Transcript
A social media campaign has been launched in an attempt to coerce China to recognise property rights in force in French Polynesia.
Neither the French High Commission nor the Chinese consulate has responded to last week's inquiries by RNZ Pacific about whether the diplomatic status confers China's representatives a right to remain in Residence Taina.
And during office hours, the consulate's phone went unanswered
At the end of last week, Eva Bitton, the owner's daughter, had a meeting with the French High Commissioner Rene Bidal to ask for assistance.
"He said no judge and no court would ever receive the consulate of China and its diplomats to hear this case."
She said he advised her to back off and, according to her, he suggested the residence be sold as desired by China.
But the house is not for sale.
To try to recover the house, her lawyer told her that going to court remained an option - contrary to the advice by the High Commissioner, albeit it is one involving some risks.
"Maybe the court could give them two years or ten years, we don't know. So maybe it's better to just make a protocol and charge an occupation fee and they will just stay for a few months."
In March, police summoned her to the station and she was questioned about graffiti on the Chinese consulate wall.
Mrs Bitton said a secret service agent had told her about the graffiti the day before she was summoned.
Although she said it was an informal chat at the police station she was warned that they could seize all her computers and devices to get at her data.
She said she is bewildered by the situation she and her mother have found themselves in.
"I have a lot of fear about all this because of the police and because of what Rene Bidal told me. He insisted about the protection of the China consulate and China diplomats and I told him that I was the victim of aggression there. Who is going to protect me? I'm a citizen and I have civic rights who needs protection."
The French Polynesian government said it was a private dispute between a landlord and a tenant and it cannot intervene in the affairs strictly in the competence of China.
Eva Bitton is now turning to Paris, writing to President Emmanuel Macron as well as the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry.
