6 Feb 2003

Marshall Islands govermnet says an independent report supports increased compensation for nuclear te

3:37 pm on 6 February 2003

The Marshall Islands government says an independent report supports its claim for increased compensation for damage caused by US nuclear weapons testing at Bikini and Enewetak atolls

The report, commissioned by the Marshall Islands and carried out by a Washington law firm, says the compensation fund set up by the US was manifestly inadequate to compensate Marshall Islanders for damages caused by the 67 US nuclear tests.

The Marshall Islands hopes the report will add impetus to a petition lodged more than two years ago with the US Congress asking for more than 2 billion US dollars in additional funding.

The US Congress asked the Bush administration to review the petition nearly a year ago but Marshall Islands officials says there has been little progress on the matter.