My Manifesto: The Incoherent Ramblings of a Madman

From www.afp.com:

The Great Andamanese numbered 10,000 in 1789. But their friendliness to outsiders who brought measles, syphilis and influenza which saw their numbers shrink to 625 in 1901. By 1969 only 19 Andamanese survived, according to Indian government figures.

They were resettled on Strait Island to try to protect their society.

India's 1971 census shows a population of 24 surviving Great Andamanese but by 1999 their number had grown to 41 and the population swelled to 49 last year.

Photography of Andaman's Stone Age tribal people is banned by an order of the Supreme Court and access to their habitats is blocked by the local administration.

The forager Andamanese are among five endangered primitive tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. There are 200 warrior-like Sentinelese, the 98-member Onge, 350 Jarawa and 250 hunter-gatherer Shompens.

Call me naive - but I never realised that we actually have isolated wildlife park type sanctuaries for people. I always knew that when outsiders come they bring crazy diseases that kill of the natives. I realised that there were tribes who were disappearing - but sanctuaries?