Suriname: Economic Crisis Prompts a Showdown, and a Shutdown, in Suriname - by Harmen Boerboom and Anatoly Kurmanaev

From the New York Times comes the report that the Suriname ground to a halt recently as its banks, shops and factories shuttered in a showdown between its beleaguered private sector and its authoritarian government over how to respond to a deepening economic crisis.

The closures brought a new and unpredictable tension to the streets of Paramaribo, the capital of this nation in the north of South America. Most people stayed home to comply with measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

But anxiety mounted as ATMs ran dry in the cash-based economy and supermarkets, afraid of being overrun by nervous shoppers, were closed.

The showdown made Suriname, a Dutch-speaking ethnic melting pot of 600,000, the latest and most extreme example in South America of how the pandemic and a plunge in commodity prices are destabilizing weak economies and polarizing political systems.

The slide in the price of Suriname’s two main export commodities, oil and gold, over the past month has effectively left the country without enough hard currency to pay off its debt and import basic goods, leaving the country on the verge of default.

In addition, the departure of Dutch tourists as a result of the pandemic, which has sickened eight people in Suriname so far, has deprived the street economy of a significant source of euros.

Suriname’s economy has gone into a tailspin just as the country is preparing for a crucial vote. In May, its president, the former military dictator Dési Bouterse, will seek another term despite being convicted of homicide by Surinamese judges and of drug trafficking charges by the Dutch.

His son, Dino Bouterse, is serving time in an American prison on drug- and terrorism-related offenses.

In an effort to shore up the local currency, stem inflation and stop capital flight ahead of the vote, the government imposed strict new restrictions on foreign currency transactions. The governing party pushed the measure through Parliament at last month and it took effect 4 days later.

The restrictions outraged business people and bankers, who say they repeat the currency controls that ruined neighboring Venezuela, a rare regional supporter of Mr. Bouterse. To repudiate the new limits, they brought commerce to a screeching stop.

“What has happened cannot and will not be tolerated,” said the Association of Surinamese Industry and the Association of Surinamese Manufacturers, which called on its members to strike in a joint statement. One of Suriname’s biggest food companies, Fernandes Group, closed most of its businesses on Wednesday, provoking a run on bread.

The new measure made black market currency transactions punishable by up to three years in prison, and created a militia to stamp out illicit trading. But even as these measures were rolled out on, the cost of a dollar on the black market jumped to double the official rate as Surinamese rushed to get the scarce hard currency.

Read more at: Economic Crisis Prompts a Showdown, and a Shutdown, in Suriname - The New York Times

Suriname president acts to again avoid trial in 1982 deaths - by Pieter Van Mael

Bouterse, Suriname's President stops his own murder trial

President Desi Bouterse sought again Wednesday to prevent authorities from putting him back on trial for the abduction and summary execution of 15 political opponents when he was the military dictator of this South American nation.

Bouterse instructed Suriname's attorney general to immediately halt proceedings against him, invoking an article of the constitution that allows the president to issue such an order in the interests of national security.

The action follows a June court ruling that invalidated an amnesty law pushed through parliament by Bouterse's supporters after he was elected president. The court ordered the resumption of the trial against him and 24 co-defendants.

Since then, the political mood has been tense amid expectations that the president would seek to prevent the case from moving forward. Bouterse had said the trial poses a danger to the internal security of the country, which is struggling through a recession because of the sharp drop in commodity prices.

Justice Minister Jennifer Van Dijk-Silos confirmed that the government had invoked Article 148 of Suriname's constitution in the matter but declined to discuss the decision.

Bouterse said little as he entered and left a closed session of parliament. "Every decision has its advantages and disadvantages," he said, without providing details.

A court session in the case was scheduled for Thursday but it was not immediately clear how the judges would react to the government's action.

"We are shocked, not only because of the president's decision, but also because it was unanimously backed by the entire government," said Eddy Wijngaarde, whose brother, Frank, was among those killed by the regime. "We had hoped at least some ministers would have refused to back the president's latest attempt to make the trial impossible."

Bouterse and 24 allies from his time as a military dictator in the 1980s avoided trial until November 2007 on charges stemming from the execution of the 15 prominent political opponents, an event known locally as the "December killings" that stunned the lightly populated nation on the northern tip of South America.

The former strongman returned to power in 2010 when he was elected president by parliament. Two years later, lawmakers passed an amnesty law and court proceedings were put on hold in a decision that outraged human rights activists.

