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Manila Bulletin devider devider US missionary's body could be lost in battle to preserve isolated tribe

US missionary's body could be lost in battle to preserve isolated tribe

Published Nov 24, 2018 07:10 pm
By Agence France-Presse The body of American missionary-adventurer John Allen Chau may never be recovered from the lost island where he fell in a volley of arrows fired by a reclusive tribe whose existence is threatened by the modern world, say experts. Fears that diseases as mild as the common cold could kill off the tribe has left them in a guarded bubble (AFP / MANILA BULLETIN) Fears that diseases as mild as the common cold could kill off the tribe has left them in a guarded bubble (AFP / MANILA BULLETIN) The menace to the Sentinelese from Chau's one-man invasion is such that tribal rights specialists say no murder charges will ever be laid and Chau's body will have to stay hidden to protect what is probably the world's last pre-neolithic tribe. Indian authorities -- who do not dare enforce their rule over North Sentinel island -- have not even tried to send police ashore to question the tribe who have been greeting outsiders with hostility for centuries. Police sent a boat near North Sentinel for the second time since the killing on Friday. "Due precautions were taken by the team to ensure that this particularly vulnerable tribal group are not disturbed and distressed during this exercise," said a police statement. Fears that 21st century diseases as mild as the common cold could kill off the tribe, or that experiencing electricity and the internet would devastate their lifestyle, has left them in a guarded bubble that Chau sought to burst with his "Jesus loves you" message. The American died last week after making several attempts to reach the Sentinelese to preach Christianity -- knowing it was illegal to go within three miles (five kilometers) of the island.
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