Carib Scope

标签： Suriname

苏里南

  • DNA bespreekt ruimere opsporingsbevoegdheden justitie en politie

    DNA bespreekt ruimere opsporingsbevoegdheden justitie en politie

    On Thursday, the National Assembly of Suriname kicked off the first reading of a proposed amendment to the country’s criminal investigation law, which would grant expanded authority to police and justice authorities to target serious, organized and digital criminal activity. The legislative proposal includes provisions that would allow investigators to use new tactics such as undercover infiltration, systematic long-term surveillance, digital forensic analysis of computers and mobile devices, and other specialized evidence-gathering techniques. While the majority of participating parliamentarians agree that updating existing investigative tools is necessary to tackle evolving criminal threats, many have called for clear legal safeguards to prevent misuse of power and violations of civilian rights. After the opening session, debate was adjourned and is set to resume on Friday.

    Committee chair Edgar Sampi opened the discussion by noting that current law enforcement investigative powers are not well-aligned with the realities of 21st-century criminal activity. Traditional investigation methods, he argued, often fall short when it comes to disrupting sophisticated transnational criminal networks. Sampi emphasized that even with the new expanded powers to access digital data, deploy infiltrators, and collect intelligence covertly, strict protections for the integrity of evidence and adherence to legal limits on authority must remain non-negotiable.

    Parliamentarian Krishna Mathoera stressed that the bill must not only strengthen anti-crime efforts but also preserve protections for due process and civil liberties. She laid out three core principles that must guide the use of intrusive investigative tactics: legality, proportionality, and subsidiarity. Under the proportionality principle, for example, investigators must not use more invasive measures than what is strictly necessary for a given investigation.

    A key point of contention raised during the debate was the handling of irrelevant personal data that police may access when seizing and searching digital devices. Mathoera drew attention to this gap, proposing that the legislation set a clear legal deadline for returning seized devices such as computers or hard drives that are ultimately found to have no connection to the investigation under review. Other assembly members echoed concerns about protections for personal data, confidential business information, and professional privilege for groups including lawyers, doctors, and journalists.

    Lawmakers also raised multiple questions about the use of undercover infiltrators. Sampi and other representatives pushed for clarity on the legal boundaries that apply when an undercover operative embedded in a criminal organization is pressured by gang members to participate in illegal acts themselves. They added that rules for operative protection and the deployment of foreign law enforcement investigators must also be clearly spelled out in the legislation.

    Several assembly members questioned whether Suriname’s police force currently has enough specialized personnel, technical infrastructure, and budget allocation to implement the new powers effectively. Mahinder Jogi emphasized that the integrity of law enforcement personnel is critical to the success of any reform, asking what guarantees exist that sensitive confidential information collected through these new tactics will be used exclusively for official investigations and not leaked or sold for private gain.

    Mathoera also framed the proposed amendment as a critical step for Suriname to meet its international obligations in countering financial crime and terrorist financing. She warned that failure to address gaps identified in recommendations from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) could lead to negative international ratings that harm the country’s economic and diplomatic standing. In response to this concern, Rabin Parmessar called for experts from the anti-money laundering (AML) coordination team to be included in the ongoing parliamentary review process.

    The government has yet to respond to the range of questions and concerns raised by assembly members. No final vote was held on the proposal Thursday, and deliberations will continue Friday.

  • Thakoer bezorgd over schietincidenten, verkeersdoden en overbelasting brandweer

    Thakoer bezorgd over schietincidenten, verkeersdoden en overbelasting brandweer

    A sitting member of Suriname’s National Assembly (DNA), Vidjaiprekash Thakoer, has issued an urgent call for the Surinamese government to implement immediate, targeted interventions to address the rapidly deteriorating state of public safety across the country. Speaking during a plenary parliamentary session, Thakoer drew lawmakers’ attention to a sharp, sustained uptick in violent incidents, including shootings, missing person cases, and the recovery of unidentifiable bodies in recent months.

    Beyond rising violent crime, Thakoer highlighted two other pressing public safety crises that have flown largely under the official radar: a staggering increase in fatal and severe road accidents, and the unnecessary strain placed on Suriname’s national fire department by widespread uncontrolled waste burning.

