Enewetak Islanders had 11 years of “annoyance”

By Gift Johnson

Although the hardships associated with the relocation of the people of Enewetak to Ujelang Atoll in 1947 have been characterised as ‘discomfort and annoyance’ (to be consistent with US legal rulings), it is clear that the conditions suffered by those relocated go far beyond simple annoyance.”

This comment was made by the Nuclear Claims Tribunal in the section on hardship compensation of its US$325 million award to Enewetak in mid-April.

Laurence Carucci, an anthropologist who worked on Enewetak for a number of years in the 1970 s and who testified for Enewetak, said the stories which the Enewetak people repeat “again and again focus on a number of core incidents including famine and hunger, near starvation and death from illness, food shortage and the limitations of the environment on Ujelang (fishing/collecting), the polio epidemic, the measles epidemic, the rat infestation, the time of the strike, and easing of suffering during the 1970 s but with continued homesickness and desire to return to Enewetak.”

In considering the value of a hardship award, the Tribunal said that it had set U 55125,000 as the maximum award for personal injury claims relating to exposure to nuclear test fallout.

To be fair to these claimants, hardship damages should not be more than this amount, the Tribunal decided.

It said there was general agreement that of the 33 years in exile on Ujelang, the period from 1956 to 1972 was when the greatest suffering occurred.

The annual per-person compensation award for this 16-year period was determined to be U 554,500. For the remaining 17 years, the annual amount is $3,000.

“This means that an individual who was present on Ujelang for all 33 years would receive U 55123,000,” the decision said.

“The Tribunal acknowledges that this amount is somewhat arbitrary and cannot fully repay those who suffered on Ujelang.”

Considering Enewetak’s population during that 33-year

period, the compensation for hardship was put at U 5534,084,500. ■