Addressing France’s nuclear legacyーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
193 that’s how many times France detonated nuclear weapons in French Polynesia over the three decades from 1966 ever since the islanders have had to live with the legacy of those nuclear tests last Tuesday the French Parliament released a new investigative report which called for expanded compensation for those affected it also urged the government to apologize for conducting nuclear tests in the region we meet with one islander who is still suffering from the lingering effects of radiation exposure michelle Araino is from French Polynesia when he was 20 he began working for the French Navy as a diver now he lives in central France araino was five when France began its nuclear weapons testing at the Muroa at several hundreds of kilometers from his home the first bomb was overwhelming there was a blinding flash and the house shook france became a nuclear power in 1960 under its then president Charl de Gaulle who was pursuing a policy of independent diplomacy during the cold war by 1996 France had conducted a total of 210 tests 17 in the Algerian Sahara Desert and 193 in French Polynesia aino says many Polynesians were leading a subsistence life at that time the nuclear tests brought new job opportunities and other economic benefits [Music] he himself signed up for the Navy his job was to collect samples of marine organisms at the test sites straight after the explosions we would dive down there without any protective gear the only ones who were protected were the officials they told us to be careful but we were never warned we had to protect ourselves many Polynesians later developed cancers of unknown origin and in 2001 a victim’s group was set up adakino himself has suffered from cancer since his 20s affecting his digestive system and bones his five children also have health problems since they were small they’ve had hearing issues and are prone to infections that’s when he started wondering if this was the result of the nuclear tests he decided he had to speak up if it was just me who was affected if I was the only one in my family I would not make such a big fuss but since I am leaving this negative legacy to my children my five children I asked myself if I would be worthy as a father if I did nothing to protect my young ones federal protection the truth about what happened at the test sites is now coming to light renault Meltz has been examining relevant government and military documents he says France deliberately downplayed the risk the tests posed dometers were supposedly distributed to protect the people there but according to the workers testimony there were not enough of them the danger from the radiation was ignored he points out that efforts to protect the local people were inadequate and in some cases evacuation shelters were not set up to avoid causing anxiety the government realized there was radioactive fallout and that shelters were needed it told the islanders the risk was completely under control in fact those risks were not communicated adequately for a long time France disclosed few details about its nuclear tests on the grounds that they are a national defense secret and it failed to acknowledge the impact of the detonations however in the face of growing calls for compensation in 2009 the government changed its policy we will introduce a compensation system similar to those in other democratic countries that carried out nuclear tests hey
in 2010 a comprehensive law was enacted that grants compensation for those suffering from specific diseases such as leukemia and other types of cancer as many as 70,000 people may have been exposed to radiation from France’s nuclear tests but so far only about a thousand have been compensated aino’s claim has not been recognized due to the lack of documents when President Emmanuel Macron visited Polynesia in 2021 he stopped short of offering an apology but he did declare that France owes a debt to French Polynesia and he pledged greater transparency and to speed up compensation for the local population [Music] last year the French Parliament set up a crossparty committee to investigate the damage from the nuclear tests aino was also given an opportunity to testify my job was to collect samples at all the sites where nuclear tests were conducted but at that time the scientific data was controlled by the military adakino wants to continue speaking out to ensure that his legacy both as a Polynesian and as a veteran of France’s nuclear program can help the victims of this and succeeding generations i am proud to have contributed to the development of the nuclear weapons but I want to be recognized for the sickness and disability I incurred while serving my country when it comes to nuclear weapons the word legacy means different things to different people araino and his fellow Polynesians are looking for recognition for their contribution and the toll on their health meanwhile survivors of the atomic bombings in Japan are calling for the total abolition of nuclear arms for the sake of future generations but for right now it’s up to France to respond to the demands for compensation by the Polynesians who made sacrifices for their country and that’s all for me
Over three decades, France conducted 193 nuclear tests in French Polynesia,
leaving the islanders to live with the legacy. We meet one man who is still
suffering from the lingering effects of radiation exposure. #france #radiation #frenchpolynesia #nuclear
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