Bouterse, who was re-elected by parliament last year, has accepted what he calls "political responsibility" for the military's killing of the 15 well-known journalists, lawyers and union leaders but said he was not present when the executions took place. Witnesses in the trial have disputed that claim.President Desi Bouterse sought again Wednesday to prevent authorities from putting him back on trial for the abduction and summary execution of 15 political opponents when he was the military dictator of this South American nation.

Bouterse instructed Suriname's attorney general to immediately halt proceedings against him, invoking an article of the constitution that allows the president to issue such an order in the interests of national security.

The action follows a June court ruling that invalidated an amnesty law pushed through parliament by Bouterse's supporters after he was elected president. The court ordered the resumption of the trial against him and 24 co-defendants.

Since then, the political mood has been tense amid expectations that the president would seek to prevent the case from moving forward. Bouterse had said the trial poses a danger to the internal security of the country, which is struggling through a recession because of the sharp drop in commodity prices.

Justice Minister Jennifer Van Dijk-Silos confirmed that the government had invoked Article 148 of Suriname's constitution in the matter but declined to discuss the decision.

Bouterse said little as he entered and left a closed session of parliament. "Every decision has its advantages and disadvantages," he said, without providing details.

A court session in the case was scheduled for Thursday but it was not immediately clear how the judges would react to the government's action.

"We are shocked, not only because of the president's decision, but also because it was unanimously backed by the entire government," said Eddy Wijngaarde, whose brother, Frank, was among those killed by the regime. "We had hoped at least some ministers would have refused to back the president's latest attempt to make the trial impossible."

Bouterse and 24 allies from his time as a military dictator in the 1980s avoided trial until November 2007 on charges stemming from the execution of the 15 prominent political opponents, an event known locally as the "December killings" that stunned the lightly populated nation on the northern tip of South America.

The former strongman returned to power in 2010 when he was elected president by parliament. Two years later, lawmakers passed an amnesty law and court proceedings were put on hold in a decision that outraged human rights activists.

Bouterse, who was re-elected by parliament last year, has accepted what he calls "political responsibility" for the military's killing of the 15 well-known journalists, lawyers and union leaders but said he was not present when the executions took place. Witnesses in the trial have disputed that claim.

EU-Digest

Suriname: China's Stake In Suriname: Why Is Beijing Interested In This Small South American Country? - by Patricia Rey Mallén

Little is known in the outside world about Suriname, a small country on the northern coast of South America. Wedged -- along with neighbors Guyana and French Guiana -- between Brazil and Venezuela, the old Dutch colony has stayed largely quiet and under the radar throughout some of the most turbulent episodes of recent Latin American history.

Desi Bouterse: Suriname's Former Dictator elected President

But it has certainly attracted the attention of natural-resource-hungry China. Suriname is blessed with bauxite (an aluminum ore), an unspoiled rain forest, which covers 80 percent of the country, and lots of available arable land. Only about half a million people live in Suriname, a territory the size of Florida. And China wants a piece of it.

The Asian giant has slowly but surely made its way into this forgotten corner of South America, with a surge of aid and low-interest loans, as reported by the New York Times. Suriname also has a sizable Chinese population -- estimated at about 10 percent of the population -- dating back to immigrants who arrived in the 19th century, as well as a number of recent arrivals, including those in the country illegally.

“Suriname is a lucky country, such [a] small population, so much land,” said the former Chinese ambassador to Suriname, Yuan Nansheng, who served in the country from 2009 to 2013. With the change of government in China in March, Yuan was replaced by Yang Zigang. But it appears new President Xi Jinping’s government will maintain its ties with the South American country -- indeed, Surinamese officials met with Xi during his visit to nearby Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.

Suriname may actually need China. Since its erstwhile imperial paymaster, Netherlands, shuttered an aid program benefiting its former colony in 2010, China has become the top financial provider to Suriname. Figures are hard to obtain, but the Chinese embassy lists low-income housing, assistance for shrimp farming and an upgrade of the state television network as three of its principal projects in the country. Private investment has focused on transportation, with the China Dalian International Corp. (SHE:000881) providing some $6 billion to construct a deep seaport and new highways.

The website of the Chinese embassy in Suriname lists no new developments since 2009. Thus it is unclear what new investments have been made since then. The Suriname embassy in the U.S. did not reply to requests for interviews.

However, one expenditure made by China was military aid -- the Beijing government has donated $1.6 million in material and training to Paramaribo. “We want to provide convenience to the work of the Ministry of Defense and the Surinamese Army as they carry out their mission of safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Yuan said back in 2009.

