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Journalism of Courage
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, is making headlines after he allegedly entered Andaman and Nicobar Island’s isolated Sentinelese tribe. The BBC reported that the YouTuber landed on North Sentinel Island and left a can of Coke and a coconut on the shore.
“The American citizen was presented before the local court after his arrest and is now on a three-day remand for further interrogation,” Andaman and Nicobar Islands police chief HGS Dhaliwal told AFP.
Dhaliwal also told AFP that Polyakov blew a whistle near the shore of North Sentinel Island for around an hour to get the tribe’s attention. He stayed on the island for about five minutes, leaving behind a Diet Coke and a coconut, gathering sand samples, and filming a video before departing, the chief said.
According to police, Polyakov had visited the region twice before, and last October, he used an inflatable kayak but was stopped by hotel staff. When arrested earlier this week, the man told police he was a “thrill seeker.”
Polyakov was also reportedly wearing a GoPro portable camera, showing him entering the island’s shore “claiming unofficial representation of the US,” police said in a statement.
Speaking to BBC, Jonathan Mazower, a spokesperson for Survival International, shared concern that social media was contributing to the growing list of threats faced by uncontacted tribes. Several reports have connected Polyakov to a YouTube account showcasing videos from a recent trip to Afghanistan.
In 2018, the Sentinelese made headlines when they killed John Allen Chau, a 27-year-old US missionary who illegally landed on the island, according to CBS. Chau’s body was never recovered, and no investigation was conducted into his death due to Indian laws banning visits to the island. Officials told CBS that he was reportedly shot and killed with arrows.
