…Tuvalu has not yet taken any legal action against Australia and any other state party in the convention. There are options available –– option to mitigate or to adapt. As regards legal action, Tuvalu is still

investigating. The Tuvalu government is studying the possibility, technicality and legality of the issue. You should realise that these issues are very sensitive. Taking people to court is sensitive. You don’t take your friends to court, do you?

…Australia is a very important country, not just for us, but also for all island countries in the Pacific. We all have very cordial relations with Australia. We would want to resolve the issue within the bilateral framework. Shifting this to another relationship or another engagement is a difficult issue. That is why I said the Tuvalu government is exploring the possibilities.

…We hope that we will be able to explain things to the international community. Eventually, if these predictions were to come true, and if these predictions were not be heeded, then it will be a legal case. It amounts to denial of fundamental human rights. We are talking about our right to existence, we are dealing with our right to enjoy life freely, our human rights to expression, culture and to continuation of the basic traditions of our community; we are talking about sovereign rights to territory.

… See, you are in your house, living comfortably with your family, with your children. Somebody just comes and sprays gas into your house. Wouldn’t this affect your human rights? Don’t you think this is quite similar to global warming?

…There may be some straining of relationships, because Australia, despite being a close partner, is not ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. On the contrary, they are saying the sea level is not rising in Tuvalu. When you say all these things, it affects relationships.