Still, the full extent and magnitude of China’s interest in this South American country is not entirely clear. Evan Ellis, a professor of national security studies at the National Defense University in Washington, argued that it is not so much that China has a particular interest in the country, but that it is just giving Suriname the same attention it has granted to the rest of natural-resource-rich South America. “It is not a matter of zeroing in [on Suriname], but just not overlooking it like the rest of the world is doing,” Ellis said.

Read full report : China's Stake In Suriname: Why Is Beijing Interested In This Small South American Country?

South America: Suriname's president warns U.S. over interference

President Desi Bouterse :" a stained history"

Suriname's President Desi Bouterse warned on Tuesday that the U.S. ambassador may need to leave the country due to the alleged interference in the upcoming election.

The U.S. ambassador in Suriname will most likely get a warning letter from the government of Suriname on Feb. 26,in which he will be asked to defend himself, said Bouterse during a ceremony commemorating the Revolution Day.

"If the ambassador cannot properly defend himself,he may be asked to leave the country," he added.

According to Bouterse, the U.S. ambassador said and did things to avoid the coming election in Suriname because "the other president is not ready."

Bouterse said he is well aware of possible scenarios to influence the election results, but they do not worry him.

"No matter the election is held earlier or later,the opposition has no chance of winning. The president that the people of Suriname want will come to power," Bouterse noted.

He stressed that Suriname is not happy with interference from foreign countries in its national matters.

The general election for a new parliament and government in Suriname is scheduled to be held in May 2015, but the political battle has already broken out.

A member of the Suriname opposition party NPS commented: "the Americans will probably laugh at this - its like the movie called "the Mouse that roared"

EU-Digest

Netherlands: Dutch legislators want Suriname President Bouterse, a convicted cocaine trafficker, arrested while at Mandela funeral

Legislators in the Netherlands have called for the government to state whether it will be making an attempt to have Suriname President Desi Bouterse arrested while he is in South Africa attending the funeral of Nelson Mandela on Sunday.

There have also been calls from an anti-Bouterse movement for the amnesty law that could provide a pardon for his role in the murders of 15 citizens in 1982 to be rescinded.

The legislators have asked the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Foreign Minister to indicate whether the government was willing to request South Africa to arrest Bouterse and extradite him to the Netherlands to serve his jail term on cocaine trafficking charges.

Bouterse was convicted in absentia in 1999 and given an 11-year jail term.

He has consistently denied involvement in cocaine trafficking and managed to evade arrest and prison time by not travelling internationally until he became President in 2010.

Bouterse is the only head of state in the world who has been democratically elected  by a majority of the population, even though this majority was aware that he had a criminal record before they elected him. 

Obviously this does not bode too well for the image of Suriname as a whole and the quality of International laws which concern diplomatic immunity for heads of state who have criminal records.

EU-Digest

Terrorism - Suriname: Bouterse and Hezbollah possible threat to US national security

Recently  the BBC reported that Dino Bouterse, the son of Suriname President Desi Bouterse, is also being charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorist organization Hezbollah. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration claims that they have evidence showing that Bouterse was paid millions of dollars for a Hezbollah military base in Suriname and for providing them with weapons. The DEA claims that Hezbollah was planning attacks on the U.S. and the Netherlands. The Netherlands is the former colonial ruler of Suriname.

In August, Dino Bouterse was handed over to U.S. officials by Panamanian authorities. A U.S. federal indictment alleges that Bouterse worked with Edmund Quincy Muntslag a.k.a "Blue" to smuggle cocaine into the United States starting in or about December of 2011. In late June, Bouterse was caught smuggling a suitcase filled with 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine and brandishing a anti-tank weapon aboard a commercial flight from Suriname to the Caribbean. Bouterse is facing a life sentence for the drugs and weapons he was caught with. On top of that he is facing a 15 year sentence for aiding terrorist organization Hezbollah.

The DEA claims that they have recorded meetings between Bouterse and undercover agents posing as Hezbollah fighters. The meetings took place in Panama and Greece. During these meetings Bouterse accepted a $2 million payment, with the promise that he would help Hezbollah fighters establish themselves in Suriname, give them Suriname passports, supply them with surface-to-air missiles and other weapons. He even promised that he would provide them with a list of weapons that they would be able to order via him. This isn't the first time that Bouterse has been arrested for international crimes. In 2005, he was sentenced to serve eight years in a Suriname prison after being found guilty of trafficking drugs, weapons and stolen cars. After serving only three years of his sentence, he was released for good behavior.

