Land compensation demands

I MAKE reference to an article Minister told to look into airport land compensation demands (The National Feb 19) regarding demands by some people for a parcel of land within the Jackson Airport area.
I am not entirely sure of the actual status of land in question or its exact location.
However, if the land is inside State-owned land, then the people demanding for such have no rights to do so.
The so-called MOA between them and whoever is the State’s agency would have no legal effect or basis for the Government to take action upon.
If on the other hand the land is outside of the State-owned land, than these people would have rights to make those demands or claims.
I should also like to comment here that most of the land where our major airports are located on was acquired during colonial days.
People need to be aware that once the Government has acquired those land, their rights are permanently extinguished.
If on the other hand, the acquisition documents indicated a lease for a period of time, say 99 years, then the owner’s rights of occupation are extinguished for the lease duration.
The Government should not make any pre-emptive commitments on these type of claims now popping up like the one being referred in the article.
People should be aware that whatever payments that were made then, were sufficient.
They cannot now make such exorbitant demands, merely because they have now seen new developments taking place.
They have no legal basis to make those demands or claims, simple as that, full stop.

Lawrence Billy
Lae