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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Shweta Sharma

Two reasons this remote island is off-limits to all visitors

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov
  • A 24-year-old American tourist, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, has been detained in India for allegedly entering North Sentinel Island, home to the isolated Sentinelese tribe.
  • Polyakov left a can of Coke and a coconut as "offerings" and collected sand samples while filming his visit, police said.
  • Access to the island is strictly prohibited for two reasons: to protect the Indigenous people from diseases and preserve their way of life.
  • This incident follows the 2018 killing of American missionary John Allen Chau by the Sentinelese tribe.
  • The navy has enforced a three-mile buffer zone around the island to prevent unauthorised entry.
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