    The parliamentarian emphasized that concerns over the country’s sliding safety standards have been raised repeatedly in legislative chambers in recent months, yet little tangible action has been taken to reverse the trend. For Thakoer, the steady escalation of all these issues warrants growing public and official alarm. He noted in particular that frequent deadly road crashes are slowly becoming normalized, a shift that he calls unacceptable and dangerous for all Surinamese road users.

    Turning to the challenges facing the Surinamese Fire Brigade, Thakoer pointed out that the service already operates with chronic shortages of critical equipment, funding, and personnel. Even with these limited resources, firefighters are forced to respond regularly to blazes sparked by uncontrolled residential burning of household waste and dry vegetation. When these unsupervised fires get out of hand, they require full emergency deployment, pulling first responders away from other urgent, life-threatening emergencies.

    These preventable blazes do more than stretch the fire service’s already thin capacity, Thakoer explained. They also generate significant air pollution that harms public health, and create persistent nuisance and safety risks for nearby residents.

    In response to these interconnected issues, Thakoer has made a formal urgent appeal to the Surinamese government to crack down on irresponsible burning practices that put communities and first responders at risk. He is advocating for a three-pronged approach: expanded public education to promote safe waste management, increased regulatory oversight to curb unsupervised burning, and targeted enforcement action against individuals whose actions put the public’s safety and health at risk.

    Thakoer stressed that the top priority must be preventing the unnecessary deployment of the fire brigade’s already limited capacity to incidents that are entirely avoidable through responsible behavior and consistent official oversight.

  • Gajadien en Parmessar willen duidelijkheid over vogelgriep en aanpak pluimveebedrijven

    Gajadien en Parmessar willen duidelijkheid over vogelgriep en aanpak pluimveebedrijven

    During Tuesday’s plenary session of Suriname’s National Assembly (De Nationale Assemblée, DNA), two top opposition and ruling party faction leaders have issued an urgent call for the Surinamese government to upgrade public communication around the ongoing avian influenza (bird flu) outbreak and clarify the legal and scientific justifications for restrictive measures implemented against local poultry operations.

    VHP faction leader Asis Gajadien and NDP faction leader Rabin Parmessar both raised pointed concerns over gaps in the government’s information dissemination strategy, with Gajadien pushing for full disclosure of the scientific research findings that have shaped current regulatory action.

    Gajadien emphasized that protecting public health must remain the top priority for all government response efforts, but stressed that any restrictive measures targeting poultry businesses must be rooted in clear statutory frameworks and robust, verified scientific research. He told the assembly that multiple poultry farm operators have shared reports that recent government interventions were carried out before official laboratory test results for suspected infections were made available.

    In response to these claims, Gajadien has formally requested the government to outline in detail exactly which research findings underpin the current bird flu control measures, and what specific legal authority the administration is relying on to enforce these actions. He made clear that his request for clarification is not intended to question the importance of public health protections, but rather to confirm that all government decision-making has followed a fair, rigorous due process.

    For his part, Parmessar focused his remarks on widespread anxiety and uncertainty that has already spread among the general public. He noted that large segments of the population lack even basic, accessible information about bird flu: including where the virus has been detected in Suriname, and what risks it may pose to consumers who buy and eat chicken products. Parmessar is calling on the government to deliver clear, plain-language explanations of what the current outbreak means for ordinary shoppers, and outline what simple precautionary steps consumers can take to protect themselves.

    The NDP leader also addressed emerging reports that government authorities have ordered culling of chicken flocks at affected poultry farms. He has asked for full details on how the culling process is being carried out, and what standardized protocols are being followed to ensure it is conducted humanely and effectively. Parmessar concluded that broad, easy-to-understand public outreach is an urgent necessity to eliminate unnecessary uncertainty both among consumers and the small business owners that operate Suriname’s poultry sector.

