A French Polynesian opposition politician is sceptical about France giving a site in Tahiti for a nuclear weapons test memorial.
French National Assembly member, Moetai Brotherson Photo: AFP
Last week the French National Assembly voted to cede the former command complex of the French Navy in Papeete for such a nuclear museum if it was built within five years.
Moetai Brotherson, who is an assembly member in both French Polynesia and France, has questioned how the legacy of the 193 atomic tests would be presented.
"I'm pretty cautious of anything free coming from France - these are very often deadly gifts.
"We will have to wait. Who is going to cover the cost of destruction of this building? Is it going to be the French state or is the cost going to bear on the local government."
The French public accounts minister Gerald Darmanin said the memorial reflected a wish by the French Polynesian people to remember the tests.
