The Andaman Islands and Kashmir: the autonomy question

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I was reading an article about the American youth who was killed in the Sentinel Islands on his ill-judged quest to spread Christianity there, and in the article it was mentioned that that although unofficial, the Islands were more or less operating as a sovereign state within India. For example, the Indian authorites don't prosecute the Sentinelese islanders for killing people.

I was just wondering, with all the recent justifications for removing the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir, how do our Indian friends sit on the issue of the Sentinelese autonomy?

 

[Pakistanian]

Cause they aren't muslim and don't want independence so it's okay. It's the same reason why Sikkim and some other mountain states in India have the special status that was taken away from Kashmir. Like Kashmiris often say, India only wants the land not the people,

 

[Bosanquet]

I was reading an article about the American youth who was killed in the Sentinel Islands on his ill-judged quest to spread Christianity there, and in the article it was mentioned that that although unofficial, the Islands were more or less operating as a sovereign state within India. For example, the Indian authorites don't prosecute the Sentinelese islanders for killing people.

I was just wondering, with all the recent justifications for removing the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir, how do our Indian friends sit on the issue of the Sentinelese autonomy?

Though not Indian I have visited a number of these islands and I probably know a bit more about them than most of your "Indian friends".
They are not autonomous,let alone independent. They are a Union territory ruled directly from the centre. So they have far less autonomy than any state.
The Sentinelese are a stone age hunter-gatherer people who have rejected all attempts at contact by all outside peoples for 150 years. There is NO administration on the island occupied by this tribe and the government runs an exclusion zone around it. Nobody is allowed to land - except occasional anthropolgical survey expeditions.
The few islands that are settled have a full administrative structure controlled from the centre. They are astonishingly beautiful places with great coral reefs, unspoilt beaches with very few tourists and wonderful snorkelling and scuba diving. For whatever reason, the locals are not much into underwater activities. The Mahatma Gandhi marine national park is outstanding. I would thoroughly reccommend a visit.

The reason the Sentinelese are "not prosecuted" is because the government refuse to send in police to arrest anybody. The local people are perfectly well aware that landing on this island is banned and that the sentinelese attack all visitors. If you actually manage to reach the island you are effectively commiting suicide.

 

[Itachi]

Cause they aren't muslim and don't want independence so it's okay. It's the same reason why Sikkim and some other mountain states in India have the special status that was taken away from Kashmir. Like Kashmiris often say, India only wants the land not the people,

You have no clue about the structure of seven sisters of India (which you are talking about).

 

[Varun]

The Andamans are awesome. I did my first 3 scuba dives there back in 2015.

I can't think of a place more different from Kashmir.

 

[Napa]

I was reading an article about the American youth who was killed in the Sentinel Islands on his ill-judged quest to spread Christianity there, and in the article it was mentioned that that although unofficial, the Islands were more or less operating as a sovereign state within India. For example, the Indian authorites don't prosecute the Sentinelese islanders for killing people.

I was just wondering, with all the recent justifications for removing the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir, how do our Indian friends sit on the issue of the Sentinelese autonomy?

The Andamanese are people who haven't come in contact with the modern world, and the Indian government has decided that it is best they be left alone and allowed to continue their way of life.

Such magnanimity is pretty unique and I can't think of one other tribal people who have been left alone for their benefit. Usually tribal lands are encroached upon and their way of life collapses, whether it be in New Zealand, Australia, Africa, South America, Hawii etc. Very proud of the Indian government for having done this.

Kashmiris are not tribals who lack contact with the modern world. They are a modern people who do not want to be part of a country that has a non-Muslim majority. No comparison between Andamanese and the Kashmiris.

 

[jaisan]

The sentinelese are uncontacted tribes. OP should have read that before posting about them.

 

[Civil]

I was reading an article about the American youth who was killed in the Sentinel Islands on his ill-judged quest to spread Christianity there, and in the article it was mentioned that that although unofficial, the Islands were more or less operating as a sovereign state within India. For example, the Indian authorites don't prosecute the Sentinelese islanders for killing people.

