SEPTEMBER 26, 1995

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TWENTY-ONE POLYNESIANS ABOARD GREENPEACE SHIP VEGA ENTER FRENCH NUCLEAR TEST EXCLUSION ZONE WITH SIMPLE REQUEST: "STOP TESTING ON OUR ANCESTRAL LAND."

MORUROA, September 26 -- After nearly 30 years, the people of Tureia have, at least for a night, been reunited with their homeland of Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls. They have come with a simple request for their new inhabitants: "We are here to ask you, President Chirac and Admiral, to terminate all nuclear testing. We want our lands back."

Today, twenty-one Polynesians sailed into the 12-mile exclusion zone aboard the Greenpeace Vega crewed by Greenpeace veterans David McTaggart and Chris Robinson. Offering the French Admiral time to consider their request before entering, the people of Tureia stated that they came in peace to deliver their message and would stay on the atoll for a night, and then depart.

"For over 30 years the French government has seriously harmed our children, islands and oceans," read the Polynesian statement. "We respectfully request that you immediately stop further testing of nuclear weapons on our property and return Moruroa and Fangataufa to us. We will then call on the United Nations to clean up and try to prevent any further pollution of our ocean and land from these two atolls."

The Polynesians requested an answer within 15 days, and if none was received, "we will take further action to settle this matter."

The breaching of the French exclusion zone is the latest direct action taken by the 20-boat international peace flotilla surrounding the French nuclear test sites. Members of the flotilla vow to continue disrupting the French military's attempts to detonate at least 6 more nuclear weapons on the fragile coral atolls. The second test is expected within the week at Fangataufa atoll, and is speculated to reach the 150 kiloton threshold.

CONTACT: Greenpeace Tahiti, ++689.433.280

Greenpeace Manutea, ++872.636.769.710