"Alleged criminals like [Dino] Bouterse and his facilitators pose a direct threat to the safety and security of the United States," said Michelle Leonhart. Leonhart is the Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

In 2010, Bouterse's father, Dési Bouterse was elected president of Suriname. After the election, Bouterse' father named him the director of Suriname's Counter Terrorist Unit. In a nasty twist of fate, the DEA also has hard evidence proving that President Bouterse was in direct contact with the regions top convicted drug trafficker, Roger Khan. The satellite phone records of Khan show President Bouterse's cell phone number listed numerous times. The phone calls took place towards the end of 2005 until mid-June of 2006.

Read more: Bouterse and Hezbollah possible threat to US national security - Minneapolis Community Activism | Examiner.com

Suriname: DEA 'Has Proof' of Suriname President's Ties to Drug Lord - by Charles Parkinson

The US DEA has apparently uncovered "hard evidence" of connections between the president of Suriname and a high-profile convicted drug lord, in what would amount to the first concrete proof against a leader long suspected of ties to organized crime.

According to Dutch news service NRC, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has records taken from the satellite phone of notorious Guyanese drug trafficker Shaheed "Roger" Khan that prove he was in contact with current Surinamese President Desi Bouterse during 2005 and 2006. Khan was arrested after a 2006 sting operation in Suriname's capital Paramaribo -- while Bouterse was an opposition politician -- and was extradited to the United States via Trinidad. He received a 40 year jail sentence for drug trafficking in 2009.

For years, the United States has publicly highlighted Bouterse's connections to drug trafficking based on a 2000 conviction in absentia by a Netherlands court, but has never presented a case against him.

Bouterse previously served as the country's military dictator from 1980 to 1987, and in 2010 was elected president. Suriname's government last year approved an amnesty which prevented a murder trial against Bouterse for the 1982 killing of 15 opponents during his first period in power -- an act for which he has accepted "political responsibility."

In August, his son Dino Bouterse -- head of Suriname's anti-terrorism unit -- was captured in Panama and deported to the United States, where he now faces drugs trafficking charges.

If the DEA really can prove the connection between Bouterse and Khan it will be very damning indeed. A US cable leaked in 2011 accused Bouterse of working with Khan to smuggle cocaine until at least 2006,
providing him with "access to Surinamese criminal elements and structures, eased access to regular shipping to Europe for drug movement, and protection while in Suriname." They also allege Khan exchanged weapons for cocaine with Colombian rebels the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, something Bouterse himself has also been accused of.

Suriname is a significant transshipment point for drugs heading to Europe and Africa, a role that has been facilitated by corruption running to the highest levels. According to the State Department's 2013 International Narcotics Strategy Report corruption is pervasive "throughout all levels of government" and there is "evidence of drug-related corruption among government officials."

Read more: DEA 'Has Proof' of Suriname President's Ties to Drug Lord - InSight Crime | Organized Crime in the Americas

Suriname leader Bouterse distances himself from jailed son

President Desi Bouterse of Suriname distanced himself Tuesday from his son following the younger man's arrest and quick extradition to the United States to face drug and weapons charges.

The president told reporters that Dino Bouterse is an adult and no longer holds a government position with the South American country. 

"When people talk about Dino sometimes it sounds like they are talking to me about a 12-year-old," the president said. "But he is a grown man, with 13 children, who will turn 41. He is responsible for his own actions." 

Still, Bouterse, who said he was in shock when he first got word of the arrest, stressed that he was not abandoning his son and is making sure he has the legal assistance he needs. "I am the president, but I'm also Dino's father, and news like that does not leave you cold or unmoved," he said. 

The remarks were the first from the president since his son was arrested Thursday in Panama and quickly extradited to New York to face charges in a cocaine smuggling case. News of the younger man's arrest came as Suriname hosted UNASUR, the organization of South American nations. 

Bouterse has had frosty relations with the U.S. government over his own past, which includes presiding over a military dictatorship and being convicted in absentia in the Netherlands of drug trafficking, and he said the arrest was intended to "disrupt the UNASUR summit," though he did not explain what or who might be behind it. 

The president said he had asked his fellow South American leaders not to discuss his son's case. "I wanted to avoid the UNASUR being dragged into this whole matter," Bouterse told reporters. 

