Fight for French compensation over nuke tests wages

Transcript

Workers affected by the nuclear tests in French Polynesia say they will continue to hold the French Government accountable over the impact.

France carried out 193 nuclear explosions on Mururoa and Fangataufa Atolls from 1966 to 1996 and Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the first test at the weekend.

Lucy Smith has more.

France has promised compensation for those with poor health resulting from exposure to radiation, but little of that has been paid out. A member of the French Polynesia Assembly Richard Tuheiava wants France to not only pay the victims, but foot the bill for healthcare costs.

RICHARD TUHEIAVA: The fact is since the nuclear testing, most of the diseases are cancer and leukaemia, most of the diaereses are a result because of the nuclear testing. So we are collectively also putting in a request, to the state of France, the colonial power to not only compensate the veterans directly, but to compensate this fund, this public health care fund.

Richard Tuheiava says at first glance they have serious doubts about receiving any kind of compensation, but hopefully by bringing their case to the U.N, the French government will have to bow to the pressure.

RICHARD TUHEIVA: We're also raising this point in New York within the decolonisation process. Exposing and introducing this serious case to various ambassadors  it might be hard within the next few years for colonial power to remain silent to believe that we will forget it.

The President of the Economic Council in Tahiti Winki Sage says no one knew what was going on when France started the nuclear testing.

WINKI SAGE: At the time the military was not allowed to inform, but I can tell you that even the military didn't know what was happening, they were working, they were fishing they didn't know that it was not good.

Winki Sage says some transparency around what really happened would bring some closure to the victims and help them move forward as a country. The president of the French Polynesian anti nuclear group, the 193 Association, Auguste Ube-Carlson, has called on people in the territory to unite over its nuclear past.

AUGUSTE UBE-CARLSON: all the French Polynesians are nuclear victims then there is a guilty person somewhere, a system has been in place. And if we recognise this guilt there must be fair and equitable compensation, taking account of the culture, history, the economy of the country.

The Nuclear Workers Association's Roland Oldham says compensation is overdue and they won't back down.

ROLAND OLDHAM: The pressure is truly coming on for the people. I think we've done a lot of peaceful demonstration. I think we've been too kind. They cannot carry on like this with the people. After a while people are going to have enough of all these promise. Things are going to get more radical in the future. We cannot give up this battle we cannot, we're doing this because it's duty of any man, anywhere in the world to do what we are doing.

Roland Oldham says they have a petition with 41 thousand signatures asking for a referendum on the reparations that should be made to the region.