Widow, kids of former Lands registrar evicted

THE widow and children of former deputy registrar of Land titles, Mark Tola, and more than 30 other families of deceased lands officers were forcefully evicted by police yesterday at their home at Kunai Steet, Hohola, in the nation’s capital.
Tenants claimed the eviction exercise was acted upon a letter from a law firm and not by a police eviction notice or court order.
A spokesman of the tenants, who requested anonymity, said police and the director of J & R Investment Ltd, the company which claim ownership of the property went to their place at around 10am yesterday and ordered them to leave.
He said the claimant did not produce any reliable documents such as a land title or eviction notice when requested by the tenants.
“Mipela stap hia olsem 30 o 40 pela yia na mipla no save olsem ol i bin salim dispela ples,” (We have been here for almost 30 or 40 years and we never knew of the sale of the property),” the spokesman said.
He said the sale, if done so, was highly questionable.
“The lands office was not aware of the eviction and did not locate any records or files concerning the sale of the property when we enquired,” he said.
He also claimed that the Lands office did not locate the file of the property itself when they enquired.
He further claimed that the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) records indicated that the claimant, R & J Investment Ltd, registered its company in 1997 but was deregistered last January when the company failed to pay its tax returns.
He said they did not know why the police acted upon lawyer’s instructions and carried out
the eviction.
He said the police forcefully went to the flat and removed their properties in each room and told them to vacate the place.
“Where do they expect our women and children to go,” the  spokesman asked.
The widow, Anita,  who did not expect such an eviction, said she had been waiting for her husband’s final entitlements, which were still pending, to take her children to their village in Manam, Madang, and was shocked when police ordered the eviction. 
She said she never knew such a thing would happen.
Mrs Tola said she had  five children, four girls and a boy, which she takes care of by herself and did not know where else to go after the eviction.
She said her eldest daughter is 18 while the youngest son is about two.
The tentants were forced to vacate the place by 4.06pm yesterday.
Attempts made by The National to contact the police for further information yesterday were unsuccessful.