Tok Blong SPPF July 1986 #16 ...........•....••........••••.••••........•.•.•.. ~ ........•.....•...•.•...• ~····························~- ~~ ······-· Transport barge for the nuclear bombs on Moruroa Atoll Focus on French Testing Interview with the Danielssons (page 3); Force de Frappe a Pacific Crime (page 13); Greenpeace vs. Gambierdiscus (page 11); Pitcairn speaks out (page 21) . ••.......•.- •.••......•.. ~ .....•..•.••••••••...•........•......•••..........•••....•...•......•••••....•••.....••..••• IDK BLONG SPPF is pidgin english as used in many parls of the Pacific. It might literally be translated as "this talk belongs to SPPF' or, SPPF Newsletter. IDK BLONG SPPF is published four times per year by the South Pacific Peoples Foundation of Canada, 407-620 View St., Victoria, B.C., Canada VSW 1J6, and is available to donors of SPPF (minimum $10 yr.). SPPF exists to raise critical issues in the South Pacific to a Canadian audience through a variety of public education methods, and to assist in getting relevant Canadian financial, technical and other assistance into the South Pacific to assist islanders in their self-development. IDK BLONG SPPF is edited by Phil Esmonde. Late Flash - Belauns Win Suit Against Compact Vote On February 21~ 1986, 72% of Belauans voted in favour of a Compact of Free Association with the United States. The Compact would set up economic assistance for Belau and give the U.S. military use of Belau. As readers know, Belau has the world's first nuclear free constitution which requires 75% of the people to amend the nuclear provisions. The governments of Belau and the United States, as well as the United Nations all stated that the Compact was valid with 51%. They were challenged bX several leading Belauans (see other articles "Belau leaders say Compact not ratified' and "Congressional hearing and lawsuit focus on Belau") and a court case was heard in Belau on July 1, 1986. While we are still waiting for the written decision, we understand the substance of the judge's decision - released July 10 - is that the Compact needed 75% for ratification because it went against the nuclear provisions of the constitution. It's certain that the Government of Belau will appeal this decision. ~•-···························································································~···························· • : ;:j;;T • • • :• The FRI was one of the first prot.est vessels to ent.er the Monu'Oa security mne. The year i:•........•••••••.......•...•.••......•••..•••.••••••........•......•••.•................••........................... was 1973. ..•, The Danielssons on French Testing The following is an interview with Bengt and Marie-Therese Danielsson, longtime residents of Tahiti and critics of French nuclear testing. They have recently finished an updated version of MORUROA MON AMOUR titled POISONED REIGN. The interview was conducted May 12, 1986 by Dave Marshall for CFUV Radio (University of Victoria, B.C.). Q. WHAT IS 'IHE HIS'IDRY OF FRENOI TFSI'ING IN 'IHE PACIFIC AND ITS RESULTS? As far as the French islands are concerned, there are no statistics (Bengt D:lnielsson) It all available concerning this fallout and the started in a very unexpected manner in French official line is that not one 1963. The American and Russian particle of this radioactivity fell on governments had signed a treaty - the the French islands. Perhaps these partial test ban treaty - and from then particles behaved in a very patriotic on the Russians and Americans did not manner and jumped over all the French make any m:>re tests in the atmosphere. islands and fell down only on the British All were made underground and that was islands! Or, perhaps the French precisely the year when the French authorities tried to hide the truth which government decided to start atmospheric is a more likely explanation. testing in the Pacific. r:uring the next eight years The reason why France chose to forty-one bombs were detonated in the make these tests in the Pacific was that atmosphere above r.t:>ruroa and the Algeria became independent in July 1962 neighbouring island of Fangataufa, where and the French engineers and arIT\Y three hydrogen bombs were exploded. Five. personnel were told to go elsewhere. The hydrogen bombs were detonated altogether elsewhere was the Tuamotu Archipelago in ranging between one and two megatons. We the south east corner of the Pacific. It know now for certain that radioactive belonged to a French colony, still a fallout is bad for human health - it was French colony today, called French proved in Micronesia. But the danger Polynesia. We could say that General de takes some time before the full impact is Gaulle simply followed the bad American felt. There's a delay of between ten and example because the Americans had made fifteen years before a significant sixty-six tests in the atm:>sphere in increase in the m.nnber of cancer