CLAIMS of lease breaches have again been brought to the attention of The Fiji Times by landowners of Vatulele Island off the Coral Coast of Sigatoka, who are in Suva this week to lobby for intervention in their six-year struggle to get back land upon which the once-famous-now-dilapidated Vatulele Island Resort sits. Now into its seventh year, their calls for action, they claim, have fallen on deaf ears and sidestepped by the very entities they feel should have had their interest at heart.
“We, the traditional landowners of Vatulele, are compelled to publicly express our deep frustration and disappointment at the continued failure of the Government of Fiji and the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) to protect our interest and uphold their responsibilities,” they said in a statement signed by Vatulele paramount chief Ratu George Toge and elders of the three landowning units Alivereti Navori (Mataqali Valevale), Samuela Avidrega (Mataqali Nasalia) and Ilaijia Ratuva (Mataqali Nacokocokobalavu).
“Six years have passed since Vatulele Hotel Ltd acquired leases to our land. It has done nothing.
“Our land was de-reserved and the leases were granted on the clear and binding understanding that the land would be developed to generate commercial returns for our people.
“Since VHL acquired those leases, that development has not happened. There has been no construction, no restoration of the resort, no sublease sales and no income – and yet, the Government and TLTB have done nothing to hold them accountable.
“We have waited patiently. We have raised our concerns repeatedly. But our calls have been ignored. Since the last visit by VHL and TLTB representatives five years ago, we have received no updates, no progress reports and no meaningful engagement.
“This silence is not just acceptable – it is a betrayal of the trust placed in these institutions to act in our best interest.”
The landowners have engaged the services of Suva law firm Howards Lawyers.