American YouTuber arrested for going to a restricted island!
A 24-year-old YouTuber from the USA, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, was arrested by the police in India’s Andaman & Nicobar Islands. He entered North Sentinel Island, which is not allowed by India law.
Mykhailo blew a whistle for one hour to get the attention of the island’s tribe. He stayed on the island for only five minutes. He left a can of Diet Coke and a coconut on the beach, took some sand, and made a video with his GoPro camera.
This was not his first try. He had tried to visit the island two times before, but this was the first time he was able to enter it.
Why can’t people go to North Sentinel Island?
North Sentinel is one of the 38 islands where people live in the Andaman & Nicobar island group. The Sentinelese live there. They are one of the last uncontacted tribes in the world. They have lived alone for about 60,000 years and still hunt with bows and arrows.
They have never met people from outside. Their bodies are not ready for common illnesses like the flu. Even a small infection from a visitor can make them very sick or even kill them. The tribe also does not like strangers. They often attack anyone who comes near.
So, in 1956, India made a law which stopped anyone from going closer than 5 nautical miles (about 9 kilometres) from the island.
Why should we respect their way of life?
The rules are there to keep the tribe safe and protect their way of living. Many people have tried to meet them, even during British rule, but the tribe always said no.
Thanks to the Internet, many people, including the 24-year-old YouTuber from America, know the truth about this island. But he did not listen to what the local people wanted. He also broke the country’s law just because he wanted to go on an adventure.
Even if we don’t live like the Sentinelese tribe, we should respect their wish to stay alone.
