Namaqumaqua villagers in Serua blocked off a 16km newly-constructed road at Navutulevu, cutting off access to timber forests over which Pacific Lumber Company had logging rights.
In a report published by The Fiji Times on Thursday, November 2, 1989, the roadblock was put up two days prior.
The landowners said Pacific Lumber had failed to abide by the terms of an agreement between the company and them.
They wanted job priorities for landowners and free access to the logging concession area.
“These conditions have not been met and we are now demanding our rights,” a spokesman said.
When The Fiji Times visited the area, 10 landowners were at the entrance to the new access road, turning away traffic.
Two months ago, Pacific Lumber had put up a security barrier across the road with three guards to man it.
A notice was also put up on the wall of the guard-house declaring the road private property.
According to landowners, logging trucks using the road were issued with cards recording the number of times they used the road.
The cards were presented monthly at the company’s Lautoka office, where they were charged a toll.
“Those big ten-wheel trucks are charged as much as $2000 a month, with seven tonnes half that amount,” landowners claimed.
The road is being developed by Timbers (Fiji) Ltd, a joint company with Fiji Forest Industries, Pacific Lumber and Cakaudrove/Bua/Macuata (CBM) Ltd.
The spokesman said another bone of contention was not giving landowners job opportunities.
Two companies, Grayburn and Pillay’s, have been contracted to build the road.
“That we don’t mind. What we object to is that these two companies brought in their own labour.
They could have at least hired our people,” the spokesman said.
Negotiations continued to settle the dispute. Earlier, the manager of Pacific Lumber, Mr Ron Barfoote, confirmed the roadblock but declined to give any details.
He referred The Fiji Times to the Native Land Trust Board, saying the dispute “involves” them.
The NLTB’s official spokesman, Solomone Matau, was away sick and the estates manager Timoci Waqaisauvou was reportedly away in the Northern Division.
A man at the NLTB’s estates office said the NLTB was not aware of the roadblock.