Desi Bouterse won the presidency of the ethnically diverse country, a former Dutch colony of about 500,000 people in May 2010 in a parliamentary vote after cobbling together a coalition that included former enemies in Suriname's bitter civil war. At the time, he was still a defendant in an off-again-on-again murder trial in the killing of 15 political opponents in 1982 and faced arrest at Netherlands' request following his conviction in absentia there for drug trafficking in 1999. 

In April 2012, the president's supporters in parliament pushed through amnesty legislation that put the murder trial on indefinite hold.

Read more: Suriname leader distances himself from jailed son | UTSanDiego.com

Suriname: US Embassy Says Son of Suriname President Bouterse ArrestedIn Panama - by Danica Coto

The son of the president of the South American country of Suriname( formerly a Dutch Colony)  has been arrested on U.S. drug charges, U.S. and other officials said Friday.

Spokeswoman Virginia Elliott at the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo confirmed the arrest of Dino Bouterse, but said she could give no details.

A Panamanian and another U.S. official confirmed Thursday's arrest, which apparently occurred in Panama.
Bouterse faces a U.S. federal indictment in the Southern District of New York alleging he worked with a man identified as Edmund Quincy Muntslag to smuggle cocaine into the United States starting in or about December 2011. It also charges him with violating firearms laws by brandishing a light anti-tank weapon during the narcotics offense.

The indictment says Bouterse was involved in smuggling a suitcase filled with 10 kilograms (22 pounds)of cocaine aboard a commercial flight from Suriname to the Caribbean in late July.

A Panamanian government security source said that Bouterse was arrested by international police in Panama and was turned over to U.S. anti-drug authorities. The source, who asked anonymity for lack of authorization to speak on the issue, declined to give more details.

Melvin Linscheer, Suriname's head of national security, said the government would soon issue a statement. He declined further comment.

Bouterse is the son of Desi Bouterse, a former coup leader and also a convicted drug trafficker who was elected president of in July 2010. Shortly after his presidential inauguration, Bouterse appointed his son as director of Suriname's Counter Terrorist Unit, drawing heavy criticism from opposition legislators who expressed concern that no legal framework was created for the unit to operate.

Read more: US Embassy Says Son of Suriname President Arrested - ABC News

Suriname: Religious and Political Protests Around Government Scrapping and Adding National Holidays

Desi Bouterse

The Suriname National Holidays Commission is recommending that the government replace three of the 15 national holidays in a move that is likely to anger religious groups in Suriname - a former Dutch Colony which became independent in 1975..

The Commission, established last year to evaluate all national holidays, has recommended that Good Friday, the day on which Christians commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, Id-Ul, Adha, the Muslim holiday to commemorate the Festival of Sacrifice and Divali, the Hundu holiday to mark the Festioval of Lights, be scrapped.

Commission Chairman Marlon Powell says people can still request days off from their employers, if they wish to commemorate religious holidays that are important to them.

But local pastor Paul Doth, has already warned that Christians would not give up Good Friday. He says no way Good Friday can be scrapped. The Desi Bouterse government has come in for much criticism after it announced national holidays for the Maroon and Indigenous People last year.

In addition, the government also reinstated February 25^th as a holiday to mark the military 1980 coup that first brought Desi Bouterse, then an army sergeant and presently the President, to power.  The Commission is now recommending that the government declare national holidays to observe Sasi Suro, the Javanese New Year as well as the Chinese New Year.

Read more:

Suriname: Parliamentary support drops for Desi Bouterse - by Ivan Cairo

Desi Bouterse

As a result of a major shake-up of his cabinet, parliamentary support for Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse has now dropped from 36 to 30 of the 51 seats.

In the reshuffle, Bouterse dismissed five ministers, including the ministers of justice and police, sports and youth, physical planning, land and forest management, regional development and public health. They were replaced last Thursday due to poor performance. Meanwhile, three cabinet members will be appointed to other ministries.

During a meeting with officials of the coalition party BEP,  Bouterse said that the party’s service is no longer needed, since the BEP faction in parliament had dropped from four to two seats as a result of infighting.

Sources indicate that Bouterse also notified the New Suriname party that he is no longer counting on their two legislative seats. 

Last month, the MPs and legislators of the BEP faction abstained from voting in favor of the controversial amnesty bill, which granted Bouterse impunity for the so-called ‘December-murders’.


For more: Caribbean News Now!: Parliamentary support drops for Suriname president

The Netherlands: Charles Taylor conviction warning sign for Suriname President Bouterse

The conviction of former Liberian President Charles Taylor by the Sierra Leone tribunal is a warning sign for anyone who has committed heinous crimes against humanity, including Desi Bouterse, says Ruth Wijdenbosch, chairperson of the organization Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and deputy Speaker of Suriname’s Parliament.

