Transcript
The president Edouard Fritch has told the UN that it would be a nonsense to say his country needed to be docolonised.
He pointed out that French Polyensia has a democratically elected government and as a full member of the Pacific Islands Forum, it should be treated as an equal.
He said he represents a majority in the assembly and asked the committee to accept his people has no desire for independence.
Moetai Brotherson, an assembly member with also a seat in the French National Assembly, took Mr Fritch to task.
"The loss of our independence was imposed on us. Contrary to what I heard from the current president of government of French Polynesia we never came to the UN to ask you to impose our independence but indeed offer a path towards self-determination where all Polynesians have a say.
"At home, in our local assembly, he swore that he would not come here to ask for our removal from the list. Today, while quoting the Bible, he lied to you and to us just as he admitted that he has been lying to the Polynesian people for thirty years about nuclear testing."
Cecile Mercier, another assembly member for Tahiti, noted the indifference of the UN towards France's inaction.
"Although it is a member of the United Nations Security Council it ignores its sacred obligation to report to the United Nations about Maohi Nui/French Polynesia in flagrant violation of the UN charter. And still, there seems to be no sanction for such a violation of the charter."
Criticism was also directed at the Pacific Islands Forum for omitting references to the impact of the French nuclear weapons tests in its communique this year.
Valentina Cross raised the question on whether this was done at the instigation of France which has now two of its territories as full Forum members.
"Could this have been the first clear example of such proxy diplomacy by omission of clear reference to the nuclear question in French Polynesia?"
President Fritch's overwhelming majority in the assembly is possible despite his party not having secured at least half of the votes. This is due to the electoral system imposed by Paris which gives the party coming first a third of all seats as a bonus as this submission notes.
"We therefore conclude that the current system has been manipulated in an attempt to undermine the force of self-determination in our country for the purpose of maintaining the colonial accommodationists in power and to enhance a form of modern colonialism."
Several speakers criticised France for its slow response to its nuclear weapons testing regime and want the UN to help assess the legacy of the 193 blasts.
Moetai Brotherson claims that with its cracks, the former weapons test site at Moruroa will in due course collapse.
He has called on Paris to remove nuclear residue from the area.
"Explain to me then why the most important French investment in French Polynesia for the past ten years has been the Telsit project, totalling more than 100 million US dollars just to monitor the cracks on Moruroa.
"This is 100 times more money than the total compensation granted to Polynesian victims so far."
With the French Polynesia file being largely ignored year by year, Richard Tuheiava made this plea.
"We remain 10,000 percent available to any member state or any group of member states in order to assist in any way in this process - so be it."
While France ignores the UN on French Polynesia, Paris cooperates with the UN on its other Pacific territory on the decolonisation list New Caledonia.
Later this week, the French government hosts New Caledonia's leaders to discuss a possible date for a second referendum on independence from France.
In French Polynesia's case, all demands for plebiscites, also the ones supported by Mr Fritch, have been ignored.
