THE END could be nearing for one of Asia's most isolated people, with a plan being considered for eco-tourism flights from Phuket to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
A court decision to allow a resort to be built close to the traditional homeland of the Jarawa people is being seen by anthropologists as likely to speed destruction of their tribal way of life.
This month a Calcutta High Court ruled that the resort could go ahead, sparking an outbreak of concern among local administrators on South Andaman island, where building by the Barefoot India company has begun.
National newspapers in Britain have now taken up the issue, explaining to readers how tourism is compromising the traditional lifestyles of a people who choose to live in isolation.
Until 1998, the Jarawa remained safe in the forest. But even the Andaman and Nicobar islands, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, has not guaranteed immunity from prying eyes.
With tourists forever in quest of more remote destinations, the Jarawa, who once waved spears at interlopers from the shores, may be about to confront their worst enemies.
Phuket, with its capacity for large and small planes, would be the logical place for an airline to begin regular flights to the appealing Andamans.
''The project is threatening the survival of the Jarawas,'' the London-based human rights group Survival International has warned.
Writing in the Guardian in an article headed 'Are We Here Just For Your Amusement?' John Vidal reports: ''Local companies take people to gawp at and photograph them as if they are animals in a zoo. Some throw sweets and biscuits to them, or offer them lifts and money.
''The majority of the Jarawa, thought to number about 250 people, remain deep in the forests, but some have learned bits of Hindi and regularly visit the port, the hospital or market place, says Sophie Grig, a researcher at Survival International who has visited the Andamans several times.''
Other hotels are expected to follow Barefoot's lead in building within 30 minutes' walk of the Jarawa.
Barefoot already has one Andamans resort and now ''plans to bring in thousands of tourists a year from Europe to scuba dive and to explore the remote islands now becoming popular as one of Asia's least visited beach destinations.''
With no immunity from even simple diseases such as measles and flu, Grig says ''it's not unusual for 50 percent or more of a population to die soon after contact. One epidemic can lead to severe depression, alcohol abuse, dependency and even suicide.''
In the Daily Telegraph, Nick Meo reports that Barefoot says that it practises socially responsible tourism, and will discourage guests from entering the reserve.
''But critics insist that the new resort, to be opened in October at a place called Collinpur, has been deliberately chosen because it is near the Jarawa reserve - so that holidaying guests can enjoy the thrill of seeing the tribesmen at close quarters.''
Postcards of naked Jarawa are also sold.
The Telegraph reported that the Lieutenant-Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bhopinder Singh, insisted that the administration was determined to protect the tribe.
''We will not allow any harm to come to them,'' he said.
Officials in the Andaman and Nicobar islands have resisted regular flights to Phuket because they believe experience in such a sinful place would not benefit the people of the Indian protectorate.
Many long-distance sailors use the islands as a base before making the journey to Phuket.
''One of the Andaman tribes, the Sentinelese, still live uncontacted on a remote island,'' The Telegraph reports.
''They were filmed firing arrows at a helicopter which came to check whether they had survived after the 2004 tsunami.''
About 350 Rohingya and Bangladeshi boat people are at present being held in the Andamans. Indian coastguards rescued them from a sinking engine-less boat in December.
Hundreds of others died when set adrift with scant food and drink by the Thai military under an inhumane policy that shocked the world.
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A court decision to allow a resort to be built close to the traditional homeland of the Jarawa people is being seen by anthropologists as likely to speed destruction of their tribal way of life.
This month a Calcutta High Court ruled that the resort could go ahead, sparking an outbreak of concern among local administrators on South Andaman island, where building by the Barefoot India company has begun.
National newspapers in Britain have now taken up the issue, explaining to readers how tourism is compromising the traditional lifestyles of a people who choose to live in isolation.
Until 1998, the Jarawa remained safe in the forest. But even the Andaman and Nicobar islands, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, has not guaranteed immunity from prying eyes.
With tourists forever in quest of more remote destinations, the Jarawa, who once waved spears at interlopers from the shores, may be about to confront their worst enemies.
Phuket, with its capacity for large and small planes, would be the logical place for an airline to begin regular flights to the appealing Andamans.
''The project is threatening the survival of the Jarawas,'' the London-based human rights group Survival International has warned.
Writing in the Guardian in an article headed 'Are We Here Just For Your Amusement?' John Vidal reports: ''Local companies take people to gawp at and photograph them as if they are animals in a zoo. Some throw sweets and biscuits to them, or offer them lifts and money.
''The majority of the Jarawa, thought to number about 250 people, remain deep in the forests, but some have learned bits of Hindi and regularly visit the port, the hospital or market place, says Sophie Grig, a researcher at Survival International who has visited the Andamans several times.''
Other hotels are expected to follow Barefoot's lead in building within 30 minutes' walk of the Jarawa.
Barefoot already has one Andamans resort and now ''plans to bring in thousands of tourists a year from Europe to scuba dive and to explore the remote islands now becoming popular as one of Asia's least visited beach destinations.''
With no immunity from even simple diseases such as measles and flu, Grig says ''it's not unusual for 50 percent or more of a population to die soon after contact. One epidemic can lead to severe depression, alcohol abuse, dependency and even suicide.''
In the Daily Telegraph, Nick Meo reports that Barefoot says that it practises socially responsible tourism, and will discourage guests from entering the reserve.
''But critics insist that the new resort, to be opened in October at a place called Collinpur, has been deliberately chosen because it is near the Jarawa reserve - so that holidaying guests can enjoy the thrill of seeing the tribesmen at close quarters.''
Postcards of naked Jarawa are also sold.
The Telegraph reported that the Lieutenant-Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bhopinder Singh, insisted that the administration was determined to protect the tribe.
''We will not allow any harm to come to them,'' he said.
Officials in the Andaman and Nicobar islands have resisted regular flights to Phuket because they believe experience in such a sinful place would not benefit the people of the Indian protectorate.
Many long-distance sailors use the islands as a base before making the journey to Phuket.
''One of the Andaman tribes, the Sentinelese, still live uncontacted on a remote island,'' The Telegraph reports.
''They were filmed firing arrows at a helicopter which came to check whether they had survived after the 2004 tsunami.''
About 350 Rohingya and Bangladeshi boat people are at present being held in the Andamans. Indian coastguards rescued them from a sinking engine-less boat in December.
Hundreds of others died when set adrift with scant food and drink by the Thai military under an inhumane policy that shocked the world.
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