  • VS voert uitzettingen naar derde landen op, ondanks kritiek op mensenrechten

    VS voert uitzettingen naar derde landen op, ondanks kritiek op mensenrechten

    Since taking office for his second term in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has significantly expanded his administration’s policy of deporting non-citizen migrants to third-party countries, fulfilling a core campaign pledge to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history. As of mid-2026, human rights organizations estimate that more than 25,000 migrants have already been forcibly transferred to countries that are not their countries of origin under the policy, a figure that researchers warn may be an undercount of the true scale of the program.

  • Warme vrijdag met een mix van zon en wolken

    Warme vrijdag met een mix van zon en wolken

    A classic tropical weather pattern is set to unfold across the region on October 16, bringing persistent warm, muggy conditions paired with alternating intervals of partial cloud cover and sunshine, local meteorological forecasters confirm. Warm temperatures will set in from the earliest hours of the day, meaning residents and visitors should prepare for elevated humidity that will stick around through every segment of the day.

    By the early morning, thermometers will already sit around 28 degrees Celsius. With relative humidity hovering at roughly 77 percent, the apparent temperature will feel closer to 33 degrees Celsius even before midday. Skies will remain partially clouded, allowing the sun to break through cloud gaps at intermittent points throughout the morning. A moderate breeze blowing from the southeast will also be present during this time.

    As the clock hits midday, official temperatures will climb further to a peak of 33 degrees Celsius. The ongoing high humidity will push the feels-like temperature to a stifling 39 degrees Celsius. Skies will stay partially cloudy, with plenty of opportunities for sun exposure but no clear, uniformly blue sky overhead. Wind direction will shift to the east by midday, picking up slightly in strength compared to morning levels.

    Once evening arrives, temperatures will gradually cool down to around 29 degrees Celsius, but humidity will not ease off — instead, relative humidity will rise to approximately 78 percent. Cloud cover will thicken significantly through the evening, with skies potentially becoming fully overcast. Wind speeds will decrease while maintaining an eastern direction. While heavy, prolonged rainfall is not in the immediate forecast for the day, short, intense thunderstorm showers can still develop unexpectedly during the evening hours.

  • Achaibersing bevestigt kandidatuur voor voorzitterschap VHP

    Achaibersing bevestigt kandidatuur voor voorzitterschap VHP

    Suriname’s Progressive Reform Party (Vooruitstrevende Hervormingspartij, VHP) is heading into a contested leadership race, with former Finance and Planning Minister Armand Achaibersing confirming his candidacy for the party’s top post in an interview with Starnieuws. Achaibersing’s announcement comes after weeks of closed-door consultations with stakeholders both inside and outside the center-left party, joining current VHP Vice Chair Asis Gajadien who has already begun preparations for his own potential leadership bid.

    Insiders close to the VHP report that Achaibersing has already garnered backing from multiple factions across the party and the broader Surinamese political landscape. His coalition of supporters includes other former government ministers, sitting members of the National Assembly, and senior members of the VHP’s executive board. His entry into the race formalizes an open debate over the VHP’s future direction and leadership, coming at a critical juncture for the party: after losing control of the national government earlier this year, the VHP now faces the urgent task of consolidating its position as the country’s main opposition bloc.

    Achaibersing brings deep economic policy experience to his candidacy, having served as finance minister in former President Chan Santokhi’s administration from 2020 until September 2022. He took up the post at one of the most challenging moments in modern Surinamese economic history, when the country was grappling with severe fiscal collapse, crippling sovereign debt, and the widespread economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    During his tenure, Achaibersing was a central architect of the Santokhi administration’s Crisis and Recovery Plan, and led high-stakes negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Under his leadership, Suriname made significant progress on the terms of a $688 million IMF extended fund facility, which was formally approved by the fund’s board in December 2021. He also led the country’s sovereign debt restructuring negotiations, and laid the groundwork for sweeping reforms to Suriname’s tax system and public financial management framework.

    Achaibersing’s recovery agenda included deep austerity measures, which drew significant public backlash for eroding household purchasing power in the country. At the time, he defended the reforms as unavoidable for long-term fiscal stability, while repeatedly emphasizing that any economic adjustment must be paired with targeted social safety nets to protect vulnerable households.

    Achaibersing first offered to resign from his cabinet post in August 2022, at which point Santokhi asked him to remain in office for several additional weeks to wrap up ongoing initiatives. He officially left the ministry on September 28 that year, and notably chose to forgo the post-ministerial benefits and compensation he was legally eligible to receive upon his departure.

