A new dimension to the country's Left Wing Extremism emerged today with government telling parliament that some cadres of banned CPI Maoists received training from the Communist Party of Philippines.
Replying to a question about foreign funding to Naxal groups in India, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said there was no specific intelligence input to indicate that Maoists or Naxalites were getting external or foreign assistance.
"However, the CPI (Maoists) party have close links with foreign Maoist organisations in the Philippines and Turkey. The outfit is also a member of the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and organisations of South Aisa....
"...The so-called People's war being waged by CPI (Maoists) against the Indian state has also drawn support from several fringe Maoist organisations located in Germany, France, Holland, Turkey and Italy", the reply said.
He said the recovery of arms and ammunitions of foreign origin from Left Wing Extremists in different encounters is an indication of the fact that they are procuring weapons from different sources.
"Moreover, CPI (Maoists) clandestinely getting foreign funds cannot be ruled out. Inputs also indicate that some senior cadres of the Communist Party of the Philippines imparted training to cadres of CPI (Maoists) in 2005 and 2011," he said in the reply.
The Minister also informed the House that the situation is being closely monitored and if the situation demands, the help of the Ministry of External Affairs is taken for raising the matter with the concerned foreign country.
He said government believes a combination of calibrated police action, focused developmental efforts and improvement in governance are effective instrumentalities to combat Naxalism in the long run.
As many as 121 civilians and 61 security personnel were killed this year in Naxal violence whereas 38 Maoists were killed and 712 arrested.
