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by
Media
Release The
National Farmers Union is concerned at the action of some landlords in the
Western Division who are forcefully entering property owned by tenants. In one
case in Lautoka, villagers claiming to be landowners demanded that one of their
members and his family share the house which is occupied by the tenant. The
house is small enough suitable only for the small family of the tenant. When the
tenant rejected the demands, the villagers threatened the tenant and demanded
that he remove whatever he can from two attachments to his home by 5pm Saturday.
They also threatened him and demanded that he not touch the main house which has
a concrete portion, as the `landlord’ himself would like to stay in the house. The
villagers entered the compound and kept a menacing presence as the tenant
dismantled whatever he could and carted them away. The
villagers claim that Apisai Tora, the regime’s ALTA minister, had visited them
and gave them permission to enter the property and claim it. The grace period
under the lease expires at the end of June this year. The villagers also
threatened journalists who went to report on the matter. The
actions of the villagers and the statements coming from the Police Department do
not gell. While the
Police Department is issuing warnings to landlords to not to forcefully enter
property owned by others, it refuses to attend to reports made by victims of
such forceful entry, criminal intimidation, and outright plunder. The actions of
the police force speak louder than its words. The police seems to be in league
with the law-breakers. The
action of the landowners over the weekend in Lautoka, and the inaction of the
police is a warning to the peace-loving tenant community that it can not rely on
the villagers and landlords to keep within the law. It is also a stern warning
to the tenant community that it can not rely on the Police Force to maintain law
and order. |
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People's Coalition Government - Fiji Islands |
