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French nuclear test victims to get compo

French nuclear test victims to get compo The Age uly 1, 2009 – 10:19AMThe French National Assembly approved a landmark bill on compensating the victims of nuclear tests carried out in French Polynesia and Algeria over more than three decades.Some 150,000 civilian and military personnel took part in 210 nuclear tests carried out in the Sahara desert and the Pacific between 1960 and 1996. Many of them later developed serious health problems.The bill must now be presented to the Senate, which is practically certain to approve it………………………….

Under the bill, a nine-member committee of physicians, led by a magistrate, will examine individual claims for compensation.

Socialist opposition MPs had welcomed the bill, but warned it gives too much say to state appointees and too little to victims’ groups in deciding who is eligible.

By offering compensation, the government hopes to avoid long, drawn-out litigation. About a dozen veterans have won minor damages in lawsuits brought against the state……………………..

The government is also lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding its nuclear program as it considers the compensation claims.

The military archives of the nuclear program have been opened and are being examined by two experts who are to submit a report in December on the environmental impact of the tests.

French nuclear test victims to get compo

July 1, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized