French Polynesia French nuke vets unhappy with compensation
Updated
The French National Assembly has approved a bill to compensate the victims of the nuclear tests it carried out in French Polynesia and Algeria for more than three decades. It's the first time the French government has acknowledged it has a legal obligation to compensate the 150,000 military personnel and local staff who may have suffered serious health problems due to exposure to radiation.
But the workers aren't happy, saying the new bill falls short of what they need.
Presenter: Meredith Griffiths
Speaker: Roland Oldham, President of Moruroa e Tatou; Nic Maclellan, author
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MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: France carried out almost 200 nuclear tests in French Polynesia between 1966 and 1996. During that time thousands of Polynesians worked at the test sites as labourers, builders or divers.
Roland Oldham is the president of the group Moruroa e Tatou which represents the workers.
ROLAND OLDHAM: We have a very high rate of cancer here in our country and some of the cancer very, very rare. The problem is our system especially the French system of health department, no data has been done about it.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: For decades France denied responsibility for any health problems suffered by people who worked at its nuclear test sites in Pacific and in Algeria. But now the Lower House of the French parliament has passed a bill to establish a panel of experts to assess individual claims for compensation.
Nic Maclellan has written a book about the issue and says the bill is significant.
NIC MACLELLAN: It's quite important in that for 30 years or more the French Government has refused to acknowledge that there were serious hazards from its nuclear test program - that there was serious radioactive fallout and indeed that a number of workers died on the test site.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: But Roland Oldham from Muoruroa e Tatou says the victims are very disappointed. He says the Government of French Polynesia and the workers had no input.
ROLAND OLDHAM: This law is completely controlled by the Ministry of Defence. They have been doing 30 years of nuclear tests here and today they are the same ones who make a law to compensate the people. It is not independent institution at all. It is a committee of compensation that is nominated by the Ministry of Defence. There is no representation of the victims committee. The area of concern is also decided by the Ministry of Defence.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: He also says that many health problems aren't covered.
ROLAND OLDHAM: This law is a law to compensate as less person as they can.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: Nic Maclellan agrees. He says the level of radiation exposure is set far higher than what the UN deems to be dangerous. Nic Maclellan says the French Government may be playing politics
NIC MACLELLAN: The French Socialist Party, the main opposition party, abstained in the vote and a number of parties on the left voted against it.
Last year there was an attempt to put forward a cross-party bill that is much stronger than the current draft. The veterans groups have been working with French parliamentarians' right across the spectrum to try and address this problem.
Many of those groups are quite concerned that a weaker bill has been put forward scuttling attempts to have very strong legislation.
MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: Military veterans in France have also criticised the bill and hope it will be strengthened before being approved by the Senate.
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