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October 9, 1981 — COMMONWEALTH eXMneR - Page 7
Radiation victims
speak
out
dyGlenn Alcalay
.
eS
nm
AQe Bay
”it
pet th
tion. »
U. §., there are some positve
I recently retumed Gom a ated foods from the lagoon. -Udrik, where doctors end acienWhile on Ebeye, J tal.ed with and constructive ways to use the
~Fabwe said that the Rongeiap ‘ists from Brookhsven National
sesearch field trip in the Marshall.
[glands where | conducted many people are -sealty frightened Laboratory
have narrowly - Abnirs Matayoshi from Rong: money in the futur.
For instance, the Marshallese
1 lap who conveyed the following:
imtermews with people who are about remaming on Rungciap focused their past studies.
“In 1978 J was in Japan to feel very strongty about the need
tontinung to suffer the long now, and asked me if there was
On Utirik, I spake with Emto
term effects from radiation m -mything that we could do to i Kel, « victim of the faliout, who attend af anti-bomb conference. for independent doctors and
_ the aftermath of the United sure the mfety of the people “has receatty had his thyroid re- At Nagasaki and Hiroshima hoe scientists to help them with ther
States’ atomic testing program in still on Rongelap. ] suggested moved. In an ntemew Emto pitals we visited the bomb vic- ongoing radiauon problems. |1 15
_ tims. The peopie told us of some— feanble that an independent
sO,
the Pacific. I met with people that we obtain the mw dats said:
l mow believe that the women who had commitied sui- team of doctors could provide
from Utnk, Wot. Ebeye and from the 1978 DOE survey and
Majuro on their respecte atolls, have independent scienttrts — Atomic Energy Commission cide because they felt they were them with the compassonate
and I was able to learn about i ¢., scienusts not affiliated widr (AEC) acientsts used us and the in pnson and could not vist and comprehensive medical care
tome of the ongomg problems am agency or laboratory of the people from Ronglap in an ex- their relatives. This is the tame that has been so lacking in the
and consequent fears and an- U. S. government — amsezs the periment © test ‘the bomb.’ feeling we now have iiving on past. It is true that even the bes:
xieties plaguing these victimes of ‘gaw data and make recommend When the U. §. first went to the Ebeye due to our inability to medical treatment cannot undo
- ations to the people of Rongelap Woon they sent a dog so that in vist our farnilies an Rongelap the latent effects or genetic dam.
U. 5. militarism.
“eanceming whethet they should éase something went wrong it where we refuse to bve because age from radiation, but an indeWhile on Ebeve island {in vemain there, or evacuate due to
pendent group of doctors can at
would not hurt people. The of the ‘poison.’
Kwajalein Atoll). I spoke with dangrous levels of residual radia“The U. S. tested bombs here least stem some of the fears and
same thing happened when they
Jabwe Joyur — the magstrate of tion on their atoll. Curendy,
tested bombs in our islands be-- because of the expanse of ocean amueties caused by the callous
Rongelap Atoll — who expremed attomeys working with the
cause they conmdered thet we and because our islands were and negligent treatment by the
much fear and apprehension Atomic Testing Litigation Prowere like animals and were of no guitable for testing. They did not Brookhaven doctors in the past.
conceming hus peopie who re‘ gare about the people in the
ject in the Marshalls are crying to importance.”
Additionally, it 1s quite possmain on Rongelap. Jabwe ex- force the DOE to mrrender the
When I spoke with Nine Marshalls — they thmk they are ible that some of the money
plained that ance the ome of raw data, and when they get the
Letobo from Utirik about her some thing to use for tesung It is from the settlement could be
the Department of Energy aerial data it will be dutributed to
percepoons of the radiation pro- just like what the French are used to establish a small-scale
radiation survey of the Northem such groups es Physicians for
doing to the peopie of Tahiti. fishing industry for some of the
blems, she told re that:
Marshalls in 1978. the DOE had Social] Responsibility and other
and some of those people were outer islands im the Marshalls.
placed a quarantine on the north- respected scientists for their re“The AEC doctors treat us as put into pnson for protestng ” The United Nations Developerm half of Rongeiap Atoll, and view.
if we were anmais for their use
John Anjain, who was mags- mant Program has recently inmance 1978 the peopie of RongeJabwe's fears about Rongelap and they do not tel us the truth trate of Rongelap m 1954 dunng stituted a puot project in India
lap are not allowed to remde or are certainly “justified’m light of about our problems. Could yqu the fallout from “Bravo,” ex- uang flathulled fiberglass skiffs
collect food or copra from the the recent disclomre by the please help us to find honest plained in an interview that: which use five-horsepower diese!
