Negrito News
2007
'Leave the Jarawa alone' tour operators told
from Survival International
29 June 2007
The authorities on the Andaman Islands have warned that offering sightings of the Jarawa tribe to tourists is a violation of an Indian Supreme Court Order. The Order is aimed at protecting vulnerable tribes and any violation could invite contempt of court. The caution went out to hoteliers, tour operators, taxi drivers and others who have been known to organise such sightings, despite prohibition by the local administration.
The Order states that the Jarawa, amongst other tribes, should be protected from any contact with mainstream society to minimise exposure to germs and disease.
The Jarawa resisted contact with settlers on their islands until 1998. Now, they are under serious threat from outsiders invading their land.
Survival's director Stephen Corry said today
We welcome efforts to crack down on those who enter the Jarawa's land without their permission. The Jarawa should not be treated as a tourist attraction &endash; all interaction with outsiders is potentially lethal as it could introduce diseases to which the tribe have no immunity.
Indian Government ignores Supreme Court Decision
from Survival International
7 May 2007
This week marks the fifth anniversary of an order by the Supreme Court of India that an Andaman Islands highway, which threatens the lives of the Jarawa tribe, must close. The government has defied the order, and the road remains open.
The 300 Jarawa, who live in the tropical forests of the islands and hunt with bows and arrows, resisted all contact with the outside world until 1998. The road brings poachers and other outsiders into the heart of their territory. With them come exploitation, violence, and diseases to which the Jarawa have no immunity.
Reports indicate that tourist visits to the Jarawa along the road, facilitated by government officials, were on the increase despite the practice being illegal.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination urged India to close the road in a report issued in March. But the local authorities have petitioned the Supreme Court to revoke its order.
Survival International's director Stephen Corry said today, 'It is extraordinary that the Indian government has completely ignored the country's own Supreme Court for five years. This indicates either the absence of any real will to safeguard the Jarawa, or a complete failure to understand the seriousness of the situation in which the existence of the road has placed the tribe. The road must close now before it is too late.'
For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email mr@survival-international.org
Andaman tribes (and Shompen of Nicobar islands) "on the brink"
from Times of India
28 May 2007
An expert committee on tribals has rung an alarm that tribal groups on Andaman and Nicobar Islands are under threat from a large influx of population and burgeoning construction which has put traditional lifestyles and fragile ecology under stress.
The committee, set up by the ministry of tribal affairs, has urgently sought separate policies to protect endangered tribes. Known as primitive tribal groups (PTGs) in A&N Islands, these include Jarawas, Shompen, Great Andamanese, Onges and Sentinelese.
The committee has recommended steps to restrict population influx into the islands. These would mean stopping of vehicular traffic on the Andaman Trunk Road passing through Jarawa Reserve and construction work on the road which runs through the middle of Great Nicobar.
The pressure of rising non-tribal population would only increase the stress on tribal groups which were also severely impacted by the December 2004 tsunami which wreaked havoc on the islands, cutting off some areas from all contact for days. Even though tribal groups survived, it has been felt that they need particular attention.
A Supreme Court order banning vehicular traffic along the Jarawa Reserve has been gotten around through a stay order and vehicles ply on the road. Officials believe that time is running out and significant restrictions would have to be put in place and traffic discontinued within a set time-frame.
Similarly, the portion of the road which runs through middle of Great Nicobar has caused considerable destruction to the Shompen way of life since it runs through their reserve, according to reports. The committee has recommended an immediate stop to the road being repaired by the Border Roads Organisation.
The committee, headed by secretary, ministry of tribal affairs, felt that with their distinctive nature, each of the five PTGs should have a separate policy. Officials pointed out that a study on each of the tribes should be taken up while the policy for Jarawas should be reviewed. It expressed concern over acute shortage of drinking water and large-scale construction resulting in the destruction of the delicate ecological balance in the islands.
Officials pointed out that there was lack of sensitivity amongst the general population in the islands vis-a vis the tribes. There was little concern on the adverse impact of various activities on these groups or the fact that they are on the brink of extinction, sources said. The committee felt that in the case of the Great Andamanese and Onges, who are in full contact with the general population, education that was being imparted needed to be carefully reviewed. "Though some efforts have been made to prepare material in their mother tongues, namely Great Andamanese and Onge, for teaching their children, no worthwhile efforts have been made to implement teaching in mother tongue," an official said.
1 March 2007
Indian officials were questioned by the UN on Monday 26 February 2007 about the protection nIndo affords its citizens, the Jarawa tribe of the Andaman Islands.
The Indian delegation was questioned at the annual session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Rapporteur to the Committee, Patrick Thornberry, asked the delegation to explain what measures had been implemented to protect the Jarawa.
Survival International had submitted a report to the UN prior to the meeting, warning that the Jarawa tribe could be 'wiped out' unless the Indian government acts to protect them. The report describes the Jarawa's future as 'extremely precarious'. It warns that failure to close the road running through the Jarawa's land and failure to keep poachers out leaves the 300 Jarawa at risk from exploitation and fatal diseases which could decimate their population.
The Indian delegation did not respond to the committee on the issue of the Jarawa.
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