A landowners group in Papua New Guinea's Jiwaka Province has issued an ultimatum to the government, demanding that what they say is long overdue compensation being paid.
It wants 5 million US dollars in compensation paid within seven days for a 543 hectare block of land acquired by the state more than 50 years ago and now occupied by a Catholic mission.
The Post Courier reports a spokesperson for the Andpang tribe of North Waghi District, Dorum Kasbal, saying the claim was initially submitted 14 years ago.
He says if the government can make immediate payments to land owners in the resource rich provinces right away, then this request should be treated no differently.
The group is promising to shut down the Fatima mission, which includes schools, if the government does not meet its demand.
A huge ditch has been dug across the entrance road to the mission by tribe members who have also blocked the road with logs.
The Catholic archbishop of Mt Hagen Douglas Young has called on the government to dialogue with the landowners as soon as possible to ensure the social services at Fatima continue.
