French bomb tests raise

the ire of the Islanders

Short of the Vietnam war issue at its height, there has never been a spate of protests and demonstrations such as those in Australia in June over France’s decision to commence a new series of nuclear explosions at Mururoa atoll. Television, radio and press for weeks were filled with letters, editorials and news stories reporting on the latest protests throughout the country, and in NZ and the Pacific Islands, The Aus tralian Government was fiercely con demned for not having made stronger protests (stung. Prime Minister McMahon finally made a personal protest to the French President and a joint approach with NZ to the UN Committee on Disarmament asking that the tests be stopped.) Meanwhile the Australian Council of Trade Unions—the body which controls unions—authorised bans and boycotts on French shipping and air craft, whatever their contents, and mail. One leading Australian company cancelled a large French contract, a French consular agent resigned, an Australian sportsman sent back a French trophy, there were calls for the severing of diplomatic relations; but more seriously, French offices such as those occupied by UTA in several Australian capital cities were attacked and damaged, and required police protection.

UTA aircraft began over-flying Fiji because of union attitudes there (and the Fiji Government banned all French military or naval aircraft and shipping from using her ports).

In Sydney and Tontouta (New Caledonia) there were tight security precautions on UTA passengers and aircraft for fear that somebody might attempt to hijack a plane in protest.

Australian scientists were split as to the dangers of French atomic fallout, but the weight of opinion was that as nobody knew the facts without doubt, the Pacific was at risk if the tests continued.

The cargo boycotts in Australia and New Zealand looked like causing serious losses to Island agents as goods ordered for French territories piled up on the wharves. In late June the ACTU agreed to allow Australian interests to charter vessels for New Caledonian and New Hebrides trade so long as they didn’t fly the French flag and that 80 per cent, of their cargoes was food.

Among those who helped bring the special plight of the New Hebrides to the attention of the unions in Aus tralia was Mr. Bob Paul, New Hebrides businessman and Advisory Council member, who went on Aus tralian TV and radio to explain that the New Hebrides was suffering as a result of the boycott.

Mr. Joe Bada, of Australia-New Caledonia Exports Pty. Ltd., also told the unions that there was a growing shortage of stockfeed in New Caledonia and one poultry farmer had been forced to kill off 10,000 head of poultry because he was unable to feed them.

In Peru, Premier and Defence Minister General Ernesto Sanchez reaffirmed that Peru would break off diplomatic relations with France if France went ahead with the tests.

Peru made the same threat last year and as a result the test programme was prematurely ended.

As June’s end drew near and with out a nuclear explosion, unsuitable weather was given as the official ex planation for the delay, but critics had

Two sides to a TV story

In Sydney in June as a guest of the militant Waterside Workers Federation and the equally militant metal trades unions, Fiji’s equally militant trade unionist Mr. Apisai Tora, general secretary of the Fiji Airline Workers Union and a National Federation Party member of the House of Representatives, appeared on television on June 20, Facing the cameras in Channel 7’s “Today” programme, Mr. Tora talked about his union’s brush with Qantas and a few other matters including the appointment of Mr. Justice Nimmo as Fiji’s Chief Justice. Maybe he was dazzled by the bright lights, or just nervous, but there was a big gap in his story about the Chief Justice and the gaoling of Suva lawyer and politician Mr. Vijay Parmanandam for con tempt of the Fiji Supreme Court and the Chief Justice. This was Mr.

Tora’s version of the trial: “Now in the recent general elections, one of our blokes—one of our candidates— criticised Nimmo and he was brought before Mr. Justice Nimmo, none other than Justice Nimmo himself,

Listening in on the Coconut Radio PIM heard that a well known Islands personality is likely to be appointed as first Director of the South Pacific Forum’s Bureau for Economic Co-operation. The man strongly tipped for the fob is Mahe T upouniua, Tonga’s Minister of Finance.

other hopes. The tide of protest con tinued to rise, with volunteers in Syd ney threatening to parachute into the test area and New Zealanders raising money to charter ships to “invade” the scene. Canada’s Greenpeace Founda tion announced that its yacht Green peace 111 was provisioned for a three months’ sit-in and other vessels were available to replace her.

One rumour was that the device had been tried and was a fizzer. Scien tists were busy trying to find the elu sive key to a miniature H-bomb, but perhaps there was the prospect that after 12i years of searching for what the other nuclear powers had found in four years at most, France might save face by yielding to world pres sure and give up the search for humanity’s sake.

on a charge of a contempt of court.

And Justice Nimmo acted as a prosecutor, a jury and judge at the same time and sentenced this man to six months imprisonment. And he’s still there.”

Now Mr. Tora neglected to ex plain that two other judges, Mr.

Justice William Goudie and Mr.

Justice Clifford Grant, sat with Sir John Nimmo, and that part of the charge dealt with a statement in an election speech by Mr. Parmanandam who promised, “If you vote the National Federation Party into power, justice will be cleaned up once and for all.” He also accused the Chief Justice of “acting under the Alliance Government.”

The judgment, said the Chief Justice, was the unanimous expression of the Supreme Court. Which put’s a different complexion upon Mr.

Tora’s story.

Incidentally, Mr. Tora told a PIM man in Sydney that he is likely to be named as the NFP’s shadow Minister for Labour in the parlia mentary opposition.