France to pay nuclear test victims

by Barbara McPherson | March 24, 2009 at 09:16 am

255 views | 66 Recommendations | 12 comments

The French govenment has announced payouts to people affected by their atmospheric testing of nuclear bombs. The initial amount set aside for victims in Algeria and Polynesia is $13.5 million.

France has announced it will compensate victims of nuclear tests carried out in Algeria and the South Pacific, after a decades-long campaign by veterans.

Herve Morin, the French defence minister, said: "It's time for our country to be at peace with itself, at peace thanks to a system of compensation and reparations.''

Announcing a draft law for the payouts, Morin said the French government would initially set aside about $13.5m for compensation over the nuclear explosions, which could have affected up to 150,000 people.

France continued to test nuclear bombs in the atmosphere until 1996. Greenpeace led many protests against them. Their ship was scuttled in New Zealand resulting in the death of a volunteer. The French govenment was implicated in the death.

French secret service agents bomb the Rainbow Warrior while in Auckland harbor, killing one crew member. The crew had been planning to return to Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls to resume their protest against French nuclear testing.

France has not committed to stop nuclear testing. This century protests by Greenpeace have continued.

A French vessel rammed the Greenpeace vessel RAINBOW WARRIOR II and French commandos stormed on board, smashing windows on the bridge and throwing tear gas canisters. The RAINBOW WARRIOR had entered the 12 mile exclusion zone around Moruroa atoll in protest at the planned resumption of nuclear weapons testing by France at Moruroa. The crew of the RAINBOW WARRIOR were arrested and removed from the ship.

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Amy Judd

at 13:04 on March 24th, 2009

Thanks for this story.

kuuva

at 13:35 on March 24th, 2009

well that equates to $90 per person.

kuuva

at 13:45 on March 24th, 2009

not to justify anything, but the it is estimated the the US paid ~14,500 per person for the Japanese internment camps during WWII.

it would be interesting to see what the German reparations per person were for the Holocaust.

and also corporate payouts for vaccine testing in less fortunate countries...probably nothing.

Jarrett Martineau

at 15:45 on March 24th, 2009

Paschen

at 16:00 on March 24th, 2009

I wonder if the US will ever do that them self as well as GB, Russia and China. And what about the victims of the US Atom bomb use over Japan?

kuuva

at 17:55 on March 24th, 2009

i did a quick search and found this.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10563421

"The US government, by comparison, has approved more than $1.38 billion in compensation to victims of nuclear tests since the enactment of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in 1990."

I am not sure who or how many that money was used for but it is something. I think 5 years ago I once heard a human life is worth 2 or 3 million $US. Personally I would rather live than take the money. Regardless, it is obvious neither has given that kind of money.

I think the stance on Japan is it was an act of war. One could the initial use of the bomb may have saved lives. But I dont want to really argue that because it was targeted at civilians.

Hopefully we will all never see such a bombing again.

Hiroshima, in the aftermath of the bombing

Paschen

at 18:56 on March 24th, 2009

Act of war if at war, Japan did already signal surrender and capitulation before the first Bomb was dropped, there for no longer at war. However the US wanted to test the Bomb at all cost and could not do it on Germany since that war ended before the bomb was ready, there for they used it on Japan as a test field and to intimidate the USSR as well.

kuuva

at 19:33 on March 24th, 2009

May 7, 1945 Germany signed the Instrument of Surrender.

July 22 - Japan talked of capitulation but had internal struggles between the military and politicians.

August 6 - Hiroshima is bombed

August 9 - Nagasaki is bombed

August 14 - Japans military branch attempts to kidnap the Emperor and destroy the official capitulation document and continue the war. they fail.

August 15 - The Emperor announces Japans surrender

September 2, 1945 Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender

these are the dates I was taught, do you disagree?

Typically in war, the victors write declare how they will be remembered. I am sure the US history I learned is different than that of the Japanese, Germans, Soviets etc. And the reverse is true too.

Paschen

at 19:42 on March 24th, 2009

I do not disagree with the dates, do you notice that the turmoil started after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and not before.

The Bomb hit civilian! Where is the War in there?

Japan was ready and willing to surrender before the Atom Bomb was used. The Carpet Bombing of Tokyo was already enough in March of 1945.

father_moray (not verified)

at 16:10 on May 3rd, 2009

Paschen is right...we should have lost a million or two million soldiers to save bombing with nukes...too bad they didn't surrender when Paschen wanted them to...reality is sooo annoying!

Barbara McPherson

at 17:52 on May 4th, 2009

Of course people will have differing viewpoints about the war in the Pacific. Perhaps you should register with NP so that you can post articles and join the debate.