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PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center BOOK REVIEW Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior TWENTY YEARS LATER, RAINBOW WARRIOR STILL BURNS By Sanjay Ramesh
From 1946 through 1958, the U.S. conducted nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls. At Mururoa, France conducted its last series of nuclear tests in deep basaltic formations in 1996. These tests were a major source of pollution to the marine environment in the South Pacific and had devastating consequences for the islanders in close proximity of the test sites. In 1985, the Rainbow Warrior had taken on the responsibility of evacuating 320 Marshall Islanders from the Rongelap Atoll, devastated by the radioactive fallout from U.S. nuclear tests. After visiting Vanuatu and New Zealand, the warrior led a protest flotilla to Mururoa. But three days after arriving in Auckland Harbour, just before midnight on 10 July, two bombs placed by French agents sank the ship, killing crewman and Greenpeace campaigner Fernando Pereira. David Robie’s Eyes of Fire takes us on a journey on the Greenpeace vessel, Rainbow Warrior. From Iceland to Rongelap in Marshall Islands, the Rainbow Warrior became the symbol of struggle for an independent and a nuclear free Pacific. With the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the end of détente in 1979, the struggle for winning the hearts and minds of Pacific Islanders continued in earnest as the Cold War theatre shifted to the South Pacific. In the first week of February 1985, an agreement binding Australia, New Zealand and the United States (ANZUS) in alliance began to unravel. New Zealand turned away a U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Buchanan, and Australia withdrew an offer to assist American testing of the MX Peacemaker missile. Both nations were responding to rising public consciousness of global risks generated by the nuclear arms race. Robie’s account of the Rainbow Warrior will bring back memories to many Pacific Islanders, growing up in the 1980s. The most distinguished feature of this memorial edition are the black and white photographs, against personal narrative about nuclear dust, acid rain and the slow and painful physical and mental death of Marshall Islanders exposed to radioactive fallout. The book enables readers to evaluate the pervasive influence of great power politics on small island nations, mostly dependent on aid, imports and special trade arrangements. David Robie was on board the Rainbow Warrior for ten weeks before it was sunk. For Robie, the battle for justice and truth still continues despite attempts of cover up by both French and US Governments. The book provides a detailed look at how Pacific Islanders got thrown in the abyss of Cold War politics and the catastrophic consequences for the region. Written in simple language, the book is a must read for those interested in Pacific Island affairs. Dr Robie, is an associate professor at Auckland University of Technology's School of Communication Studies. He won the 1985 New Zealand Media Peace Prize for his reporting of the voyage and terrorist attack. |
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In 1985, the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior was blown up by French Secret Service agents in Auckland Harbor. The sabotage was a result of ongoing activism by Greenpeace in the South
Pacific against French nuclear tests at Mururoa atoll since 1975 and U.S. regional nuclear weapons testing in Marshall Islands.