    Achaibersing’s supporters argue that his proven executive experience and track record of delivering on the IMF-backed recovery program make him the ideal candidate to unify the VHP’s fractured internal factions. People close to his campaign also frame his candidacy as a push to reframe the VHP’s public image: they argue the party should reposition itself as a vehicle for broad social opportunity, rather than one associated with patronage and political favoritism.

    Achaibersing is not the only contender in the race, however. Current Vice Chair Asis Gajadien, a long-standing prominent figure within the VHP and seasoned parliamentarian who has played a central role in shaping the party’s policy positions, is also preparing to launch his own candidacy.

    The emergence of two high-profile candidates marks a key turning point in the VHP’s post-electoral transition, setting the stage for a clear contest over the party’s future. In the coming weeks, political observers will be watching closely to see which other candidates formally enter the race, and how power dynamics within the party shift ahead of the leadership vote. Ultimately, the position will go to the candidate who can secure the backing of a majority of the VHP’s organizational structures and unify the party ahead of the next electoral cycle.

  • Column: Wateroverlast én watertekort door hetzelfde verzuim

    Column: Wateroverlast én watertekort door hetzelfde verzuim

    Suriname is grappling with a perplexing, self-inflicted water crisis that plagues its agricultural sector year-round: widespread flooding submerges farmland during the rainy season, while the same regions face crippling water shortages in the dry months. This dual crisis is not caused by extreme climate conditions alone, but by years of persistent failure from responsible government agencies to properly maintain the nation’s network of irrigation canals, drainage ditches, sluices and waterways. Today, many of these critical infrastructure assets are choked with overgrown vegetation, clogged with silt, or fully blocked, cutting off the controlled water inflow and outflow that farming communities depend on.

    The devastating human and economic cost of this neglect was laid bare during the most recent severe rainy season, when vast swathes of agricultural land were fully submerged. Entire crops were lost, wiping out months of investment from smallholder and commercial farmers alike, and residential households faced dangerous, disruptive flooding. The damage was compounded by the fact that most sluices designed to flush excess flood water out to sea were non-functional due to lack of upkeep.

    The problem does not end when the rains stop. When the dry season arrives, the same neglected infrastructure creates the opposite crisis. Irrigation canals designed to carry water from major rivers and waterways to agricultural plots cannot deliver sufficient supply when their flow is blocked by silt and vegetation. As a result, even when ample water is available in regional rivers, it fails to reach farmland, leaving crops parched and unwatered.

    Lawmaker Rabin Parmessar recently sounded the alarm on this growing crisis during a parliamentary address Thursday, calling on three key government bodies — the Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Regional Development — to collaborate on the development and implementation of a structured, long-term maintenance program for the nation’s entire water management network. This urgent call for action demands serious follow-through, as the consequences of decades of underinvestment and deferred maintenance have fallen disproportionately on farming communities and rural residents.

    Experts and local leaders emphasize that water management cannot remain an afterthought, only addressed once flooding or drought has already destroyed livelihoods. It must be formalized as a core, permanent government responsibility, with clear maintenance schedules, defined priority projects, sufficient budget allocations, and independent oversight of implementation.

    Regional representative bodies also bear a critical responsibility to address the crisis, local observers note. District and resort councils, as elected bodies closest to rural communities, have on-the-ground knowledge of local water infrastructure needs and are perfectly positioned to fill the gap in proactive monitoring. They can map clogged waterways, set local priorities, hold national agencies accountable, and track the progress of maintenance work. Leveraging this close community connection can catch small blockages before they escalate into national crises, meaning a clogged drainage ditch does not have to destroy hundreds of hectares of crops before it gets fixed.

    The ripple effects of poor water management stretch far beyond a single failed harvest, however. When an entire crop is lost to flooding or drought, a farmer loses all upfront investment in land preparation, seed, fertilizer, fuel and labor, while debts and financial obligations remain. Over time, repeated crises have pushed many dedicated farmers, who contribute heavily to the nation’s food supply, to abandon the sector entirely. Many have left farming to find work in construction and other industries, taking generations of agricultural knowledge and experience with them.

