410288
STATEMENT OF JONATHAN M. WEISGALL
. LEGAL COUNSEL TO THE PEOPLE OF BIKINI
Before the United Nations
Trusteeship Council
May 20, 1981
Mr.
President and Distinguished Members of the Trusteeship
Council:
The people of Bikini appreciate your granting their
‘ petition to address you today.
of Bikini,
As legal counsel for the people
I have been asked to speak as their representative.
With me are Tomaki Juda, Magistrate of the Bikini Council,
Nathan Note,
the Council's
of the Council,
scribe,
Johnny Johnson,
Senator Henchi Balos,
treasurer
the elected representative
of the people of Bikini to the Marshall Islands legislature, the
Nitijela,
my colleague,
James Hamilton,
and Dr. Henrv I. Kohn,
Professor Emeritus at Harvard Medical School.
I.
Background to 1980 Dose Assessment Meetinc
Wnen I addressed you last year,
the people of Bikini
knew that resettlement of Bikini Island would not be possible
for many years,
but they still hoped to return to Eneu Island,
located at Bikini Atoll five miles south of Bikini.
time,
the Bikinians had asked the U.S.
At that
Depvartment of Energy to
provide them with updated dose assessments of health risks
regarding the radiological safety of Bikini Atoll.
This infor-
mation was presented to the Bikinians at a two-day dose assessment
meeting held on Kili Island on October 8 and 9, 1980.
Kili,