I want to thank Scottish CND for the honour of being invited to speak here today in Remembrance of all of those many Marshallese people who have found themselves exiled from their homeland by the high- handed and arrogant colonial power approach take towards them by successive US Governments – to be removed from the beautiful island home of your families and ancestors so that these can be used as targets for nuclear testing over many years is a crime.
I’ve heard that the Nuclear Claims Tribunal awarded $2 Billion in damages, but that only $4 Million has been paid out and that there’s no enforcement mechanism in place – so the abuse continues to take place.
I believe that the United Nations must be the venue for this situation to be challenged and that all concerned peoples should make their voices heard in support of the People of the Marshall Islands.
The mind-set that allowed these events to take place is of course international. Here in Scotland, it was revealed to us that in the 1950’s the British Government had plans in place to use the area around the town of Wick, in the north of our country, s a test-site for nuclear explosions.
The only reason that this didn’t go ahead was that the very wet weather in the area was causing damage to the sensitive electronics used to measure the power and radioactivity of the devices to be exploded – not because of the sensitivity to nuclear explosions of the 7,000 people who live in the area.
This was kept as an Official Secret until 30 years later.
The British Government moved their tests to the Kalgoorlie Desert in South Australia – where it’s very dry and the people whose homeland that is, being Aboriginals, were of no importance to them.
I have a message from our First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon:
Dear Deputy Permanent Representative Lanwi.
Please convey my and the Scottish Government’s kindest good wishes to the People of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and to their Government.
We here in Scotland admire the dignity and strength of the Marshallese People in the face of these many years of adversity through the loss of homeland, held so dear.
The People of Scotland stand beside you as fellow human beings and wish you success in your work to achieve your human rights in what compensation is due to you for your loss over these many years.
May I now say,
DPR Lanwi thank you very much for joining us here today and I now introduce you to our gathering today and invite you to speak to this Scottish CND Day of Remembrance for the Marshall Islands.
Bill Kidd MSP