    This exodus is a major loss for Suriname: it reduces domestic agricultural production capacity, erodes institutional knowledge of local farming conditions, and reduces the number of producers willing to work under challenging conditions to feed the nation. If this trend continues, the costs will eventually reach all Surinamese consumers. Reduced domestic production drives up food prices and increases the nation’s dependence on imported food, shifting the full cost of failed water management from individual farmers to the entire national population.

    The Surinamese government has repeatedly articulated public goals of boosting food security, increasing domestic agricultural production, and reducing dependence on food imports. But these policy goals are meaningless without functional basic infrastructure that enables farming to thrive. The three responsible ministries must therefore work alongside regional councils to develop a concrete, publicly accountable maintenance program with clear priorities, timelines, budget allocations, and defined lines of responsibility for outcomes. Piecemeal fixes will not solve the problem: cleaning one canal while leaving a blocked drainage ditch or broken sluice downstream that still cuts off water flow will do little to prevent future crises.

    The current dry season presents a critical window to address the backlog of deferred maintenance. Failing to seize this opportunity means knowingly accepting the risk that the next major rainy season will once again destroy crops, push thousands of farmers into financial ruin, and impose new costs on all of Suriname society.

  • Parmessar waarschuwt voor nieuwe overstromingen: ‘Pak verstopte lozingen nu aan’

    Parmessar waarschuwt voor nieuwe overstromingen: ‘Pak verstopte lozingen nu aan’

    As Suriname grapples with ongoing dry conditions, a top opposition lawmaker has issued an urgent call for government authorities to capitalize on the current arid window to address long-overdue maintenance of the country’s drainage infrastructure, before the upcoming rainy season brings a repeat of devastating flooding that left communities and businesses reeling last year.

    Rabin Parmessar, leader of the National Democratic Party (NDP) parliamentary caucus, presented the appeal during a Thursday plenary session of the National Assembly of Suriname, reminding policymakers of the widespread harm caused by severe flooding in the most recent wet period. Across multiple regions of the country, residential areas, agricultural operations and local enterprises suffered extensive damage when floodwaters overwhelmed blocked drainage networks, he noted.

    Parmessar directed the call specifically to three government bodies: the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Regional Development. He emphasized that the current dry season presents the ideal window to tackle deferred cleaning and maintenance work on the nation’s network of drainage trenches, canals and outfall channels – work that can prevent residential neighborhoods and agricultural plots from being submerged once again when heavy, sustained rainfall returns.

    The NDP leader highlighted the particularly hard-hit districts of Wanica and Saramacca as examples of what could go wrong without proactive intervention. Many local residents lost property and livelihoods in last year’s floods, while small and medium businesses were pushed to financial breaking point, he said. These painful outcomes, Parmessar argued, should serve as more than enough motivation to stop delaying critical preventive measures.

    Among the most pressing infrastructure risks Parmessar identified are the dozens of drainage outfalls that have remained choked with overgrown vegetation for years, including multiple channels in the Leidingen area. Dense overgrowth blocks water flow during periods of heavy rain, creating an almost certain risk of flooding if the issue is not addressed ahead of the wet season, he warned. He called on the responsible ministries to prioritize clearing work immediately.

    Rejecting a reactive approach that would only respond to floods after they occur, Parmessar stressed that the government must not wait until the rainy season begins and communities are once again submerged to act. Timely, coordinated maintenance of drainage trenches and outfalls, he argued, will ensure the entire drainage system is adequately prepared to handle large volumes of rainfall without failure.

    Parmessar’s appeal centers on the core principle of proactive prevention: he insisted that the devastating damage of the past rainy season must not be allowed to repeat simply because necessary maintenance was not completed during the dry months. He closed by reiterating his demand that the three relevant ministries move quickly to clear the choked, overgrown drainage channels that put communities at risk.