Quarantined area. As Jabwe ex- DOE that several atolls — if not doctors to tell us the truth about
“From the beginnmg of the engines. These wal! skiffs cost
plained.
the
fisn
circulate all — of the Northern Marshalls our gcknesses? I also believe testing program im our islands about.$7.000 and require Lite
throughout the Roneelap lagoon contain varying levels of residual that all of the Marshall Lilands the U. S. has treated us like maintenance and are ideally
(as do other foods m the Mar- radiation from the testing era, in have ‘poison,’ and I now believe
animals in a scientific expen- suited for lagoon fishing. Smali
shallese diet) and now the addinon to several cases of thy- that the AEC doctors have been
ment for their studes. They deep freeze units, powered by
people of Rongelap are quite roid abnormalities occurring in keeping secrets from us for
come and study us like shirnals solar enesgy where aliernatve
concemed about ¢aung contami- atolls other than Rongelap and many years about our condiaod think of us as ‘gumea pigs.' energy using photovoltaics and
We are the ‘gume pigs.” wind generators are perfects
The lawsuits being filed for ‘suited for tropical localiues in
@ Wake Island
personal injures and property the Trade Winds region.
damage on behalf of the Mar- (Gienn Alcalev was a Peace
thallese by the lawyers of the Corps Vodinwer on Unirih Atoll
Marshall
islands
Atomic in the Marshal! islands, 1975 Testing Litigation Proyect will 1977. He has represeneed the
’ reverse the tragic and pemicious Unnk Council in Uo S. Congreseffects of radiation. However, stonal Hearings and t currenny
if the Marshall Idanders succeed a Ph D. candidate m Anthro+ .°
iD Winning a settlement from the pology at Rutgers Universit.)
Heart
Disease.
-
You can live
without it.
$532,200 approved for students
SAIPAN — Gov. Carios Cama. far, which have yet to be acied You mayfool same people same
cho said this week on Saipan on.
of the Gime but you cannot fool
that on Aug. 21, 1981, he signed
The Governor ‘said the Board “al the people afl the time.”
Public Law 2-22sppropriating of+ Education has swerded ““Ogimoro mid the Goemaor
$532.200 in Fiscal Year 1981 ‘$129,125 to etudents abeoad, “4m fact approved the §532,200
for financial aid to Nerthem ‘and up until Aug 10,1981, Wudent aid gppropriation, but
when the board took ower the “toed the Senate plan to divide
secondary schools abroad.
He
sad
aeppliceuons
edministration of fintncial ald
for program from the municipal gov.
CNMI students are reviewed by &
special committee of the Northe708 Aéznanas Board of Education.
“On Aug 21, the committee
approved 114 applicauons and
dmapproved 25, the. Governor
ja money among the idands.
+’ “The program was a mess be- |
emments, « total of $244,282 fore it was tupsferred to. the
had been ewarded, which would iNorthem Marizass Community
jeave 8 «6(cbelence «af about Celle,” Ogum oro said. “Now $148,000 yet be sgrarded in the program # sun
FY 1981. P
A commitee of the Board of
, Bducation makes the swards and
_ said. Seven of those 25 were disthe stall of she Collage provides
approved because of the spplithe staff work.”
;
-cants’ low grade paint everage Health, Education and Welfare,
Camacho end Ogamoro were and 12 because the sepplicant has eccussd Pete A. Tenorio, macting to the statements Psic
wyre part-time rather then full- “GOP candidate for Lt. Govemor, A. Tenorio made in a story on
tie students. The other ay of spreading “bistant lies” shout WF one of the Sept25th Me
were
already
on
educaton/
the Yeancial aid program dor
tmuming jesve and were not all gyeel enatente eedwine ated
af the Exarine.
—
Been
”
a ee ie
>
al
ire
PENINSULA
HOTEL
ag
Marianas student attending post-
5
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