Wednesday, 23rd September 2009
The long road to recovery
It is a great honour for me to say a few words today on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the termination of nuclear tests in Kazakhstan. It is a particular privilege to have been invited to do so by Dr. Yerlan Sydykov, the Rector of Shakarim Semey State University. Indeed on my last visit to this university I was given the wonderful distinction of being made an Honorary Professor of this university, so I really feel as if this is my alma mater and Semey is my home.
As many of you know, I have visited Kazakhstan now at least ten times. Each time I try to come to Semey and each time I try to visit at least some of the remote villages that were affected by the nuclear tests. I have written a book - 'CRYING FOREVER' - and taken an exhibition of photographs around the world from New York to Brussels, London, Dublin and Edinburgh, to raise international awareness of the plight of the victims of the Soviet Nuclear tests in the Semipalatinsk Polygon.
So far, from the sale of my book and the sale of photographs taken by the actress and film producer Kimberley Joseph, we have managed to raise over $100,000 which has been donated to the Oncology and Children's hospitals here in Semey, as well as to some of the affected villages.
Although I have seen great changes during the past ten years, there are still many problems and I believe that the topics you are discussing at today's conference will play a significant part in finding solutions to these problems.
It was Nursultan Nazarbayev who led the massive public protests which ultimately paved the way for the closure of the Polygon. Few people heard of these demonstrations in the West when tens of thousands of brave Kazakhs, led by Nursultan Nazarbayev, resisted the wrath of the Soviet empire by demanding a stop to the nuclear tests and the closure of the Polygon testing grounds.
It is of particular significance that President Nazarbayev went on from securing the closure of the test site and the end of nuclear tests, to ordering the removal of weapons of mass destruction from Kazakh soil. This was a momentous victory and a gallant role model for the rest of the world.
Indeed when you reflect on current international concerns over nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea, it was a profound example of how Kazakhstan can provide global leadership on issues of key importance. I believe we should offer our sincere congratulations to President Nazarbayev on this significant anniversary. I am convinced that his leadership on such major issues demonstrates clearly how Kazakhstan is well suited to take the Chair of OSCE next year.
When I leave here this afternoon I am going to visit the village of Znamenka. It was in Znamenka that my association with the Polygon began. Accepting an invitation from Dr Kamila Magzieva to visit the Polygon way back in 1999, shortly after I was first elected to the European Parliament, I arrived a few weeks later in Znamenka, not really knowing what to expect. We in the West had all heard of Chernobyl, which was one single major nuclear disaster caused by the meltdown of an energy plant. But when Kamila told me that more than one and a half million citizens of Eastern Kazakhstan had been used as human guinea pigs by the Soviets, for the testing of more than 600 nuclear weapons, I was dumbstruck and immediately asked if I could visit the Polygon and see for myself the results of this environmental nightmare!
I remember meeting the local doctor in Znamenka who explained that her village was one of the worst affected by the nuclear tests and many of the inhabitants were ill. She introduced me to a group of elderly women who told me what it was like to witness the first atomic explosions and to see mushroom clouds rising a few miles away. They told me how they were ordered to stack bedding and furniture against their doors and windows to protect them from the shock waves, then to stand outside, away from any buildings, to watch the explosions. These were shocking revelations for me...almost unbelievable!
I remember meeting a group of village elders in Znamenka who said they hoped I wasn't another 'disaster tourist from the West' who come to cry crocodile tears and to promise help, only to disappear and never be heard from again. I was deeply touched by this remark and promised to help. I have kept my promise.
I visited other villages affected by the tests such as Kainar, Sarzhal and the renowned birthplace of your great poet and humanitarian - Abai Kunanbaev - Karaul. There I learned that the nuclear tests, which lasted for over a generation, had many detrimental effects, direct and indirect, on the health of the population of the region. The direct effects concern people who were exposed to radiation during atmospheric and surface tests, those who lived on the contaminated lands during and after the tests, and those born to them. These include oncogenic and mutagenic effects, as well as the poorly studied but present concern of chronic exposure to low dose radiation and a variety of somatic conditions, including endocrine and hematologic conditions.
Secrecy concerning the site and the impact of the testing on the population make it difficult to actually enumerate the total population impacted, but the number of those exposed to radiation was estimated at 1.7 million. Of these, 67,000 persons were identified as having been exposed to the heaviest radiation. 27,000 out of the 67,000 survived, along with 39,600 descendants of their second generation and 28,900 of the third, totaling 103,500 persons.
The indirect effects, on the other hand, are mainly the result of the closure of the test site and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The economic stagnation and poverty that resulted from the closing down of the site contributed to a general state of malnutrition among the population and the weakening of their immune systems.
As a result, for a time, the health situation in the Semipalatinsk region was the worst in the country. When I first visited this area the mortality rate was 11.0 for every 1000 persons, compared to 10.4 at the national level. The infant mortality rate was 28 for every 1000 births, as opposed to a national average of 25.3. As for maternal mortality, it was around 286 per 100,000 live births in the region in comparison with 64 at the national level.
Birth defects are rather common and actually increased for a time in the early nineties from 81 for every 100,000 persons to 104.3, due to the genetic multiplier impact of having two parents both suffering from genetic malformation, arising from the exposure of their own parents to radiation.
As you all know only too well, a variety of illnesses, including cancer, are rampant in the Polygon. The death rate from malignant tumors has constantly been higher than the national average. Endocrine, cardiovascular and infectious blood diseases, as well as a great weakening of the immune system, are commonplace. The population of the region is also subject to a higher rate of anaemia and leucopoenia, to the extent that over 80% of the population in some areas are anaemic.
The incidence of mental retardation and illnesses is also greater in the Polygon than elsewhere in the country. In 1996, the rate of psychiatric disorders was 21.5% higher than the national average. The mental disorders tend to be of two natures, either due to cognitive impairment, or to psycho-traumatic factors.
Nevertheless, anxious-phobic states and depression are prevalent, resulting in a greater suicide rate in the region. This has been particularly prevalent amongst children and teenagers. In fact the title of my book 'CRYING FOREVER' was taken from the gravestone of a young girl of 20 who had committed suicide in the village of Kainar. Her distraught father had written this poignant inscription on her tomb.
I know that all of this information is common knowledge to you in Semey, but I have to tell you that it is profoundly shocking to people in the West. Nevertheless each time I return to Europe with a positive message, because I have witnessed over the past decade massive improvements throughout Kazakhstan. I have seen the development of new roads and bridges, new shops and hotels, new businesses and industries. I have watched your new capital Astana, rising from the steppe as a majestic symbol of Kazakhstan's leading role in Central Asia. I have applauded the modernisation of your hospitals, schools and universities.
I know the economic recession hit your country hard. It hit all of us hard. But Kazakhstan is back on track for strong economic growth. Indeed as a country with more than 100 ethnic minorities, more than 45 religious faiths, all living together in harmony, there are many lessons which we in the West can learn from Kazakhstan. It is a country which we in the EU are proud to call our leading partners in Central Asia. This is a great country and Semey is a great city of which I am proud to be an honorary citizen. I wish you well for the future.
STRUAN STEVENSON, MEP
