US Vice President Kamala Harris announced in the Pacific Islands Forum held on July 12 that America will significantly deepen its engagement in the region through a series of actions.
However, one might argue that the US presence is more of a disturbance to the locals. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, in 1946, the US began using the Marshall Islands as a nuclear testing site and carried out 67 tests over the following 12 years.
Several years after exposure to nuclear radiation, a high incidence of thyroid cancer was reported in the Marshall Islands, as well as an unusually high prevalence of stunted growth among local children, an investigative report by the United Nations Human Rights Council shows.
How does the US deal with its nuclear legacy there? Are the islanders, who endure illness and property damage as a result of nuclear tests, fairly compensated?
In an interview with GDToday, Rhea Moss-Christian, former Chair of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission, said that the estimated compensation the US should have paid to the Marshall Islands and its people amounted to $3.5 to $4 billion, and the nuclear radiation is still affecting the environment and residents’ lives. She also noted that the US has been delaying subsequent compensation since the initial payment was made in December 2008.
In this video, we will take a closer look at the Pacific Islands and uncover the forgotten history of the nuclear tests.
Co-presented by GDToday and School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University
Authors | Lydia Liu, Edward (intern), Peter (intern)
Video editors | Zhang Xiao, Zhang Zhiyi
Poster designer | Mia
Investigator | Zhang Xiao
Editors | Wing, Keane, Steven, Jerry, James
