Armed tribesmen of India's Andaman Islands have killed an American tourist with bows and arrows for illegally venturing into their island home. John Chau was surrounded and killed by tribal fighters, who fiercely defend their little paradise, an area where contact with indigenous people is banned to protect their way of life. Chau, 27, had reportedly paid local fishermen to take him to North Sentinel Island, a small piece of land that is out of bounds even to the Indian navy in a bid to protect its reclusive inhabitants.
An official said he was hit by a hail of arrows as soon as he set foot on the island. “He was attacked by arrows but he continued walking. The fishermen saw the tribals tying a rope around his neck and dragging his body. They were scared and fled but returned next morning to find his body on the sea shore.” Senior police officer Deepak Yadav addressed the media saying a murder case had been registered against “unknown tribesmen” and seven people have been arrested in connection with the death. “The investigation in this matter is on,” he said.
The fishermen told a preacher in the main town, Port Blair, about the incident and he contacted Chau's family in the United States. The deceased had a tourist visa to enter the Andamans, where access to some restricted zones is given. However, it is illegal to go within three miles of North Sentinel Island. Chau had made several trips to other Andaman islands before offering money to fishermen to take him to North Sentinel. A source said, “He tried to reach Sentinel Island on November 14, but could not make it. Two days later he went well prepared. He left the dinghy midway and took a canoe by himself to the island.”
The Andamans also host the Jarawa tribe, who activists say are threatened by contact from outsiders. Tribes like the Sentinelese, who are just 150 in population, avoid all contact with the outside world and have a record of hostility to anyone who tries to get close to them. They hunt and gather in the forest, and fish in the coastal waters. Not much is known about the impact of the 2004 tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean. However, in its aftermath, one member of the tribe was photographed attempting to fire an arrow at an Indian Coast Guard helicopter.