cases Micronesia between 1946 and 1958. shows up. That's the pattern we have in Micronesia, and the radioactive fallout The first French blast occurred that we received in French Polynesia is in July 1966 but it was a sort of trial. the same. The. main danger today is that The really big bang took place on the the people who were born before 1966 when eleventh of September and General de the first bomb was detonated - including Gaulle himself came out to witness this Marie-Therese and myself - have absorbed event. He was in a great hurry so the into their bodies rather high doses of bomb was actually detonated when the radioactivity. For the next ten, fifteen meteorological conditions were very and twenty years there will be in all unfavourable. r:uring the following days likelihood an increase in the number of and weeks there was a heavy radioactive cancer cases, especially the sort of fallout throughout the Pacific and it was cancer diseases induced by radiation: measured by various New Zealand leukemia, cancer of the thyroid· gland and technicians from the National Radiation brain tumours. We have already noticed Laboratory. an increase. Q. WHAT ProMPTED YOU 'ID G.ill' INVOLVED IN '!HE ACTIVITIES .AGAINST '!HE WCLEAR Nobody fell down dead so they concluded TESTIK;? WAS IT ANY OOE THIK; OR WAS IT that the bombs were hannless and it took A PRX:ESS OF BECXMIN.; AWARE OF '!HE FAC'l'S many, many years for them to realize that OF NUCLFAR TESTIK; IN THE 'IUAf.DIU radiation death is much slower and ISLANOO? insidious. We also felt that we should really try to enlighten the local people To a very great extent it was and also tell the world what was personal concern. Nobody likes to be hai;:pening in our islands because there irradiated. Perhap:; it was the was nobody else to do that. I mean there difference between us and our Polynesian were not foreign corres,EX>ndents in Tahiti frien<E, especially in the Tuamotu and the official bulletins were very Islands, because they were totally blandly reassuring, saying there is no ignorant of all these dangers. 'Ibey had harm, these tests are harmless and so on. never heard about radiation, cancer and Right f ran the beginning we gathered all diseases caused by radioactive fallout. the evidence we could and began writing They did not know about atoms so they had for magazines and newspapers abroad, a rather innocent awroach at the especially in the South Pacific. beginning. They had at the most seen a Gradually we were asked to come to talk few pictures of the bombs at Hiroshima at various meetings and rallies and and Nagasaki so that was a direct link conferences around the world and we hope for them, i.e. the detonating of those that we have managed to tell the world bombs resulting in the instant killing of this story that otherwise, I think, the a great number of people and the actual French authorities would have managed to maiming and tearing to pieces of them. hide completely. Then the first French banbs went off and nothing hai;:pened. 'Ibey looked around • .........•••.•........•••............... Living quarters on the east.em lip of Moruroa at.on ...........•........•......••........•.. Q. WHAT HAS '!BE FRENClI RESroNSE BEEN '10 Q. WAS THERE NOI' A GroUP ·OF scIENTISTS : YOOR ACTIVITIES, ESPECIALLY SINCE . THAT VISITED '!BE A'IOLL AND '!HEN REPORI'ED PUBLISHING WRQIDA l-m Nl)QR? '!HAT ALL WAS CLP.AR? YET '!HE FRENOI SOLDIERS STILL IMPORI' 'IHEIR DRINKIN:; They certainly don't like our WATER, I UNDERSTAND. OOULD YOU TELL US A activities at all and we have been LI'ITLE BIT ABOUT THAT. harrassed on many occasions. We are still in French Polynesia, perhaps I'm happy that you asked that because Marie-'lherese is a French question. The corrmission or mission that citizen. It's not :r;ossible in a you refer to is one led by Mr. Hugh democratic country to dep:>rt a national. Atkinson who at that time in 1983 was I'm a Swedish citizen so perhaps they head of the New Zealand National will try to find something to pin on me Radiation Laboratory. He came to French but so far they haven't succeeded. '!hen Polynesia with four colleagues: one from to some extent we have been protected by the lab and three ecologists from the local politicians and perhaps even by Australi_a, .one of whom was a professor at some political leaders in France who are the University of Papua New Guinea. '!hey convinced that we are doing the right were invited by the French government to thing. _ . come to investigate the matter of I think it is very important to radiation and its dangers in French mention here that right from the Polynesia. beginning of the tests the elected representatives of the local people Well, they didn' t manage to do · protested very strongly against these much because to begin with they spent tests and asked the French government not only four days on Moruroa and most of the to make them in French Polynesia.