Islanders reclaim land

VILLAGERS on Woodlark Island in Milne Bay have reclaimed their customary land from the State after almost 120 years, Lands Minister Benny Allan said yesterday.
Allen said that the declaration for the eight clans to reclaim their customary land was gazetted.
“We will now do a letter to the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to inform them that the declaration of that land has been done,” Allan said.
“After O’Neill has been informed, Milne Bay Governor Titus Philemon will officially announce that the land has gone back to the people. Then the people can be recognised as the official customary land owners.” Allan said that about 90 per cent of their customary land was forcefully acquired by the colonial government for development purposes in the late 1800s without the knowledge of the islanders.
“The action of the colonial government has caused the villagers to be landless on their own land and is now seen as illegally squatting on State land.”
Samarai-Murua MP Gordon Wesley had asked Allan about the progress of the villagers reclaiming their customary land from the State. Woodlark Island is in Wesley’s electorate.