Forcing tribal peoples into the mainstream, exploitative ‘human safaris’ allowed to continue – Andaman Islands

Survival for tribal peoples, 5 March 2013

India’s Supreme Court today reportedly reversed its previous ‘interim order’ to ban ‘human safaris’ in the Andaman Islands, dealing a major blow to the campaign against the controversial tours. […]

Alarm bells also rang when the Court reportedly asked the Andaman authorities ‘whether they wanted the Jarawa to be kept in isolation or to be assimilated in the mainstream’. Forcing tribal peoples into the mainstream has disastrous consequences, as rates of disease, depression, addiction and suicide soar.

The government’s official Jarawa policy states that, ‘No attempts to bring them (the Jarawa) to the mainstream society against their conscious will … will be made.’ But Indian politicians have repeatedly called for their mainstreaming. […]

So far, the Jarawa have shown no sign of wanting to leave their forest to join the mainstream.

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said, ‘This complete volte-face is extremely alarming, and Survival will continue to campaign vigorously and vociferously for the closure of the road. It’s a terrible thought that it’s back to business as usual for the human safaris. Surely the closure of the road to tourists has given everyone in the Andamans a chance to re-think this degrading and disgraceful practice. Human safaris should not be allowed to begin again.’

Source: Indian Supreme Court ‘reverses order’ to ban ‘human safaris’ – Survival International
Address : http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/9008
Date Visited: Mon Mar 11 2013 11:56:12 GMT+0100 (CET) 

Survival International’s campaign to stop ‘human safaris’ in India’s Andaman Islands has gained an important victory, after the Supreme Court banned tourists from traveling along the road which cuts through a tribal reserve. Read more >>

Source: Victory for ‘human safari’ campaign as court bans tourists – Survival International
Address : http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/8941?utm_source=Survival+International&utm_campaign=d937ea14ac-E_news_non_US_early_March_3_2_2013&utm_medium=email
Date Visited: Mon Mar 11 2013 11:52:21 GMT+0100 (CET)

Nehru had forewarned us against following such ‘interventionist’ policies – Lachman Khubchandani in Indigenous Peoples: Responding to Human Ecology >>

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