Veterans including former Fiji servicemen who participated in the Cold War nuclear weapons tests cannot sue Britain's Defence Ministry after a British Court ruled yesterday that the veterans did not have enough evidence to prove their illnesses resulted in exposure to radiation.

Ten former servicemen sought damages from the British Ministry, arguing that a low but significant dose of radiation during nuclear testing in Australia and on Pacific Ocean islands including Christmas island in the 1950's resulted in illnesses like cancer, skin defects and arthritis.

But The Associated Press said the British Court of Appeal said nine out of the ten test cases cannot continue in court because the veterans launched the cases after the legal time limit expired and because the men could not prove that radiation rather than the onset of old age prompted their illnesses.

The ten were test cases among a group of 1,011 veterans, most from Britain though some are from Fiji and New Zealand.

Neil Simpson, a lawyer representing the veterans said attorneys are considering taking the nine rejected cases to the Supreme Court.

He added that because the 1,011 cases were all different, there is nothing to stop the others from suing.

British Defence Ministry officials argued that the ministry took all precautions to protect servicemen from radiation exposure.

It also said that in most cases, the men were exposed to no more than the background radiation they would have experienced in the UK.


Story by: Vijay Narayan