A coordinated joint security operation carried out by the Suriname Police Corps (KPS) and the Suriname National Army has resulted in the arrest of 14 Chinese nationals in the remote Sarakreek area, alongside the seizure of multiple firearms and an undisclosed quantity of ammunition, Suriname’s Justice and Police Ministry confirmed earlier this month.
The operation was launched after Surinamese authorities received multiple tips and video footage showing armed Chinese individuals patrolling the Sarakreek region while wearing matching uniforms. Following inter-agency consultations with the Public Prosecution Service and the President’s Cabinet, officials approved the immediate deployment of a combined police-military task force to the area, supported by two National Army helicopters. The entire mission was commanded by the KPS’s regional commander for central Suriname.
When the operation concluded, 14 Chinese men were taken into custody, and law enforcement personnel recovered a cache of weapons including semi-automatic firearms, other heavy weaponry, and stockpiled ammunition. Justice and Police Minister Harish Monorath told local outlet Starnieuws that officials are still unable to release an exact count of seized weapons, as the full inventory process was delayed after one of the deployed helicopters suffered an unplanned technical malfunction. All 14 suspects have since been transported to the capital Paramaribo, where ongoing criminal investigations and pre-trial legal proceedings are underway.
Circulating social media footage and a public Facebook video showed Ronald Brunswijk, chairman of Suriname’s General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP), was present at the operation site. Minister Monorath clarified that Brunswijk did not lead the mission, which remains fully under the command of Surinamese security forces. According to Monorath, Brunswijk traveled to the area independently to conduct on-site assessments and shared relevant information with official authorities.
Monorath also noted that not all of the detained Chinese men are in Suriname illegally, with a portion holding valid immigration documentation. Officials have declined to speculate on the exact purpose of the group’s armed presence in Sarakreek. Initial unconfirmed reports suggest the men may have been working on private security operations, but Monorath emphasized that formal investigation will clarify their activities. He stressed that Suriname maintains its own official domestic security agencies, including the national police and military, and the inquiry will fully examine why the group was operating in an armed, uniformed capacity in the region. Officials say they will wait for the outcome of pre-trial hearings and the full criminal probe before releasing an official statement on the case.