“For those who have seen such men go unpunished many times, it is a relief that Charles Taylor will be punished. Finally, his thousands of victims and survivors can see that their fight for justice has not been in vain,” Wijdenbosch tells de Ware Tijd in reaction to Taylor’s conviction late last week. Earlier this month, Parliament granted Bouterse amnesty for his alleged role in the murder of 15 opponents of his regime on 8 December 1982. The trial for these murders will resume in early May.

Wijdenbosch says that the conviction is not only a warning sign for the December murders, but for all human rights violations committed in Suriname and other parts of the world, adding, “Impunity is no longer an option, as you can run, but you cannot hide.” Charles Taylor was President, but did not enjoy immunity for crimes including the recruitment of child soldiers who were drugged and forced to commit the worst atrocities. He will be sentenced next month. With regard to granting amnesty in Suriname, Wijdenbosch says the PGA has paid attention to this through the human rights organizations joined in the Coalition on the International Criminal Court (CICC), and member organizations have all expressed their disapproval. Some have even sent official letters to Speaker Jenny Geerlings-Simons, but she has not replied to any. “Parliament’s correspondence does not show it has replied to the many letters by national and international organizations on this issue,” Wijdenbosch says.

Read more: Charles Taylor conviction warning sign for Suriname murders – Deputy Speaker - Stabroek News - Guyana

EU to impose measures on Suriname over Amnesty Act

 The European Union will call Suriname to account on the controversial Amnesty Act and its observance of the constitutional state, NOS learnt from diplomatic sources in Brussels. The EU will soon engage in the so-called Article 8 dialogue with the Surinamese government. In diplomatic circles such a dialogue is referred to as a ‘political debate’, but actually it is a fierce reprimand of the country called to account. Diplomats say this is the toughest measure by the EU before it resorts to sanctions.

According to the Treaty of Cotonou the debates must have a profound and elaborated character, taking place at regular intervals and finally result in tough agreements. A remarkable detail of the European measure is the time when the Surinamese government will be notified. The deadline is 11 May, the same day court martial will reconvene. The judges will then decide whether or not they accept or reject the Amnesty Act. Minister Winston Lackin of Foreign Affairs has already received an official notification.

The Surinamese government is bound by the Treaty of Cotonou to accept invitation for an Article 8-dialogue. It will be the first time ever that the EU engages in such a debate with a country. Sources say that the measure must be seen as a political signal to the Surinamese government that the EU keeps close track of everything regarding the Amnesty Act. The timing of the measure may be explained as support to the court martial judges. Sources in Brussels say that the European ambassador Kopecky will soon travel to Suriname from his station in Georgetown to discuss the current situation with the Surinamese government.

Recently American Ambassador John Nay condemned threats to the constitutional state. Earlier the inter-American Court for Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International condemned the controversial Amnesty Act.

Read more: EU to impose measures on Suriname over Amnesty Act - Stabroek News - Guyana

Suriname: The Netherlands continues Suriname anti-amnesty lobby

Suriname should not expect a change in policy from the Dutch, despite the fall of the Dutch government. National and international efforts against Suriname in view of the adopted Amnesty Act will be continued.

Lower House legislators Kathleen Ferrier (CDA) and Harry van Bommel (SP), in separate interviews, told de Ware Tijd that outgoing Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has full support of the House. ‘All political parties in the Lower House support the Rutte/Verhage policy towards Suriname with regards to the adopted Amnesty Act,’ Ferrier told dWT. Dutch efforts to get EU and OAS support in condemning Suriname will continue as before, says van Bommel. Both Ferrier and Van Bommel, who are on the Foreign Affairs commission in the House, say that the Dutch cabinet crisis will not favor Bouterse.

In last week’s Suriname debate Rosenthal had already announced that he would address the Amnesty Act in the EU Foreign Council. He said then that many EU countries have no ties with Suriname. Van Bommel, who is expected to be the next Foreign Minister, says that Rosenthal will be at the EU meeting as scheduled. ‘If his presence there is hindered, there will still be ways to address the issue, Ferrier says. Rosenthal had asked during the debates to issue a statement with other countries for international support for the court martial judges. Van Bommel argues that an outgoing government does not have a weakened position internationally, so the policy will be continued as before.

