Friday, June 23, 2006
Andaman Police launches massive drive to protect stone-age Jarawa tribes
Port Blair, June 23 : The Andaman Police has launched a massive drive to check poaching activities in the forest reserves of stone-age primitive Jarawa tribes.
The drive has been launched after several reported incidents of poaching inside Jarawa Reserve forest by inhabitants settled around the area, Andaman’s Superintendent of Police said.
“It has come to notice that poachers sailing in boats from nearby villages are entering the Jarawa Area and apart from poaching are also harassing Jarawas,” the SP added.
A little more than 200 hunter gatherer Jarawa tribes, live in the Middle Andaman’s Jarawa reserved forest and hunt with bows and arrows. They have only had friendly contact with the outside world since 1998 before that they were hostile.
Jarawas are one of the four tribes of Andaman group of islands situated at Bay of Bengal.
The SP Andaman added that from now on Police parties will be patrolling around Jarawa reserve area and poachers will be booked under the PAT Regulation which has recently been amended to give enhanced punishment to offenders.
“As per the amended PAT regulations imprisonment is mandatory and may extend upto 2 years with fine,” a police source said.
According to police records in the first 6 months of current year, police has registered 15 cases and arrested 38 persons under the PAT regulations and seized their boats.
In a most recent case six poachers of Andaman islands were caught poaching inside Jarawa reserve where they were accosted by a Jarawa boy named Uligard.
The Jarawa boy was beaten and threatened by the poachers. Later the boy was admitted in nearby hospital with his grievous injuries.
The drive has been launched after several reported incidents of poaching inside Jarawa Reserve forest by inhabitants settled around the area, Andaman’s Superintendent of Police said.
“It has come to notice that poachers sailing in boats from nearby villages are entering the Jarawa Area and apart from poaching are also harassing Jarawas,” the SP added.
A little more than 200 hunter gatherer Jarawa tribes, live in the Middle Andaman’s Jarawa reserved forest and hunt with bows and arrows. They have only had friendly contact with the outside world since 1998 before that they were hostile.
Jarawas are one of the four tribes of Andaman group of islands situated at Bay of Bengal.
The SP Andaman added that from now on Police parties will be patrolling around Jarawa reserve area and poachers will be booked under the PAT Regulation which has recently been amended to give enhanced punishment to offenders.
“As per the amended PAT regulations imprisonment is mandatory and may extend upto 2 years with fine,” a police source said.
According to police records in the first 6 months of current year, police has registered 15 cases and arrested 38 persons under the PAT regulations and seized their boats.
In a most recent case six poachers of Andaman islands were caught poaching inside Jarawa reserve where they were accosted by a Jarawa boy named Uligard.
The Jarawa boy was beaten and threatened by the poachers. Later the boy was admitted in nearby hospital with his grievous injuries.
