Stephen Corry, Survival International’s Director, issuedthe precautionary statementon Monday.
“We urge the Indian authorities to abandon efforts to recover John Allen Chau’s body,” Corry wrote. “Any such attempt is incredibly dangerous, both for the Indian officials, but also for the Sentinelese, who face being wiped out if any outside diseases are introduced.”
“Mr. Chau’s body should be left alone, as should the Sentinelese,” he finished. “The weakening of the restrictions on visiting the islands must be revoked, and the exclusion zone around the island properly enforced.”
John Chau/Instagram
North Sentinel Island, which is also a part of the Andaman Islands, is about the size of Manhattan. Those who live on the island are known to fiercely protect themselves if anyone or anything attempts to come close to their village, according toSurvival International. Reports on their numbers vary from as little as 15 to over 100.
North Sentinal Island.Christian Caron
“We have a team out in the waters for reconnaissance and to strategize how to recover his body. The team consists of coastal guards, officials from tribal welfare department, forest department officers and police officials,” Indian policetoldCNN.
Chau allegedly paid a group of local fishermen to take him to North Sentinel Island approximately two weeks ago, in hopes to convert the tribespeople to Christianity.
After first discovering the Sentinelese people, Chau wrote that they allegedly reacted angrily when he tried to preach to them.
“I hollered, ‘My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you,'” Chau explained in his journal on Nov. 16,according to the entries.
He then wrote that one of the tribespeople struck him with an arrow, which pierced through his Bible. “You guys might think I’m crazy in all this but I think it’s worthwhile to declare Jesus to these people,” Chau wrote before adding, “God, I don’t want to die.”
source: people.com
