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Marshall Islanders were recognized and thanked for
their “contribution to the protection of the ‘free world’ during the cold War
era through the nuclear testing program” by US Ambassador Greta Morris at
Monday’s 50th anniversary of the Bikini Bravo hydrogen bomb test held at the
capital complex. Marshallese people
“should take pride” in their contributions that led to the establishment of
democracy and freedom in many parts of the world.
Morris also said the US government “deeply regrets the hardships the peoples of
the four atolls have endured as a result of the testing program, as well as the
accidental downwind injuries caused by one test.”
She said that the US has spent millions of
dollars in health services for the people “inadvertently affected by the testing
program”, as well as funding environmental monitoring and restoration work on
the affected atolls.
Morris spoke in detail about the strong and long-standing US-Marshall Islands
relationship.
She also emphasized the firm funding commitment
that the US has made and continues to make to the RMI that benefits not only the
four radiation-affected atolls but all Marshallese.
In particular, she spoke about:
• Marshallese serving in the US military and
specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• The Reagan Test Site at USAKA “plays a vital
role in promoting regional stability and in protecting our homelands”. But, “we
also believe the presence of the test site is good for the people and economy of
the Marshall Islands and specifically, the people of Kwajalein Atoll.”
• The strong people-to-people ties, through the
2,400 Americans living at Kwajalein, WorldTeach and Dartmouth Volunteer
teachers, many ex-Peace Corps Volunteers living in the RMI, and the 10,000
Marshallese who live and work in the US.
She emphasized America’s financial commitment
to the Marshall Islands, saying that through the recently approved Compact, the
US will provide $57 million in direct funding annually for the next 20 years.
She added that the US provides access to many
programs and services in addition to direct funding and that in 2002, the total
value of all programs, grants and Compact funding was $203 million, “making the
Marshall Islands one of the largest per capita recipients of US assistance in
the world.”
Morris said the US wants to strengthen the relationship by providing “ongoing
health care for persons affected by the testing, via environmental monitoring
and in our support of the remediation and resettlement efforts for the affected
atolls.” |
