Police map area of island where US man was killed by isolated tribe

NEW DELHI - Police said they have mapped the area of a remote Indian island where tribespeople were seen burying the body of a US adventurer and Christian missionary after allegedly killing him with arrows this month.

But before they can even attempt to recover the body of 26-year-old John Allen Chau, authorities have to learn from experts "the nuances of the group's conduct and behavior, particularly in this kind of violent behavior," said Dependra Pathak, the director-general of police of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where North Sentinel Island is located.

During their visit to the island's surroundings on Friday, investigators spotted four or five North Sentinel islanders moving in the area at a distance of about 500 meters from a boat and studied them for several hours, said Pathak.

"We have more or less identified the site and the area in general," Pathak said by phone on Saturday.

Indian authorities have been struggling to figure out how to get the remains of Chau, who was killed by North Sentinel islanders who apparently shot him with arrows and then buried his body on the beach.

Friday's visit was the second boat expedition of the week by a team of police and officials from the forest department, tribal welfare department and coast guard, Pathak said.

The officials took two of the seven people arrested for helping Chau get close to the island in an effort to determine his route and the circumstances of his death.

The fishermen who had taken Chau to the shore saw the tribespeople dragging and burying his body on the morning of Nov 17.

Police say Chau knew that the Sentinelese resisted all contact by outsiders, firing arrows and spears at passing helicopters and killing fishermen who drift onto their shore. His notes, which were reported on Thursday in Indian newspapers and confirmed by police, make clear he knew he might be killed.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE," wrote Chau, who appeared to want to bring Christianity to the islanders. "Would it be wiser to leave and let someone else to continue. No I don't think so."

Associated Press

(China Daily 11/26/2018 page12)