Home Minister Dharma Bahadur Thapa said the government is in contact with the Maoist insurgents through a group of human rights activists. "You can say that talks are going on for holding official talks," Minister Thapa said. The minister called upon the rebels to inform the government of their agenda and come to the negotiation table. He said he knew nothing about ransoms for rebel leaders or whether they were taking refuge in India. The minister also added that security matters need not be transparent to the public because they involved more than just guns and bullets.