US 'danger tourist' who risked wiping out uncontacted tribe in YouTube stunt is detained in jail
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
An American YouTuber who was arrested after visiting an isolated tribe in the Indian Ocean and leaving them a Diet Coke can as an offering is being held in custody.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 25, was detained in March last year, two days after he set foot on the restricted territory of North Sentinel Island - part of India 's Andaman and Nicobar Islands - in a bid to meet people from the reclusive Sentinelese tribe.
Polyakov, who filmed the stunt for his YouTube channel, stayed on the island for about an hour, blowing a whistle to attract attention, but received no response from the islanders, police said.
He later left a can of Diet Coke and a coconut as an offering, made a video on his camera and collected some sand samples before returning to his boat.
On his return, he was spotted by local fishermen, who informed the authorities, and Polyakov was arrested in Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an archipelago nearly 750 miles east of India's mainland.
A case was registered against him for violation of Indian laws that prohibit any outsider from interacting with the islanders.
A court in Port Blair rejected Polyakov's application for bail this week and extended his judicial custody, The Times reported.
The YouTuber was charged with entering a prohibited tribal reserve area and violating Indian laws that stop outsiders from interacting with the islanders.
If found guilty, he could face up to five years in prison. He is scheduled to appear before the court again on April 29, according to police.
Visitors are banned from travelling within three miles of the island, whose population has been isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years.
The inhabitants use spears, bows and arrows to hunt the animals that roam the small, heavily forested island. Deeply suspicious of outsiders, they attack anyone who lands on their beaches.
Indian officials have limited contact to rare 'gift-giving' encounters, with small teams of officials and scientists leaving coconuts and bananas for the islanders.
Indian ships also monitor the waters around the island, trying to ensure outsiders do not go near the Sentinelese, who have repeatedly made clear they want to be left alone.
At the time of his arrest, police said Polyakov was guided by GPS navigation during his journey and surveyed the island with binoculars before landing.
Police said Polyakov had conducted detailed research on sea conditions, tides and accessibility to the island before starting his journey.
'He planned meticulously over several days to visit the island and make contact with the Sentinel tribe,' Senior Police Officer Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal said.
In a statement, police at the time said Polyakov's 'actions posed a serious threat to the safety and well-being of the Sentinelese people, whose contact with outsiders is strictly prohibited by the law to protect their indigenous way of life.'
An initial investigation revealed Polyakov had made two previous attempts, in October last year and January, to visit the islands, including in an inflatable kayak.
Police said Polyakov was drawn to the island due to his passion for adventure and extreme challenges, and was fascinated by the mystique of the Sentinelese people.
Survival International, a group that protects the rights of Indigenous peoples, said Polyakov's attempted contact with the tribes of North Sentinel was 'reckless and idiotic.'
'This person's actions not only endangered his own life, but they also put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,' the group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement.
Experts have warned that reaching uncontacted tribes is unsafe for adventurers themselves, as they risk getting killed by Indigenous groups.
In 2018, American missionary John Chau was murdered when he attempted to make contact with one of the world's most isolated Indigenous groups on North Sentinel Island, off the coast of India.
Survival International has also explained how outsiders can introduce diseases to which isolated tribes have no immunity
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Morning...dumb the first one who tried it..
And dumber the second idiot to attempt it..
Yeah just what Sentinelese need a bloody can of coke and religion..
Hi Shona although I don't support either of them I can actually respect (a little) the motivations of the first one more than this look at me YouTuber
Hay Shona was going to take Vaca to NZ and was wondering about my reception.
I'm a paramedic In KC and a NZ lady told me that in NZ all paramedics are cops. They tried that in Independence Mo once and paramedics got shot! Stupid idea! Two completely separate jobs.
Agreed, although police should definately be qualified in Emergency First Aid
Morning CJ..in what way are you concerned?
No that is not correct..Ambos and cops in NZ are two totally seperate jobs..
Cops can have first aid training as ours do here as well but that's it..
So who ever told you that is telling porky pies...(Lies)..
Will they let him keep his phone so he can post about life in an Indian jail?
Lol I hope so, that would be an entertaining stream to watch
what a fool
Idiot
You Tube fame is a disease.
Depends on how one deals with it.
Anyone who does this risks infecting the Sentinelese people with diseases for which they have no immunities. He needs to receive the longest prison sentence possible, both as punishment and a deterrent to anyone else who might want to commit such a stupid act.
So, what's the reason for the weapon and ammo in his photo if he just "wanted to visit"??? Typical Anglo, eh?
"infecting the Sentinelese people with diseases for which they have no immunities" - as evidenced by the loss of over 80 - 120 million Native Americans.
Life would be too short of a sentence for him to serve.
Good info Freefaller - thanks.
We don't know if that photo was taken at the time he was trying to invade Sentinelese space, but "typical Anglo"? You bet!
90-95% of the Native American population -- tens of millions of people -- died from diseases introduced by Europeans for which the indigenous people had no immunities. One of the largest mass death experiences in human history.
I'm pretty sure the picture is from another one of his adventures and not the Sentilese visit
You''re welcome, just something I saw that pissed me off. Seriously risking the estinction of a peoples for "views". Ridiculous
Couldn't have been worse if they'd tried.
I’m surprised he didn’t gift them a dirty blanket.
That would be Trumps MO.
I wish it was but most criminals don't consider the consequences when contimplating their crimes
Trump certainly doesn't.
Trump never considers the ramifications of any of his actions because he is a fool.
We need a catch-all crime for stuff like this. We the jury find the defendant guilty of being a dick.
Cheech and Chong advised "Whack his peepee!"