Sentinel Island: Christian group invites ridicule with demand of murder charges against Sentinelese

death of American adventurer and provocateur John Allen Chau +

WASHINGTON: A US fundamentalist Christian group has sought murder charges against "those responsible" for the, amid growing doubts about his evangelical credentials and ridicule over his conversion efforts directed at an ancient tribe that predates organised religion.While details of 27-year old’s misadventures are trickling out by the hour, the organisation International Christian Concern has expressed concern and sought action on the matter. This despite Chau having gone to the forbidden island in the Andaman’s, in violation of the law, to proselytise without registering as a missionary, also in violation of laws."Our thoughts and prayers go out to both John’s family and friends. A full investigation must be launched in this this murder and those responsible must be brought to justice," the organisation told a website LAD Bible, which itself did not support his mission."The indigenous people of North Sentinel are protected by law and it is illegal to go over to the island -- not that you'd want to, given that they have a reputation for killing anyone who tries," it noted, adding, "It is also important that the Sentinelese are left alone because they could be susceptible to diseases."But groups such as the International Christian Concern, which has previously complained about the treatment of Christians in India, notably with a report last week on the situation in Jharkhand , suggest the Sentinelese tribesmen who allegedly killed Chau should be charged with murder. The demand has been greeted derisively on social media, with taunts that the group’s representatives should perhaps go to island to personally serve summons.The Trump administration and US lawmakers have so far refrained from commenting on the matter, with the long Thanksgiving weekend giving everyone a respite from the news cycle. But the young adventurer’s family sought to move past the incident that claimed their son’s life."Words cannot express the sadness we have experienced about this report," his family said in a statement posted on his Instagram account. "He loved God, life, helping those in need, and had nothing but love for the Sentinelese people.""We forgive those reportedly responsible for his death. We also ask for the release of those friends he had in the Andaman Islands . He ventured out on his own free will and his local contacts need not be persecuted for his own actions,'' they added.Several US commentators have also pointed out the foolhardiness of Chau’s mission in venturing to an isolated island whose inhabitants are said to have an extant existence of over 30,000 years, and who have chosen not to engage with rest of the world, resulting in even the government of India leaving them alone. Even Indian military personnel and anthropologists seeking to study them have backed down in the face of their desire to remain in isolation.One American commentator noted that the case has angered conservation groups who said such visits endangered the tribe's safety while remarking, "What better day than Thanksgiving to threaten the lives of indigenous people. This is how genocides start."