Rt Hon John Key

Prime Minister

Parliament Buildings

WELLINGTON 6160

 

Dear Prime Minister,

 

Mururoa Veterans' Seek Justice

 

I have received a letter from the Minister of Veterans' Affairs, Hon Judith Collins, dated the 28 May 2009.

 

The Ministers letter consisted of setting out pensions and benefits currently available and did not address the concerns raised in our letter to you.

 

This is not about pensions and benefits but about compensation for the wrong that has been done and recognition for what was achieved by New Zealand sailors who where left unprepared for the consequences.

 

The French government has already started a process to compensate French servicemen and island residents exposed to the effrects of Mururoa nuclear testing - and the British government is facing a successful High Court action over effects on allied service personnel during the Pacific tests of the 1950's.

 

 Mr Norman Kirk sent the frigates Otago and Canterbury to Mururoa in 1973 to draw world attention to French atmospheric testing, with a total of 500 sailors and a Cabinet Minister involved.

 

Each Frigate witnessed one atmospheric nuclear test at fairly close quarters, with crews allowed on deck within a minute of the explosion to watch the mushroom cloud form. Nobody told us that many of us, and our children and grandchildren would subsequently suffer radiation effects.

 

We were promised by the then government that we would be looked after. The government of the day and succeeding governments has swept the operation and associated health problems under the carpet.

 

Is it too much to ask for justice for New Zealand sailors who, having served their country so spectacularly that France stopped atmospheric nuclear testing, have now been discarded?

 

Yours sincerely