Man Arrested for Illegally Breaching This Forbidden Island in Indian Ocean- Here's Why it is Off Limits

New Delhi: A 24-year-old American man, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, has been arrested in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for trying to contact the isolated Sentinelese tribe. As per police, he entered a restricted tribal area where outsiders are banned from coming within three miles.

Polyakov, a travel influencer with around 400 YouTube subscribers, arrived on the island on March 31. He recorded his attempt to interact with the Sentinelese tribe on his Go-pro camera. Reports say he reached the island’s coast around 10 am in an inflatable boat and used binoculars to look for signs of life. He then blew a whistle for nearly an hour to get their attention but got no response.

Before leaving, he left a can of soda and a coconut as a gift for the tribal people. However, he was caught and detained soon after. But why is this Island forbidden and no one allowed to land there?

Why This Island Is Strictly Off-Limits 

The Government strictly prohibits entry into North Sentinel Island to protect both the Sentinelese people and outsiders. The Sentinelese are among the last uncontacted tribes** in the world, and any external contact poses a serious health threat to them. Since they have remained isolated for thousands of years, they have no immunity to common diseases like the flu or measles, which could be fatal for them.  

Additionally, the Sentinelese are known to resist contact with the outside world. In the past, they have attacked outsiders with bows and arrows when anyone has attempted to approach their island. After the killing of American missionary John Allen Chau in 2018, the Indian government has further tightened restrictions. 

North Sentinel Island is unlike any other inhabited place in the modern world. While most societies have evolved with technology, industrialization, and global connectivity, the Sentinelese have remained untouched, still living in ways reminiscent of the pre-Neolithic era. Their language is unknown, their way of life undocumented, and their population estimate ranging between 50 and 200 remains uncertain.  

What is known, however, is their complete rejection of the outside world. The Sentinelese do not welcome visitors and react with hostility and show extreme violence even to well-meaning attempts to establish contact. Their message has been loud and clear outsiders are not wanted. 

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Additionally, their extreme hostility makes any interaction dangerous. In 2006, two fishermen, Sunder Raj and Pandit Tiwari were killed after their boat drifted too close to the island. 

Their bodies were never found, as the tribe prevented any recovery efforts. More recently, in 2018, American missionary John Chau was killed when he attempted to preach Christianity to the Sentinelese, as per Survivalinternational.org.  

Past Attempts at Contact  

Despite their resistance, there have been efforts to study or communicate with the Sentinelese. In the 1970s, Indian anthropologists made cautious attempts, offering coconuts and other gifts. These efforts continued into the 1990s but were eventually abandoned after it became clear that the tribe did not wish to engage.