Transcript
Walter Zweifel: There has been a bitter dispute between the owner and the Chinese diplomats over the use of Residence Taina. China rented the villa in Punaauia in 2007 as a home for a diplomat but in defiance of the lease, the house was turned into an office and later a large satellite dish was installed on its roof. Disagreement over rent and upkeep prompted the owner last year to give the consulate notice to leave by February. However, the diplomats didn't budge and instead wanted to buy the residence although it wasn't for sale.
Sally Round: But the consulate is now vacating the residence?
WZ: Yes, the Chinese consulate says on its website that visitors needing visas or passports can go to a new temporary office in a nearby apartment, also in the town of Punaauia. The satellite dish has now come off the roof and work is apparently being done to be able to meet the mutually agreed deadline of August 31st.
SR: So where does the court come into the picture?
WZ: The owner's consent in April for the Chinese diplomat to stay after the end of the lease included a clause that by the 15th of August the two sides would choose an expert to assess the condition of the residence. The agreement spelled out that it had to be returned the way it was when it was first rented and it also said should they fail to agree on an expert they would need to turn to the court. The owner Eva Bitton said one of the proposed, and rejected, experts was the person who valued the property on behalf of China when the diplomats wanted to buy it.
SR: Why were the Chinese diplomats so keen to have this place?
WZ: That is a mystery and something that has also baffled the owner. China's lawyer in Tahiti said it was very difficult to find a suitable alternative. The upshot was that by the end of February the diplomats ended up squatting because the lease had lapsed. Their lawyer said this was not so because they had been given verbal consent to stay. Eva Bitton insisted that she hadn't agreed to any such thing. In the rental extension it is stipulated that the lease did end in February.
SR: How was this situation viewed in French Polynesia?
WZ: Eva Bitton said she had no support from any French or French Polynesian officials who were seemingly mindful of the diplomatic immunity of the Chinese. The French Polynesian media largely ignored the dispute, with Mrs Bitton suggesting editors were dissuaded from reporting the affair. However, her bid to regain control of the house had a big echo on social media where nearly 9000 people signed an online petition in her support. Her campaign is not over as she hopes the house will be returned next week. Then an expert has still to be found to look at the state of the residence. In all, potential for litigation is still there.
