Guwahati: London-based global outfit dedicated for indigenous and tribal peoples’ rights, Survival International (SI) expressed relief that a foreigner was arrested after landing on North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean to make contact with the uncontacted Sentinelese people. Terming the news as deeply disturbing, the Sl director Caroline Pearce commented on 2 April 2025 commented that the concerned Ukrainian-American national (identified as Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov) reached the restricted island.
“It beggars belief that someone could be that reckless and idiotic. This person’s actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk. It’s very well known by now that uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out,” said SI director Pearce, adding that the Indian authorities have a legal responsibility to ensure that the Sentinelese are safe from missionaries, social media influencers, people fishing illegally in their waters.
Local media reports reveal that Polyakov (24) was arrested for illegally entering the North Sentinel shore under the greater Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 31 March. According to the concerned police authority, the young tourist arrived in Port Blair on 26 March and the accused (S/o Victor Polyakov, Arizona 85251, USA) intentionally ventured to reach North Sentinel island from Kurma Dera beach in the early morning hours of 29 March with a single-seat boat.
He reached the island’s north-eastern shore by 10 am and looked for the isolated inhabitants but reportedly saw none. Even though he waited for an hour and blew a whistle to attract the attention of the Sentinelese in vain. Later he landed briefly for five minutes and left some offerings (a coconut and a can of soda) for the inaccessible inhabitants. The Kurma Dera beach fishermen spotted him in the evening hours along with a GPS equipment and a video camera capturing footage on his visit.
The police are investigating his actual intention to visit the restricted tribal area. It’s revealed that Polyakov tried to reach the location in October 2023 too, but he was prevented by the Port Blair hotel staff. Later in January 2024, he arrived in Baratang islands and allegedly filmed the indigenous Jarawa tribe. A police complaint was already registered against Polyakov under the Foreigners Act 1946, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Amendment Regulation 2012. Currently Polyakov is under police custody as the probe continues.
It may be mentioned that the Sentinelese, who wish to avoid outsiders, are classified as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) and their hostilities towards outside elements are well recorded. Nearly seven years back, they killed an American missionary (John Allen Chau) in 2018 for reaching their remote island with an aim to convert the tribes into Christianity. The self-styled adventurer Chau was buried in isolation and the SI appealed to the authorities not to try to bring back his mortal remains so that the Sentinelese could be protected from any disease transmission.
“Uncontacted Indigenous peoples around the world are experiencing the invasion of their lands on a shocking scale. Countless uncontacted peoples in the Amazon are being invaded by loggers and gold-miners,” said SI director Pearce, adding that the un-contacted Shompen of Great Nicobar Island, not far from North Sentinel, will be wiped out if New Delhi goes ahead with its plan to transform their island into the Hong Kong of India. The common factor in all these cases is governments’ refusal to abide by international law and recognize & protect uncontacted peoples’ territories,” she concluded.