  • Wegomlegging op Slangenhoutstraat van vrijdagavond tot donderdagochtend

    Wegomlegging op Slangenhoutstraat van vrijdagavond tot donderdagochtend

    Road users traveling through Suriname will need to adjust their travel plans starting this week, as a major section of Slangenhoutstraat will be closed for essential infrastructure upgrades. The Korps Politie Suriname (KPS), Suriname’s national police force, has announced that the closure will go into effect at 7:00 PM local time on Friday, October 16, and remain in place through 5:00 AM on Thursday, October 22.

    During this six-day construction window, excavation and sewer replacement work will be carried out on the stretch of Slangenhoutstraat between Hernhutterstraat and Van ’t Hogerhuysstraat. To keep both construction crews and motorists safe, all through traffic on this section will be redirected via a marked diversion route for the full duration of the project.

    In a public statement, KPS has urged all drivers, cyclists, and other road users to familiarize themselves with the updated traffic layout ahead of the closure. Police officers will be posted on site to direct traffic, and the KPS asks that all road users follow any on-site instructions from personnel to avoid confusion or incidents. For anyone traveling to or through the Slangenhoutstraat area, authorities strongly recommend planning ahead by mapping out an alternate route if possible, to avoid unnecessary hold-ups.

    Motorists in particular are reminded that unexpected delays are likely even when following the official diversion, so adding extra travel time to any planned trips in the neighborhood over the next week is a wise precaution. The police force closed its announcement with an appeal for cooperation from the public: by adhering to all posted traffic rules and the temporary diversion measures, road users can help ensure that construction progresses smoothly and that traffic continues to move as safely and efficiently as possible through the area throughout the project.

  • Surinaams studententeam presenteert duurzame landbouwinnovatie bij FAO in Rome

    Surinaams studententeam presenteert duurzame landbouwinnovatie bij FAO in Rome

    A four-member student team from Anton de Kom University of Suriname (AdeKUS) is set to showcase their groundbreaking sustainable agriculture innovation at the 2026 World Food Forum, hosted at the headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy from October 11 to 17.

    Operating under the project name Waste2Wonders, the team – made up of Shanisha Badrie, Ezra Gron, Stefany Wijngaarde and Wiraisha Gauri, all majoring in Agricultural Production – has developed fully biodegradable seedling pots crafted from three locally sourced organic waste materials: rice husks, cocopeat and vermicompost. The core goal of the project is twofold: cut down the heavy reliance on single-use plastic in small-scale and commercial agriculture, and repurpose agricultural residual waste streams that would otherwise go unused or contribute to environmental degradation.

    Unlike traditional plastic seed trays and pots that require farmers to remove seedlings before transplanting – a process that often damages fragile root systems and reduces crop survival rates – the Waste2Wonders pots allow entire seedlings to be planted directly into soil, pot and all. As the pot breaks down naturally over time, it also adds organic matter to the soil, delivering secondary benefits for soil health that plastic alternatives cannot match.

    Beyond addressing plastic pollution and transplant stress, the project prioritizes accessibility for local farming communities. By using raw materials that are readily available across Suriname’s agricultural regions, the team aims to produce the pots at an affordable price point that fits within the budgets of smallholder farmers. In doing so, they hope to not only advance more sustainable farming practices across the country but also stimulate local economic activity by building a domestic production ecosystem that relies on regional agricultural supply chains.

    This is not the first international recognition the student-led initiative has earned. In 2025, the project secured a top-three spot in the global Food Systems Innovation Challenge held in Wageningen, the Netherlands. Between April and August 2026, the team participated in FAO’s global Youth Incubation Program, where they received tailored training and mentorship to refine both their product design and business model ahead of the World Food Forum.

    Team members note that the opportunity to present at the UN-led forum is a major milestone that will open doors for knowledge sharing with global experts, and for building connections with potential partnership organizations and impact investors. For Waste2Wonders, the next phase of work will focus on further product optimization and large-scale field testing to validate the pots’ performance across different crop types and farming conditions.

    The project stands as a compelling example of how circular economy principles can be applied to the agricultural sector, turning everyday waste streams into solutions for pressing environmental and food system challenges. While questions remain around scaling up production to reach wider markets and keeping costs competitive with conventional plastic alternatives, the team’s early success has already demonstrated the potential for youth-led innovation to drive meaningful change in global food systems.