France recruiting Polynesian youth into colonial army Statement by Polynesian Independence Party rep

Representative of Polynesia's pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira party Heinui Le Caill has said that France is recruiting Polynesian youth into the colonial army abroad.

Heinui Le Caill made the remarks at the international conference entitled “Neo-colonialism: Violation of human rights and injustice”, organised by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), Report informs.

He noted that the Polynesian people achieved economic and political sovereignty from colonial France due to their struggle.

“Our party has fought against colonialism for 40 years and wants to put an end to it. The UN played a big role in eliminating colonialism. Our country was listed as a Non-Self-Governing Territory in the 1940s, but France removed us from it in 1947. Then we were included in this list again, but now France is trying to exclude us from it again. It wants us to be dependent,” he added.

“I hope that French Polynesia will soon gain independence. The population of France's overseas colonies is suffering. France thinks that it promotes stability and cooperation. However, in reality, this is not so. Nuclear tests were carried out in French Polynesia, that is why the population protested,” he added.

Heinui Le Caill said that France obtained $25 billion as a result of the exploitation of French Polynesia’s natural resources.

“France ignores the Polynesian people. The French people have most of the jobs. We want to be sovereign and put an end to colonialism,” the representative of the party noted.

Polynesia continues suffering from the consequences of French nuclear tests.

The party representative noted that the nuclear tests being conducted by France negatively affect the health of the population and the ecology of Polynesia.

“The French authorities have been poisoning us with radiation from nuclear tests for many years.

“The policy of French hegemony will lead to nothing good,” he added.

The representatives of 14 countries, as well as the overseas territories of France and Corsica attended the conference entitled “Neo-colonialism: Violation of human rights and injustice”, organised by the BIG.

The BIG was created in Baku on July 6, 2023 by participants in the conference “Complete Elimination of Colonialism” within the ministerial meeting of the Coordination Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement chaired by Azerbaijan.

BIG supports the struggle for freedom of the peoples of various regions of the world still suffering from colonisation in the 21st century. BIG held a conference at UN headquarters entitled “Decolonisation: A Quiet Revolution” on September 22.