Landowner will challenge eviction

 By PISAI GUMAR

THE proposed eviction of settlers at Jawani Tais in Lae, Morobe, will not go unchallenged, a landowner leader says.

Labu Lunda clan leader Alex John said the matter would be brought before a court to determine the legitimate title-holder.

John said as legitimate customary landowner, he would never allow the land to be bought or sold for business purposes. 

A spokesman for the settlers, John Miamil Yame, said that Jawani Tais was previously a swamp and dumping ground before they settled in the early 1990s. 

“The provincial governments’ decision to serve us a 30-day eviction notice has not gone down well because most of the settlers are company and government workers and are taxpayers,” he said.

“It will be only proper if the government have in place alternatives before evicting us.

“This is total injustice and based on human rights, we have engaged services of a lawyer from public solicitor’s office to take up the matter for the court to determine.”

Lae district administrator Robin Calistus said they were aware of the settlers taking a restraining order but they would get the stay order to ensure the settlers vacated the area that would be used to build the Jawani Industrial Park.

Calistus said that first 150 households were issued eviction notices for 30 days since March 16 to April 16 to look elsewhere as far 40-Mile and Situm to acquire land to resettle; while provincial government will assist to provide transport to dispatch them.

There were total of 260 households with almost 500 people.

Calistus said that the remaining settlers will be served their eviction notice this Saturday; while some settlers at 2-Mile’s Zero and One Blocks will likely to be affected as well.