Left in peace

As tragic as it is that someone has lost their life, the story of John Allen Chau just goes to show that even in 2018 religious and cultural colonialism remain alive and well. The US missionary was killed trying to "declare Jesus" to the people of the Sentinelese tribe, who live on the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian Ocean.

Like many such tribes, the Sentinelese are keen to preserve their independence and isolation, being deeply suspicious of outsiders who might be trying to steal their land or might bring with them unfamiliar and fatal diseases. Chau must surely have acknowledged that his attempts to make contact were unwelcome - how else could he have understood their antagonism towards him? And yet he persisted, driven on by religious zeal and the arrogant, patronising Western conviction that they were "in need" of something other than simply being left alone.

In a statement, Stephen Corry, the director of Survival International, responded to say that "their wishes should be respected", though also pointed an accusatory finger at the Indian authorities for failing to protect the tribe from outside interference. Hopefully, the incident will serve as a cautionary tale.