25 Mar 2009

French government still faces court action over nuclear testing

3:09 pm on 25 March 2009

French Polynesia's nuclear test veterans' group, Mururoa o Tatou is calling on people to attend an April court date with the French Government.

The French government will answer charges it failed to protect its French Polynesian workers from fall-out during 30 years of nuclear tests.

The industrial relations tribunal in Papeete has found that France must account for the consequences of nuclear testing on the health of people in its Pacific territory.

Roland Oldham, the president of Mururoa o Tatou says they need people power at the hearing.

"All we are looking for is justice and truth, and the pressure from the people is one of the things that we are really counting on, because actually, we don't have much faith in out institutions. We don't have much faith in justice, we don't have much faith in some of our politicians that [change their] shirts every second day."

That court hearing is on April the 27th.