French Polynesia's leading opposition politician, Gaston Flosse, has joined the territorial government and veterans' groups in urging France to release more information about the effect of the nuclear weapons tests.
Mr Flosse has published a letter sent to the French defence minister as local leaders express dismay at the continued secrecy and the apparently mixed messages about the effects of the fallout from the atmospheric tests of the 1960's and 70's.
He says the information released so far has failed to convince the population that it has not been exposed to the fallout.
Mr Flosse has asked the defence minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, to end the government's silence which he says feeds the critics who are not seeking the truth but only want to condemn France.
He has advised the minister that only a full disclosure of the test data can counter the critics claims.
