Andamans: Responsibility for death of US citizen should not be reverted

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is shocked by the tragic death of a US missionary on the Andaman Islands, but warns against blaming the indigenous inhabitants of the island for his violent death. "If someone decides to ignore India's comprehensive safeguarding provisions, he or she is responsible for the consequences. Illegal entry into a protected area is not a minor offense like a parking violation. An intrusion attempt can have fatal consequences for both sides, which is why the Indian authorities provided for severe penalties," stated Ulrich Delius, the STP's director, in Göttingen on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old missionary had entered the protected area of ??the voluntarily isolated indigenous Sentinelese and was killed with arrows.

The Sentinelese are one of four small indigenous communities who have been living on the islands in the Andaman Sea for about 60,000 years. Their existence as hunter-gatherers has been in acute danger for years. India issued strict protection regulations as early as in the 1950s, but these are frequently disregarded by tourists.

In most cases, violations of the safeguarding provisions don't have such dramatic and tragic consequences. In 2016, however, the native tribe had killed two fishermen who came too close. Unwanted visitors are regularly met by a hail of arrows. For the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, encounters with the outside world can have far-reaching consequences. Thus, the indigenous people could be in mortal danger due to introduced diseases.

The Sentinelese are one of the world's approximately 170 voluntarily isolated indigenous peoples. Around 100 of these communities live in the Amazon rainforest.

The STP has been campaigning for the protection of the Sentinelese and other voluntarily isolated peoples for many years.

Header image: Ana Raquel S. Hernandes via Flickr