MARSHALL ISLANDS JOURNAL age 14 Friday, June 21, 1985 Volume 16, Number 25 JS.officialsworry about ‘Greenpeace Trauma” rum page 6 lapese are evacuated to 1.8, hospitals at U.S. goernment expense. In interviews, U.S. offi- ialsexpressea sympathy orthe fears of the islandrs, and support for their ight to move anywhere hey pleased. “We don't iave any vested interest in ,eeping the people on Rongelap,” one U.S. goernment official said. “If sumed at the rate of more than one crab per day per person. Most Rongeiapese supplement their diet _ with imported foods. Some of the smaller is lands on the northern rim of the atoll, U.S. officials say, should not belived on Thar’ should food be taken from them, but most Rongelapese live on the main island of Rongelap, in the we'd had reason to believe southern part. Officials acknowledge thai Kong: -he U.S. moved people off Zikini atoll a second time ship of land in the northern part of the atoll, are clared access to islands. t was unsafe we'd say $0.” The official noted that in 1978 after having denine years earlier that Bikini, the site of atomic tests in the 1950's was safe to inhabit. The second move-off came because too much radioact+ vity had stayed in the Bi- kini food chain. The U.S. would have alerted the Rongelapese, the official said, had it seen convincing data that the inhabited area of Rongelap was still unsafe. U.S. officials say that the fish in the Rongelap lagoon are safe to eat with the exception of the coco- nut ¢rab, a local delicacy, which should not be con- pese, especially those who had personal ownerunhappy US, about their officials loosing former expressed concern that trauma of the move from Rong- elap to Mejato could be worse than danger associa- ted with radiation levels. They also expressed con- cern for the lack of educationsal and health facilities for Rongelapese on their new atoll. Shortly after the move by Greenpeace, the Rongelapese said they had been deposited on their nev atoll without the necessary supplies and were hungry. A Marshall 5001b09 Islands | | supply ship was diverted to provide food. U.S. sources note that the government of the Marshall Islands had taken the position that there is no reason for the Rong- ,elapese to move. The 300 ‘Rongelapese pian to ask the U.S. Congress for 27 million dollars in resettiement money, according to the news reports. Under the proposed Compact of Free Association between the Marshal! {Islands and the United States, currently being de- bated in the U.S. Congress, ‘each inhabitant of Rong- elap is due to receive about $8,000 per year for the next 15 years as part of an agreed-upon package of nuclear claims compen sation. This constitutes a generous sum, US. sources say, given the Marshall ls lands average annual income of about $500 to $700 per year, but slightly less than the compensation offered to the inhabitants of Bikini and Enewetak under the Compact. tn ad- dition, all atomic cilai- mants will continue to re- - ceive U.S. government agricultural and health services. ,