Frustrated landowners lock canneries

By JIMMY KALEBE
AHI landowners in Lae chained the gates of three fish canneries yesterday over long-overdue review of memorandums of Agreement (MoA).
The landowners padlocked chains around the gates of Nambawan Sea Foods, Majestic and Frabelle Ltd as early as 4am.
Police were called in to cut open the locks and remove the chains at 7am yesterday at the request of the factories.
Thomas Aahi, managing-director of landowner company Bup Development Ltd, said the landowners took the action because the MoA had never been reviewed since 2002.
“Successive due dates have gone by,” he said.
“Several attempts have been made to get those companies to review the MoAs so that other issues that we want to address can fall in line.”
Aahi said the landowners were concerned about the lack of spinoff benefits given to them.
“This has prompted us to conduct the peaceful protest to directly tell the companies and the authorities that there are still issues that need to be settled,” he said.
“Yesterday’s action is not to create confusion or damage to any properties or someone.
“It is just to make them see that we have needs that have to be addressed.”
Bup chairman William Kising said the agreement that was signed in 2002 was meant to be reviewed after five years, but that did not happened.
“One of the main concerns that the landowners have now is that the lease payment has not been done since,” he said.
Kising said they had tried all their best to get the companies for a roundtable talk but had been unsuccessful.
Majestic Ltd and Frabelle Ltd lawyer Natasha David, when contacted yesterday, said she had not been briefed about yesterday’s events.
She said she would have to seek her clients’ views first.
A roundtable meeting between the parties is scheduled for today.