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Tahiti: Nuclear cover-up stokes tension with France

Oscar Temaru, the pro-independence president of the Tahiti Nui (Temaru's preferred name for the French colony known as French Polynesia), dropped a political bombshell in the Pacific country's parliament on July 28. Temaru released a letter from a respected government health expert in Paris that officially confirmed for the first time what most Tahitians have long known and France has always denied: that French nuclear explosions in their territory have increased cancer rates throughout the Tahitian islands. The revelation has further strained tensions between the Temaru-led coalition government and Tahiti's colonial masters in Paris. (Norm Dixon, Green Left Weekly, Towards Freedom, 16 August 2006)

http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/872/

(Added: Fri Aug 18 2006   Hits: 268)

Ousted French Polynesia leader starts hunger strike

PAPEETE, Tahiti, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The ousted leader of French Polynesia began a hunger strike on Tuesday to protest against his removal and try to prevent an ally of French President Jacques Chirac from taking office.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=3604472

(Added: Wed Oct 27 2004   Modified: Mon Sep 11 2006   Hits: 155)

Pro-Chirac leader returned in Tahiti Pro-Chirac leader returned in Tahiti

The pro-Chirac former president of the troubled Pacific archipelago of French Polynesia, Gaston Flosse, has been returned to power amid protests from pro-independence supporters and MPs who boycotted a vital vote in parliament.

http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=97222®ion=2

(Added: Tue Oct 26 2004   Hits: 134)

Tahiti at the Crossroads

Pacific Islands Report. Commentary by Lorenz Gonschor. HONOLULU (Pacific Islands Report) - In a few days, on February 13, 2005, voters in Tahiti will once more go to the polls, less than a year after the last general elections on May 23, 2004. Even though this upcoming Assembly election is called only a by-election, it will be crucial for the territory's future, more crucial probably than all elections before. What is at stake in this election is the future direction of French Polynesia (Tahiti): Will France's Overseas Territory continue to be ruled by an authoritarian, corrupted pro-French oligarchy, or will it take a new path of pluralism, democracy and social justice, slowly moving towards self-determination and independence, as it was briefly experienced during four months last year?

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/614/614p16.htm

(Added: Fri Feb 11 2005   Modified: Thu Dec 22 2005   Hits: 298)

Tahiti crisis sparks mass protest

A political crisis has escalated in French Polynesia, where at least 15,000 people have staged the Pacific territory's biggest ever protest rally. Supporters of the ousted pro-independence president, Oscar Temaru, demanded the dissolution of parliament and fresh elections.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3752880.stm

(Added: Wed Oct 20 2004   Modified: Fri Oct 22 2004   Hits: 118)

The Pacific: Online Communities

Within this website there are websites for Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Niue, Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands, Micronesia States, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu. The aim of each website is to establish an Online Community where people can chat, share information and relax, while preserving valuable information for generations to come. There is a news section, to inform members on what's going on; a forum, which allows members to find or share information; an articles section, divided into the categories of general information, language, myths and legends, and recipes and history; a review section, so that by sharing experiences, people can make informed decisions to use or avoid certain products and services and media; an entertainment section, where you can play games, listen to music from or watch videos from musicians of that country. You can also chat with other website members using the Live Chat feature.

http://www.thepacific.co.nz/

(Added: Thu Jun 01 2006   Modified: Thu Jun 08 2006   Hits: 424)

Truth and Justice for the victims of Moruroa

Association Moruroa e tatou, Papeete (Tahiti) - Saturday, July 26th 2003. On the day after Jacques Chirac arrived in Tahiti, over two hundred former workers of Moruroa marched with their families, carrying a huge banner 'Truth and justice for the victims of Moruroa.' President of the Association Moruroa e Tatou Roland Oldham says they want to remind the President of the Republic that although the nuclear tests are over, the consequences of the tests on the health of the former workers unfortunately linger on. "Among the 3359 Polynesian former workers we registered, several hundred have already died - their average age was 51 years - and there are numerous cases of cancers, including a very large number of leukaemia. Very worrying for the families of the former workers is the large number of stillbirths as well as sterility problems," Oldham said.

http://www.dev-zone.org/kcdocs/5802AMeT260703.html

(Added: Tue Jul 29 2003   Hits: 164)