Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tahiti on Sunday morning, for his first trip to this archipelago of the South Pacific.

Announcements concerning the French nuclear tests, carried out on the archipelago between 1966 and 1996 and responsible for an explosion in cases of thyroid cancer, are awaited by the inhabitants.

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Emmanuel Macron arrived this Sunday in Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the president is eagerly awaited there on a sensitive subject: nuclear tests.

For 30 years, between 1966 and 1996, 193 shots were recorded off and in the basements of the islands.

Many residents were therefore exposed to radiation. 

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Explosion of cancers 

This is the case of Henriette and Claudine, two sisters whose father worked in Moruroa, one of the atoll from which the nuclear tests were drawn, and who both had breast cancer. "A lot of people in our area went to work there in the spirit of earning money for the family, but without understanding what was going on or what the atomic bomb was," says one of the people. 'they. After a long and complex procedure, they were recognized as victims of nuclear tests and compensated. 

This is also the case for Beatrice's mother, who suffers from leukemia.

And at 44, her daughter suffers from the same disease, yet her application was refused.

But for her no doubt, nuclear tests are partly responsible.

"On the side of my mother's brothers and sisters, at least six in ten have radio-induced disease and two or three cancers. As for my cousins, they have had cancers of the thyroid, of the liver, of the lung." , she breathes.

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Pending "a request for forgiveness"

Father Auguste is president of Association 193, which helps victims. With the arrival of Emmanuel Macron, and he is waiting for a gesture. "I do not know if he has realized what it means 193 nuclear tests. It is a dramatic story that must not be forgotten. So we hope for a sincere request for forgiveness from the president," admits it although this option seems excluded. The head of state could also make announcements on the opening of archives and compensation for victims.