Vanuatu residents who have been evicted by police after settling illegally near the Port Vila airport say the police gave them only one hour to take down their homes before they enter in to demolish.
Police yesterday begun enforcing an eviction order against about 300 people who had been living illegally in the area called Destination since 2006.
The eviction order came following an application by Efate custom land owners against settlers from other Vanuatu islands.
One of the residents, Jeffrey Owen, says they were only given a little time to move out.
[TRANSLATED]
They told us we must be out, they gave us only one hour and then they start to demolish more than three hundred homes. Yeah they only gave us a short amount of time to get out. Only one hour or they would come in and remove us because they were following court orders.
Jeffrey Owen says those who have no place to go have put their belongings on the main road while awaiting government assistance.
Photo: RNZI Hilaire Bule
