26 May 2005

French Polynesia's Greens slam French nuclear stance

4:11 pm on 26 May 2005

The Greens in French Polynesia have hit out at France over its response to leaked documents about a 1966 atmospheric nuclear weapons test at Mururoa.

The defence ministry has dismissed the information made public last week as baseless allegations.

But the Greens' Jacky Bryant has told the news agency Tahitipresse that the ministry should stop saying that Polynesians don't understand.

He has likened the French ministry's attitude to that of China and Russia.

France has refused to pay compensation to test site veterans who claim to have suffered poor health as a result of exposure to radiation.