For more: The Netherlands continues Suriname anti-amnesty lobby - Stabroek News - Guyana

"President Bouterse works to put Suriname on the map despite his murder trial" - by Jacqueline Charles

President Desi Delano Bouterse

A year and a half ago, President Desiré Bouterse could barely get an audience with anyone: Regional leaders shunned him. Nervous diplomats raised eyebrows and the tiny South American nation’s former colonial power reminded all that he was a wanted man.

Now, the convicted drug trafficker, one-time dictator and accused killer is winning over citizens and regional leaders as he transforms his image into that of a democrat — even as he stands trial for the December 1982 military roundup and execution of opponents.

“He’s a good leader,” Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said as he and fellow Caribbean Community leaders recently concluded a gathering of their regional bloc, known as Caricom, that Bouterse currently chairs. “I can’t speak about the past. I can speak about the present. I think he means well for Suriname and the region. I’m very impressed of his leadership thus far of Caricom.”

In a statement to The Miami Herald, Bouterse’s cabinet office denied accusations that he’s interfering in the judicial process. Parliament is independent and amnesty is completely in accordance with the constitution, the statement said. “The President is confident and is convinced of his innocence in a fair trial, which he expects,” the office of the cabinet said. “He tirelessly pursues his vision to complete the social and economic goals for the people of Suriname, set out by his government.”

That means improving lives of the Suriname’s half-million people by transforming the isolated, forest-covered former Dutch colony, Bouterse, 66, said in a rare but brief interview.

Note EU-Digest:  reading the article by Jacqueline Charles in the Miami Herald about the "rebirth" of former Suriname dictator Desi Bouterse turned President, one quickly gets the impression that the article reads more like an infomercial "sponsored" by the Suriname Government through its Consulate General in Miami , than a balanced report.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/22/2714928/president-bouterse-works-to-put.html#storylink=cpy

For more: President Bouterse works to put Suriname on the map despite his murder trial - Haiti - MiamiHerald.com

The Netherlands: Dutch recall Suriname ambassador after amnesty - by Mike Corder

The Dutch prime minister denounced Suriname's decision to grant amnesty to President Desi Bouterse for crimes committed under his earlier military dictatorship as "totally unacceptable" and recalled the country's ambassador from its former colony in protest.

The amnesty, approved Wednesday night by lawmakers in the South American country, ended a long-running trial for Bouterse and 24 associates on charges of abducting and murdering 15 prominent political opponents in December 1982.

"We consider it totally unacceptable," Mark Rutte told reporters in The Hague. "The law must be allowed to run its course."

The Netherlands also is barring all suspects in the killings from entering the country and vowed to take more action. "We will do everything, internationally together with France, the European Union and other like-minded nations, to ensure that there are consequences and that they are felt by Suriname," Rutte said.

For more: The Associated Press: Dutch recall Suriname ambassador after amnesty

The Netherlands: Dutch urge Suriname not to grant president amnesty

Desi Bouterse following 1980 coup

The Netherlands is pressing former colony Suriname not to grant President Desi Bouterse and others immunity from prosecution for crimes committed under his military dictatorship in the 1980s. 


Lawmakers in Suriname were set to debate a proposed amnesty law Tuesday that would shield Bouterse and 24 associates from prosecution for alleged crimes—including abducting and killing political opponents—carried out in the 1980s.


Bouterse seized power in a 1980 coup. Under international pressure, he allowed the return of civilian rule in 1987 only to launch a second coup in 1990. He stepped down as military chief in 1992, but has remained a powerful force in the nation of 500,000 with lawmakers electing him president in 2010.

Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said in a statement Tuesday that Suriname is obliged by international treaties to "investigate human rights violations and prosecute the perpetrators."

Amnesty International also recently urged Suriname's parliament to reject the bill that would absolve Bouterse for the so-called December killings. The group said the legal proceedings against the president and his associates, which began in November 2007 and have been repeatedly delayed, should be allowed to run their course.

Rosenthal said Surinamese victims "have the right to see the trial proceed. If a court finds the suspects guilty, they should not be allowed to avoid their punishment."

Bouterse was already convicted in absentia of drug trafficking in the Netherlands in 1999, but avoided the 11-year sentence because Suriname does not have an extradition treaty with its former colonial ruler

For more: Dutch urge Suriname not to grant president amnesty - MontereyHerald.com :

Suriname risks international tribunal if amnesty granted over 1982 killings

Former Dictator now President Bouterse

The state of Suriname a former Dutch olony risks being brought before an international tribunal in case Parliament approves a statutory change granting amnesty for the so-called December murders of 1982. The disgrace will be even bigger than in the case of a national conviction of main suspect Desi Bouterse and 24 other suspects.

