Fiji's Native Land Trust Board has rejected a call for a moratorium on the eviction of farmers on indigenous land whose leases are expiring.
The National Federation Party made the call because of the lack of any progress on solving the problem.
NFP leader Prem Singh said while talks dragged on, the tenant community was having sleepless nights worrying about their future as they became innocent victims of poltical power play.
But the general manager of the NLTB, Kalivati Bakani, says a moratorium is unneccesary as it could infringe on the rights of landowners.
Mr Bakani says tenant farmers whose leases have expired are no longer being evicted but are normally given the chance to take a 50-year lease on the site of their homes.
He says the decision to take up such residential leases is entirely up to the individual, but tenants must be educated that leases will one day expire and they must be prepared for this.
