On October 12, 1989, forty villagers from Suvavou occupied a cement block-making factory in Lami, claiming that D Narayan Industries owed them over $1,400 in land rent. The villagers blocked all entrances to the factory and a nearby truck depot, erecting barricades and setting up a tent outside the factory office where they drank yaqona while guarding the gates.
Metui Mudunavosa, a representative for the Tui Suva, explained that the villagers had resorted to this action after multiple unresolved complaints to the Native Land Trust Board (NLTB). They had reported that rent for the years 1988 and 1989 was unpaid but received no action in return. After a meeting with NLTB officials on Wednesday, who indicated they would issue an eviction notice, the villagers felt unsatisfied and threatened to halt operations at the complex.
Mudunavosa asserted that D Narayan Industries was occupying the land illegally, as it had been leased to D Narayan Brothers Limited in the 1970s, but that company had gone bankrupt, and the factory was left closed. The landowners claimed the NLTB had known for over two years that they were not receiving rent but did not intervene, allowing the current operation without their consent.
The lease to the area, approximately one hectare, showed that it was initially granted to D Narayan Brothers in December 1970 but had undergone several mortgages until being transferred to the Commissioner of Inland Revenue in November 1988. The landowners also alleged that part of the land was illegally sub-leased to a trucking company, which was reportedly paying significantly higher rent than the villagers received.
The villagers pointed out that D Narayan Industries had extended its property boundaries beyond the original leased area over the years. Frustrated with the NLTB’s lack of action, the villagers decided to occupy the factory to assert their rights to the land they claim has been unjustly occupied.
Mudunavosa stated that the villagers were prepared to take legal action to reclaim their land and collect the unpaid rent, insisting that D Narayan Industries could not remain on their ancestral land. On the date of the occupation, the villagers were in discussions with Mr. Narayan and his lawyer at the site, highlighting the tensions surrounding the ownership and use of the land.