This is the opinion expressed by lawyer Freddy Kruisland and public administration expert August Boldewijn in separate interviews with de Ware Tijd. The perpetrators of 8 December 1982 will certainly go scot-free if a bill of Parliamentarians Melvin Bouva, André Misiekaba, Ronny Tamsiran, Rashied Doekhie, Anton Paal and Ricardo Panka to amend the ‘1989 Amnesty Act’ is approved. Just like Kruisland and Boldwijn, former President Ronald Venetiaan too disapproves of the proposal.

He points out that the criminal acts covered under the 1989 Amnesty Act cannot be compared to the December murders. The Amnesty Act covers the period 1985-89 and regards crimes committed as part of an armed conflict including robbery, rape, arson, assault and manslaughter. “It was different in December 1982. The people were killed while in detention and powerless. That comparison is invalid”, says Venetiaan, who proclaimed the Amnesty Act in 1992 as President. Suspect Ruben Rozendaal believes politicians should stay out of this matter. “These Parliamentarians should not involve themselves in this case, as they don’t know what happened on 8 December”, is all Rozendaal wants to say.

 For more: Suriname risks international tribunal if amnesty granted over 1982 killings - Stabroek News - Guyana

Suriname: ‘Rambocus and Daal killed by Bouterse’ – witness tells Suriname hearing

Former army commander Desi Bouterse personally shot and killed union leader Cyril Daal and lieutenant Surindre Rambocus on 8 December 1982. Bouterse confided this secret to his then friend and comrade Ruben Rozendaal. He also confessed that he had fired the fatal shot that killed Lieutenant Wim van Aalst on 25 February 1980 during the coup. Rozendaal spilled his guts before court martial at Boxel yesterday in the December murder trial. The suspect appeared in court again at the request of Judge Advocate Roy Elgin, but this time as a witness against main suspect Desi Bouterse. On 8 May 2010, Rozendaal had declared under oath that he had not seen Bouterse in Fort Zeelandia, the scene of the murders, on 8 December 1982. On 9 March last, he changed his story. Bouterse had been present in the Fort, and he Rozendaal, had personally taken trade unionist Fred Derby, now deceased, to him. Rozendaal told the court that he and Bouterse were good friends who met regularly back then. On one of those meetings Bouterse disclosed that he had personally shot and killed Daal and Rambocus.

Van Aalst’s death at the coup was a mistake. Rozendaal explained that he and Paul Bhagwandas had wanted to overpower the lieutenant, but it went awry and he was shot. Bouterse later disclosed that he had been the one who fired that shot. Rozendaal told the court that the 8 December operations were no military operations, but simply brutal and cowardly murders.

Bouterse had been in the fort since 7 December. Bouterse’s lawyer, Irwin Kanhai, had suggested that some military might have acted without Bouterse knowledge, but Rozendaal says that would be highly improbable, because he later sanctioned the killing on television stating that the prisoners had been shot during an escape attempt. Bouterse had lied to his former comrades about a pending coup, necessitating the arrests. He would also have pointed to the real culprits if he was innocent.

Suriname was a Dutch colony before it became independent in 1975.

For more: ‘Rambocus and Daal killed by Bouterse’ – witness tells Suriname hearing - Stabroek News - Guyana

Suriname amnesty bill would halt trial of president Bouterse in 1982 killing of opponents

President Desi Bouterse

Lawmakers in Suriname ( a former Dutch Colony which became independent in 1975)  have proposed an amnesty law that would end the long-running trial of President Desi Bouterse, who is accused along with former military associates of abducting and killing opponents of his dictatorship in 1982.

Members of Bouterse’s Mega Combination introduced the legislation Monday, and Andre Misiekaba, the party’s whip, predicted in an interview on state television Tuesday it would pass the parliament by the end of the week.

The bill amends an earlier amnesty law to include any offenses “in the context of the defense of the state,” between April 1, 1980, and Aug. 19, 1992. That time frame would encompass the country’s military dictatorship and civil war.

Bouterse became president in a parliamentary vote in 2010, but he was a military dictator for much of the 1980s. He and his supporters in the military are accused of arresting 15 prominent opposition leaders, including journalists, lawyers and a trade union leader, and executing them in a colonial fort in the capital, Paramaribo.

For more: Suriname amnesty bill would halt trial of president in 1982 killing of opponents - The Washington Post