19 Jun 2015

Nauru landowners threaten hotel closure

11:24 am on 19 June 2015

Landowners on Nauru are threatening to shut down a main hotel on their land if the government continues to ignore their concerns.

Meneng Hotel, the main hotel on Nauru.

Meneng Hotel, the main hotel on Nauru. Photo: Supplied

The people of Meneng district were at the centre of this week's protests over the exclusion of their two MPs from parliament for more than 13 months.

Squire Jeremiah and Sprent Dabwido are among a group of five who have been shut out of parliament since May last year.

A Meneng businessman, Lockley Denuga, says the landowners in the district are increasingly concerned at their lack of representation in the parliament and are now threatening to shut down government entities, such as the Menen Hotel.

"So now because some of their installations are on our land, in our district, we are going to use that as our next plan of action for our voice to be heard. And during the protest they sacked a lot of our boys from work in a lot of the [government] entities like the Menen Hotel."

Lockley Denuga says they will want these people to be given their jobs back.

The Meneng Hotel is the main hotel on Nauru and houses many of the hundreds of Australians running the asylum seeker detention camps.

Another of the five suspended MPs, Mathew Batsiua, who was arrested on Tuesday, was given bail yesterday with strict conditions including the condition that he will be back in custody if he does anything to offend the government.

Crowds gather in Nauru

Crowds gather outside Nauru parliament. Photo: supplied/ Shane Bazzi