2024-08-07 08:44:40
Source: Trend International Information Agency
Author: Elchin Alyoglu
The American newspaper The New York Times published an article by New York Times correspondent Hannah Beach entitled “Poisoned Paradise – Paris Brings Surfing to the Olympics”.
Nuclear tests in French Polynesia have caused serious health problems for people living in the region.
From 1966 to 1996, France conducted 193 nuclear tests in French Polynesia. These tests were conducted on the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa and created a serious danger to local residents. The impact of the tests was not only manifested in the immediate explosion, but also in long-term radiation exposure.
Hannah Beach’s article looks at the negative impacts of France’s nuclear testing in French Polynesia, specifically the extent of the damage to the population of Teahupo’o, located on the island of Tahiti, where the 2024 Olympic surfing competitions will be held. The article discusses the health effects of nuclear testing on local residents, including minors, and how the French government has historically mitigated the health risks associated with nuclear testing.
It is noted that despite the fact that 50 years have passed since the July 1974 nuclear tests that resulted in high levels of radiation, the people of Teahupo’o are still struggling with the severe consequences of nuclear testing. Even though surfing competitions are currently taking place at the Olympic Games in France, the region bears traces of a painful history of radiation exposure.
The article details the health problems of local residents due to nuclear testing, including high rates of cancer and its negative effects. It highlights that the French government, responsible for the spread of radiation in the area, has created bureaucratic barriers to providing promised compensation to the population, who are still struggling to receive it.
According to one of the local municipal leaders, Roniu Tupan Poare, while the people of Teahupo’o feel proud that France, which is hosting the Olympics, is bringing surfing to their country, they also feel resentment towards France for the pain caused to people by nuclear testing.
After decades of neglect by France, the French government began the compensation process in 2010, acknowledging the devastating effects of nuclear testing. However, the lack of support due to the bureaucratic process left those who applied frustrated. In the first few years, only 11 victims were approved. After a wave of discontent, only 108 people were officially declared radiation victims in 2023, but that was only a fraction of those affected by radiation. Polynesian officials estimate that about 10,000 people were exposed to high levels of nuclear radiation. But researchers say about 110,000 people were directly affected, with about 90 percent of the population exposed to nuclear radiation in the 1970s.
The article notes that the historical events surrounding nuclear testing were covered up by France, and therefore today’s youth have little information about the risks of past tests and their impacts.
One of the sisters of the mayor of Teahupo’o, Ms Poare, who was diagnosed with cancer, was among those who applied for compensation. But Ms Poare says France’s recognition of her as a victim does not cure her. While she is glad that the Olympic surfing competitions were held in Teahupo’o, she also said she hates France because of the health problems that have plagued her family.
Construction work ahead of the Olympics has caused extensive damage to coral reefs and wetlands.
The harmful effects of the tests at Mururoa and Fangataufa on the eastern edge of French Polynesia have been studied, and when French President Emmanuel Macron visited the area in 2021, he acknowledged that the state “owed” French Polynesia 193 nuclear tests. Assembly of Polynesia spokesman Heinui Le Caille noted that justice was needed not only for the islands of French Polynesia that suffered from these events, but also for the Pacific as a whole.
French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson said four members of his family had died from radiation-related illnesses. His grandfather was buried in a lead-lined coffin out of fear that radiation might leak into the soil. He said that although testing had been suspended, people were still dying from these complications and the French state must take responsibility.
The founder of the Tavini party and former President of French Polynesia, Oscar Temaru, led the complaint against France at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. And he calls French Polynesia a victim of nuclear colonization. For this reason, he stressed the importance of achieving freedom.