15 Jun 2010

French Polynesia veterans critical of nuclear compensation law

3:37 pm on 15 June 2010

French Polynesia's nuclear test veterans organisation is dismayed at the final shape of the French compensation law, saying it fears that it is too restrictive.

The head of Moruroa e tatou, Roland Oldham, says too few cancers are being linked to the tests and the zone recognised for radiation-related poor health is too small.

Mr Oldham says the provisions as outlined in the decree released last weekend fail to address the impact of the tests and will be challenged.

"We can put another court case, probably in the European Court of Human Rights, and theother hand we do think that the Polynesian people are motivated to keep struggling."

Roland Oldham says Paris is playing for time by putting up a complicated law that doesn't respond to the ageing veterans' needs.