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Mururoa nuclear veterans meeting

Veterans to gather for Mururoa nuclear testing http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/veterans-gather-mururoa-nuclear-testing-5515297  July 20, 2013  The men who watched the French Polynesia nuclear testing from New Zealand navy boats will be gathering at the 40th anniversary reunion today.

A New Zealand Labour Government sent two warships, HMNZS Canterbury and HMNZS Otago, to monitor the nuclear tests in Mururoa and Fangataufa in French Polynesia between 1966 and 1974.

It was not believed, at the time, that they may have received nuclear dusting.

However newly declassified French military documents released this month detail the 46 atmospheric nuclear tests, revealing that warships near the tests were hit by higher levels of radioactivity than known.

A 1974 test, code named Centaur, dumped 500 times the maximum allowed level of plutonium fallout on Tahiti, 1250 kilometres away, the documents show.

There were also 140 more incidents of nuclear fallout above the 209 incidents already known. Tahiti, home to around 178,000 people, was hit 37 times by fallout.

Radiation levels frequently rose in New Zealand 4700 kilometres away following each test.The reunion will be held at the Tauranga RSA.

July 20, 2013 Posted by | OCEANIA, weapons and war | 1 Comment

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