Speculation amid French Polynesia bid for compensation

Transcript

Moves in French Polynesia to seek a huge compensation payout from France are being met with cynicism by some locals.

The French territory's assembly is poised to ask France for US$930 million for environmental damage caused by nuclear weapons testing.

Amelia Langford reports.

The move is being spearheaded by the assembly's new president, Marcel Tuihani, who is seen as a protege of ousted President Gaston Flosse. The publisher of the Tahiti Pacifique monthly, Alex Du Prel, says Flosse is now an advisor employed by the ruling party at the assembly. He says the territory's President, Edouard Fritch, did not know of the assembly's plans and Flosse may be making a power play.

ALEX DU PREL: So Mr Fritch went on television last night and he said he was amazed by this motion, that he didn't know know about it, and how you say, he sabotaged the relationship with Paris, which he just spent six months to build up again.

Richard Tuheiava, who is a pro-independence member of the territorial assembly, is also questioning the motives behind the motion.

RICHARD TUHEIAVA: It has really shown that it was a way to politically undermine the attempt of dialogue that is being reestablished at the moment between our elected president here, Edouard Fritch, and the president of France. There is really something more than strange and we believe that Gaston Flosse is still operating at the back.

Richard Tuheiava says French Polynesia should wait to become independent before seeking compensation.

RICHARD TUHEIAVA: The principle is good but the timing is not fair or proper or relevant and it is just being used and misused by some people, some political interests here - that is not really connected with the real situation and the needs of the people.

The head of the nuclear test veterans organisation in French Polynesia, Mururoa e tatou, Roland Oldham, says it is just a political game.

ROLAND OLDHAM: For us it is a scandal, because they never talk about the victims and their only concern is to get money for the Government.

Roland Oldham says the process of seeking compensation must be done properly and there is still work to be done.

ROLAND OLDHAM: We all agree that there is something to be done about compensation but that has to be talked [through] seriously. There is study to be done about all the people who are sick today, there are all these evaluations to be done.

Roland Oldham says the Government cannot simply wake up one morning and make such a claim. The motion to seek compensation will be put to the vote this week. Between 1966 and 1996, France carried out 193 nuclear weapons tests in the South Pacific.