As the third round of talks get underway, both the government and the Maoists appear to be giving a little. On 2 October, 17 policemen detained by the Maoists were released in Surkhet under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The policemen were later transferred by the ICRC to the regional headquarters of the Nepal Police in Nepalgunj. Last week, the Maoists released the most prominent hostage Dev Raj Joshi, former Nepali Congress MP from Bajura who was abducted in early July and feared dead. Now the pressure is on the government. The Maoists want their comrades, including leader Matrika Yadav released, and information on where their 69 missing comrades are as a precondition for dialogue. The Home Ministry spokesman told us that, "the process of releasing detainees from the government side is on." However, it appears the government has no clue about Maoist central party member Danda Pani Neupane, who disappeared in May 1999. Neupane is not on the government's list of Maoists detained or killed. Before the 17 policemen were freed, the government said the Maoists were holding 189 hostages, including 69 policemen.