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Copyright of the image
Instagram / John Chau
On October 21, @johnachau announced that he was going to the area
The family of an American man allegedly killed by arrows shot by members of an endangered tribe in the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar said that he had been killed. she forgave those who killed her.
In a statement, they stated that John Allen Chau "loved God, life, helping those in need, and that he had only love for the Sentinel people".
Seven people who helped her reach North Sentinel Island were arrested.
The Indian authorities say it may take "a few days" to find Mr. Chau's body.
Foreigners are prohibited from even approaching the island to protect the people who live there and their way of life.
The complete isolation of Sentinel residents means that contact with the outside world could put them at risk because they are probably not immune to even common diseases such as influenza and measles.
Mr. Chau's family posted a statement on Instagram, stating that he had gone to the island "of his own free will".
"We are also asking for the release of his friends in the Andaman Islands, he ventured voluntarily and his local contacts should not be persecuted for his own actions," the statement said.
A murder case was filed against strangers and seven people, including at least five fishermen, were arrested for helping Mr. Chau reach the island, police said.
Authorities sent a helicopter to the area and then a ship to identify the scene of the incident.
"We have maintained a distance from the island and have not yet been able to spot the body.This may take a few more days and … [reconnaissance] Dependra Pathak, chief executive officer of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, told the AFP news agency.
The police called on experts in the field, including Indian anthropologists, tribal social service officers and forest officers to help them cope.
"We must be careful not to disturb them or their habitat in any way, it is an extremely sensitive area and it will take time," he said.
- Who was the American man killed in the remote islands?
- The sad truth about isolated tribes
During his last visit to the island, Mr. Chau took a boat with local fishermen to the remote island of North Sentinel. He then ventured alone in a canoe up to the beach.
As soon as he set foot on the island, he was attacked with bows and arrows, according to the fishermen.
"The dream went wrong"
Jeff King is President of International Christian Concern, the organization with which Mr. Chau was linked, and was in touch with him during his visit.
"John went there to bring the gospel to these people … He had talked about it … had planned it for a while, so it was not a whim, that's all." Was not a lark, "he told the BBC Newsday program.
"He had already been to the islands, to this particular island … There were three or four visits that day, and what happened was that when On the first visit, he was driven back by arrows, and on the second visit he came with two big fish as a gift.
"After what I understood, the men accepted the gift.They sat together for an hour.He said that they were threatening and that they have him in He was shot back, he returned to the boat, then gradually returned a third time.It is while the fishermen Looking through binoculars, they found that they had it killed and dismounted.
"It was not a job he was doing, it was a dream that had unfortunately gone wrong."
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands form a chain of small islands located hundreds of kilometers east of India in the Indian Ocean.
Contact with several tribes on the islands is illegal to protect their indigenous way of life.
In 2017, the Indian government also said that taking photographs or making videos of Andaman indigenous tribes would be punishable by up to three years' imprisonment.
Two Indian fishermen illegally fishing off North Sentinel Island were killed by the tribe in 2006.
Copyright of the image
Christian Caron – Creative Commons A-NC-SA
Sentinels stand guard on an island beach in 2005
The Sentinels are totally cut off from the rest of the world.
World organizations like Survival International, based in London, campaign to protect indigenous tribes living in Andamans.
The tribe lives on its own island, about the size of Manhattan, but most of its knowledge comes from its distance vision.
Mr. Chau had already made about four or five times on North Sentinel Island with the help of local fishermen.
