VECZ ODM 56 PUT UZ YUN AUREL Mtise, ZN LLU Y og) SA oe9~ P 1TOB492 WAR 77 BM rCDM A ENEWET AK ATOLL — UHR} | RES < AA 401665 “I TO WICOMTER DAS TG SAIPAN MARIANA ISLANDS oe a 7 a ~ UNCLAS : | PRESS OFFICER HICOM SENDS P&ASS To: PID - a : NYS ENEVETAX MARCH 1S, EVERY SILVER LINING HAS A GRAY CLOUD. A PARTICIPANT IN YESTERDAY'S RETURY OF THE ENEVETAK PEOPLE TO. TRKEIR ANCESTRAL HOME EXPRESSED ONE RESERVATION ALONG WITH HIS FEELING OF ELATION. THAT PERSO” “as REPRESENTATIVE ATAJI BALOS, 38, OF THE CONGRESS- OF MICRONESIA WHO REPRESENTS KOT ONLY THE PEOPLE OF ENEWETAK AND UJELANG BUT THOSE OF BIKINI, KWAJALSIN, “RONGELAP AND UTERIK, -BALOS,’ SPEAKING TO THE S AFTER THE LUAU I HOYOR OF THE - RETURNESS SAID THAT HE S THAT THE UNITIO STATES WiLL WAVE & PROGRAM OF PERIODIC MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS FOR THE | ~ SNEWETAK: PEOPLE, HE SAID THAT THE “US HAS GAINED MUCH SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE SECAUSE | » “PAGE 2 RUHHDNAIS49 UICLAS : . | > me See ..OF THE TESTING AND SO IT SHONLD BEAR THE RES PONSISILITY IF me , -OMEONE BECOMES ILL AS 4 RESULT OF LiViNG ON THESE ISLANDS." oo SALOS NOTED THAT BECAUSE OF FALLOLT F80™ THE SIKINT TESTS, THE FEOPLE OF RONGELAP AWD UTERIK WERE STILL &SFECTED AFTER TWENTY YZARS, SAID BALOS, “I AM NOT A SCIENTIST 3UT WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE." |, BALOS ALSO EXPRESSED SOME DISAPPOINTMENT Ii} THE CONDITIONS aT “cJAPTAN ISLAND, HE SAID THaT ALTHOUGH JAPTAT HAS MUCH BETTER SOTL THAN UJELANG OND THERE IS MORE FISH IN THE LAGOON, THERE Was NOT SUFFICIENT WATER FOR THE ENSVETAK PEQPLE VMI THEY ARRIVED. “Sed THAT THEIR MON STAPLES WERE ZREAOPRUIT AND PANDANUS AND YET THERE WERE ONLY COCONUT TREES OY JaPTAN. Said BALOS, “I WISH THERE HAD BEEN Noa PREPARATION FOR THE RETURH.” : REP, 3ALOS HAD PLAYE) & SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN ZFFECTING THE RETURN Of THE ENEWETAK PEOPLE TO THEIR HOME, IN i968, AFTER BALOS GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GLAG, Ke VORKED rOR THE TRUST TERRITORY GOVERNMENT &S &N ASSISTANT DISTRICT AFFAIRS OFFICER. HIS DUTIES CONSISTED OF TRAVELING TO THE VARIOUS OUTLYING ISLANDS BY FIELD TRIP VESSEL AND. MEETING WITH THE ISLAND LEADERS TO LEARN OF THeln | PROBLEMS. BEST COPY AVAILABLE Oi 5 330