTTE
 

BY UPALI Rupasinghe in New Delhi

INDIAN Maoist militants, for the first time acknowledged its association with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and that the Tamil Tigers trained them two decades ago but claimed they have no links with the insurgents now.

The disclosure has been made by senior leaders of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) at a press conference called in a remote village along the Indo-Nepal border.

The banned outfit's central committee spokesman, Azad and member Praveen have announced that the Maoists "learnt newer warfare tactics from the LTTE in 1986-87."

According to most national newspapers here, the leaders have told that LTTE gave them training in producing and using landmines. In 1986, the LTTE enjoyed sanctuaries in India but the next year it unleashed a war against the Indian troops deployed in the North and East of Sri Lanka.