AMERICAN KILLED IN ANDAMAN CARRIED GIFTS, KIT IN ANTICIPATION OF ATTACK

American citizen John Allen Chau carried an abdominal pad, chest shield and a drug to quickly help clot blood, according to officials who disclosed more details into what are likely to have been his final moments

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Andaman officials on Friday said restrictions on entry of foreigners, tourists and research officials were still in place near North Sentinel Island, where American citizen John Aleen Chau was killed on November 16, though a home ministry notification had exempted foreigners from a restricted area permit (RAP) in June this year.

Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (1956) is the principal law that protects aboriginal tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar islands. “This law restricts any kind of visit to North Sentinel Island and similar islands unless the trip is cleared by the highest authority,” said C Raghu, head of the regional office of the Anthropological Survey of India in Port Blair. Dependra Pathak, director general of police of the union territory, said there were additional restrictions under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, that provides for imprisonment for entering a forest area without requisite permission. The tourism industry, tour guides and tourists of Indian and foreign origin have to follow rules and restrictions under Andaman & Nicobar Islands Tourism Trade Regulation, 2017. These laws cover all islands in the region. Foreign nationals require a RAP to visit the Andaman Nicobar Islands, which is available from the immigration depart-- ment on arrival at Port Blair and at Indian foreign offices in several countries. The permit is valid for 30 days and can be extended by 15 days. Citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan are required to seek permission from the Union home ministry to visit the Andamans.

Another police official requesting anonymity said Chau knew about the restrictions and, therefore, bribed fishermen to take him to the island. Chau carried an abdominal pad, a chest shield, vitamins and a medicine that would help clot blood quickly, according to his journal that police recovered from the fishermen. The 26-year-old was killed during his second visit to the island allegedly by the Sentinelese, the last uncontacted tribe in the world. “Well, I have been shot by the Sentinelese probably by a kid about ten years old. The teenager was short compared to those who looked like adults,” Chau said in an entry dated November 15, 13.40 hours, South Cove of the North Sentinel Island.