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Tourist arrested for visiting forbidden Indian island

Remote Island - Level 4

Indian police arrested a tourist for travelling to a remote island. The tourist wanted to visit the world's most isolated tribe. The island, North Sentinel, is around 1,200 km east of India. It is 60 square kilometres in size. It is home to the Sentinelese people, an indigenous tribe who fiercely defend their isolation from the outside world. The tourist did not make contact with the islanders. He could face up to five years in prison.

India's government bans outsiders from visiting North Sentinel. The ban is to shield the people from modern illnesses. A non-profit group that protects isolated tribes said: "Uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out." The islanders have killed several people who attempted to visit the island. The recently arrested tourist, who called himself a thrill seeker, was luckier.

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Remote Island - Level 5

Indian police have arrested a tourist for travelling to a remote island to visit the world's most isolated tribe. The island, North Sentinel, is part of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, around 1,200 km east of India. It is 60 square kilometres in size. North Sentinel is a protected area. It is home to the Sentinelese people, an indigenous tribe who have fiercely defended their isolation from the outside world. The tourist did not make contact with the islanders. However, he did leave them a can of Diet Coke and a coconut. He could face up to five years in prison.

India's government banned outsiders from visiting North Sentinel to protect the Sentinelese way of life. The ban is to shield the people from modern, potentially deadly illnesses. A non-profit group that protects isolated tribes said: "Uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out." In the past few decades, the islanders have killed several people who attempted to visit the island. The recently arrested tourist, who called himself a thrill seeker, was luckier.

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Remote Island - Level 6

Indian police have arrested an American tourist for allegedly travelling to a remote island to visit one of the world's most isolated tribes. The island, North Sentinel, is part of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, around 1,200 km east of the Indian subcontinent. It is approximately 60 square kilometres in size. North Sentinel is a protected area and home to the Sentinelese people, an indigenous tribe who have fiercely defended their isolation from the outside world. The tourist made the prohibited journey to the island. He did not make contact with the islanders, but he did leave them a can of Diet Coke and a coconut. He could face up to five years in prison.

The Indian government has barred outsiders from visiting North Sentinel Island. This is to protect the unique Sentinelese way of life. It is also to shield the inhabitants from modern illnesses. A spokeswoman for a non-profit group that protects isolated tribes said: "It's very well known that uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out." Survival International said the Sentinelese are "the most isolated indigenous people in the world." In the past few decades, the islanders have killed several people who have attempted to visit the island. The recently arrested tourist described himself as a "thrill seeker".

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