Off Moruroa, 12pm July 11 local time:- The Rainbow Warrior today sails for Papeete, Tahiti from the nuclear test site at Moruroa, to support Tahitian protest against nuclear testing on Bastille Day, July 14th.
The Rainbow Warrior, which was boarded and tear-gassed by French commandos two days ago, is now in international waters outside the nuclear test site. Two other protest vessels, the Vega and the Bifrost, are hove to outside the test site, and a Greenpeace inflatable with David McTaggart, Henk Haazen and Chris Robinson aboard remain undetected in the vicinity of Moruroa.
The Rainbow Warrior will sail from Moruroa this afternoon local time and expects to arrive Papeete by midday July 14th. Its arrival will coincide with protests at French embassies and consulates around the world at President Chirac's decision to resume nuclear tests at the atoll in September.
Greenpeace France's Jean-Luc Thierry, aboard the Rainbow Warrior, said the Rainbow Warrior would show solidarity with the Tahitian people in their strong opposition to nuclear tests.
"The real revolutionary spirit of Bastille Day will be more present in the streets of Papeete with those who protest the resumption of testing than amongst the military preparing their deadly task at Moruroa," he said. "The vision of liberty, equality and fraternity is meaningless for the people of Polynesia while tests continue."
Greenpeace's Stephanie Mills said liberty from nuclear testing would be the best present France could offer the international community on Bastille Day.
"The Greenpeace protest will continue and increase both at Moruroa and around the world," she said. "Our inflatable crew remain undetected in the vicinity of the test site, the Vega is on the edge of the 12 mile exclusion zone, and the Rainbow Warrior will be back."
Further inforamtion: Stephanie Mills, Jean-Luc Thierry on board the SV Rainbow Warrior +872 1300312 Blair Palese, Greenpeace Communications, London +44 171 833 0600