Poachers are also known to fish illegally in the waters around the island, catching turtles and diving for lobsters and sea cucumbers. Two Indian fishermen were killed on the island in 2006 when their boat broke loose and drifted onto the shore. It further maintains a constant armed patrol in the surrounding waters to prevent intrusions by outsiders. In 1956, the Government of India declared North Sentinel Island a tribal reserve and prohibited travel within 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometres) of it. Police officials said a murder case had been registered against "unknown" tribespeople - but they are also blaming the fishermen, Mr Chau's friend and the watersports instructor.Īndaman Police added: "Despite knowing fully well about the illegality of the action and the hostile attitude of the Sentinelese tribesmen to the outsiders, these people collaborated with John Chau for this visit to North Sentinel Island without any permission from the authorities." They are hostile to outsiders and have killed people who approached or landed on the island. The US consulate in Chennai said it was aware of the reports of the death but a spokeswoman declined to comment further. Their population ranges from about 80 to 150 individuals, and they maintain a hunter-gatherer lifestyle reminiscent of the Stone Age, devoid of agricultural practices. "They didn't inform the police or any government authority in this regard," Andaman Police said. The Sentinelese people, residing on North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean, are a stone age tribe that has inhabited the island for an estimated 60,000 years. Alexander then told one of Mr Chau's friends in the US who told his mother. They said the fishermen informed Alexander in Port Blair about his death and gave him 13 pages of his journal. Local officers said they received an email from the US consulate general in Chennai, on the Indian mainland, saying Mr Chau's mother had contacted them to tell them he had visited North Sentinel Island and been attacked by tribesmen. Image: One of the tribe was photographed firing arrows at a helicopter after the 2004 tsunami.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |