Oct 26, 2006

Maohi: France Taking 'Laissez Faire' Approach to Order in Tahiti


According to the nation's president, the French government had taken a "laissez faire" attitude toward protests which led to the occupation of the presidential palace in French Polynesia.

The French government had taken a "laissez faire" attitude toward protests which led to the occupation of the presidential palace in French Polynesia, the nation's president told the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji.

Oscar Temaru came to power in February 2005, after a controversial clash with former leader Gaston Flosse that required by-elections to obtain a result.

Yesterday, security forces teargassed stone-throwing mobs in the capital Papeete, forcing out hundreds of demonstrators who had occupied the presidential palace and other key government buildings.

The forces moved in after protesters demanding lower living costs seized the presidential palace, assembly building and economic and social headquarters late on Sunday. The occupation followed nearly two weeks of road blocks led by protesters and tolerated by the French government.

Amidst calls from the protesters to return to Papeete, Mr Temaru told the forum the French government had not assured order and security in French Polynesia since his government came to power. France is responsible for security in the island nation.

Mr Temaru described the occupation as an attempted coup. He said he could only "regret and wonder" why France had taken such a "laissez faire" position in relation to the uprising. French Polynesia was still far from self-governing, he said, despite four autonomy statutes granted by the French government to the Maohi people since 1977.

France retained power in foreign affairs, currency, defense, immigration, justice, law and order and policing.

He urged members of the Pacific Forum to help French Polynesia in its quest for self-determination, pointing to the United Nation's aim of eradicating colonialism by 2010.

French Polynesia needed the assistance of other independent nations of the Pacific to agree on a common self-determination agenda with France, he said. One issue which needed to be included on the agenda was the radioactive contamination of the Pacific, following French testing over atolls Mururoa and Fangataufa.

France conducted 41 atmospheric nuclear tests over the Tuamotu atolls between 1966 and 1974.

It followed these up with 134 underground nuclear tests at the same testing sites between 1975 and 1991. Eight more tests took place in 1995 and 1996. The health consequences of the testing had not been recognised by France, Mr Temaru said.

"We have one of the highest, if not the highest rate of thyroid cancer in the world, as well as an unexplained high rate of leukaemia," he said.

French Polynesia needed the "eyes and the support of the international community", he said.