I was just wondering, with all the recent justifications for removing the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir, how do our Indian friends sit on the issue of the Sentinelese autonomy?

The sentinelese is a special case but your point does lead to another interesting conversation about other natives of the islands that have been in contact with modern humans such as jarawa tribe.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog...s-particularly-vulnerable-tribal-groups-61778

Article above talks about how Government of India without consulting tribes and locals hurriedly rushed legislation to remove protections for these peoples land in a greedy move to promote tourism.

This repeal will have horrible effects on their culture on the islands ecology and ofcourse lifestyles. Andaman as it is already had a poor develpment structure for tourism so trash buildip and exploitation by tourist companies who literally send out viewing safaris to see the local tribes like animals and exploit them will pop up even more.

So though Kashmir has several other dimensions I think you brought up a good point on the way the centre typically deals to show parallels to what could result in Kashmir.

In summary you have locals who don't have a say in their affairs and get exploited for economic gains.

 

[rhony]

I was reading an article about the American youth who was killed in the Sentinel Islands on his ill-judged quest to spread Christianity there, and in the article it was mentioned that that although unofficial, the Islands were more or less operating as a sovereign state within India. For example, the Indian authorites don't prosecute the Sentinelese islanders for killing people.

I was just wondering, with all the recent justifications for removing the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir, how do our Indian friends sit on the issue of the Sentinelese autonomy?

This looks like a fishing expedition dude. Sentinelese are one of the untouched tribes in the world and there is a reason for the law to keep them that way. They don't have any immunity to any human diseases. They could die a miserable death with just contact with the people from the rest of the world.

 

[ReverseHit]

Right, because Andaman is part of contiguous India sharing a border with Pakistan, and allowing them "special status" has resulted in separatism, religious extremism and violence.

 

[rhony]

Cause they aren't muslim and don't want independence so it's okay. It's the same reason why Sikkim and some other mountain states in India have the special status that was taken away from Kashmir. Like Kashmiris often say, India only wants the land not the people,

That's because land is immobile and doesn't change. People do. Millions of people change their habits, culture, religion as time goes by as shown in history. For example look at Kashmir history through the ages. People of different religions have been dominant in that area through the ages. People can change loyalties based on several factors but land remains.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

The sentinelese are uncontacted tribes. OP should have read that before posting about them.

It's Indian territory yet the people are allowed to run it as they see fit. What this shows is that there can be flexibility from the centre as the situation requires. Indeed that was the reason why Kashmir was given semi-autonomous status as well, as the people felt they had been cheated out of joining Pakistan. Kashmir is in fact recognised by the UN as a disputed territory, so if anything they deserved the leeway far more than the Sentinelese tribals.

 

[AMSS]

Love the Andamans. As you can see from my pictures below, the Sentinelese leave me in peace and hold no grudges.

 

[Kaptain]

Comparing a remote stone age tribe which some estimate has been isolated for 60,000 years to Kashmir is stupid in the first place.

That being said, as long as they don't support terrorist activities and try to infiltrate into neighboring territories, they must be left untouched.

I'd guess that if extremist muslims hadn't driven out minorities from Kashmir and then hadn't supported terrorists, Kashmir would still be Autonomous. They are paying the price for their own actions IMO.

 

[JaDed]

Comparing a remote stone age tribe which some estimate has been isolated for 60,000 years to Kashmir is stupid in the first place.

That being said, as long as they don't support terrorist activities and try to infiltrate into neighboring territories, they must be left untouched.

I'd guess that if extremist muslims hadn't driven out minorities from Kashmir and then hadn't supported terrorists, Kashmir would still be Autonomous. They are paying the price for their own actions IMO.

No one is allowed to be on that land, including foreigners....

 

[Kaptain]

No one is allowed to be on that land, including foreigners....

I'm extremely well aware of the Sentinelese which is why i said they sould be left alone. It'd be horrific to even try to make contact with them IMO.