Radio New Zealand International

10 September 2014

French Polynesia’s administrative court has found the French government is responsible for two workers’ health problems after they were exposed to radiation from French nuclear weapons testing at Mururoa.

The head of the nuclear test veterans organisation Mururoa e tatou, Roland Oldham, says in theory, the case is a victory.

But he says the case, which has been going on for 10 years, still needs to go to the Compensation Committee and it’s likely the French government will appeal it before then.

He says one of the workers involved in the case has died, which proves how slow the judicial process for nuclear test veterans has been.

"The French government is not following, respecting the promise that they have made. In these two cases, one is already dead. If we carry on like this, the second case will also die. They’re not paying compensation yet, they have to be confirmed by the Committee of Compensation, and in between maybe they can do another appeal."

Roland Oldham says of 900 workers affected by nuclear testing, only 18 have been compensated.