YouTuber Arrested After Visiting Isolated Tribe Island

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By:

Team of Hukumindo

Previously, the www.hukumindo.com platform has talk about "Giant US Tuna Company Sued for Alleged Abuses in Its Supply Chain", "Man Arrested on Felony Battery Charges in Florida", you may read also "Island Near Antarctica Hit by Donald Trump's Trade Tariffs" and on this occasion we will discuss about 'YouTuber Arrested After Visiting Isolated Tribe Island'.

US YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov landed on North Sentinel Island, Indian Ocean in March 2025. He was later arrested by Indian authorities and faces a prison sentence. North Sentinel Island is a small forested island in the Andaman Islands group, Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean. The island, which is part of India, is surrounded by waters, and is adjacent to the mainland of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia.[1]

What did the YouTuber do to get caught by authorities? Survival International reports that Polyakov initially landed on North Sentinel Island for a few minutes. His goal was to make contact with the Sentinelese tribe, the island's indigenous people. Polyakov did not see any members of the tribe around him. He left a can of cola and a coconut as "offerings". Visits to North Sentinel are illegal under local law. The Indian coast guard patrols a buffer zone near its shores to prevent outsiders from coming too close. However, Polyakov managed to land and leave his belongings behind, despite being caught.[2]

Survival International Director Caroline Pearce explained that the Sentinelese people do not have immunity to common diseases from outside such as flu and measles. This is because they are an indigenous tribe that wants to live isolated in their territory. If they are exposed to diseases that are common to us, members of the tribe can die and the entire tribe can become extinct. Therefore, the wishes of the tribe must be respected. One way is by not visiting them on their island.[3] And if you have any legal issue in Indonesia territory, contact us for business inquiry, feel free in 24 hour, we will be glad to assist you. 

*) For further information please contact:

Mahmud Kusuma Advocate

Law Office

Jakarta - Indonesia.

E-mail: mahmudkusuma22@gmail.com

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References:

1. "Kenapa YouTuber Ditangkap Usai Kunjungi Pulau Suku Asli di Samudra Hindia?", www.detik.com., Trisna Wulandari, 09 April 2025, Diakses pada tanggal 11 April 2025, Link: https://www.detik.com/edu/detikpedia/d-7859806/kenapa-youtuber-ditangkap-usai-kunjungi-pulau-suku-asli-di-samudra-hindia.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.