Carib Scope

标签： Suriname

苏里南

  • NV Havenbeheer wijst beschuldigingen over vertraging veersteiger Albina van de hand

    NV Havenbeheer wijst beschuldigingen over vertraging veersteiger Albina van de hand

    A long-awaited cross-border ferry connection between Albina, Suriname and French Guiana has hit repeated startup delays, and now Suriname’s state-owned port management firm NV Havenbeheer is pushing back against widespread claims that Suriname is responsible for the hold-up. In a formal statement, the company laid out a detailed breakdown of the project, placing the bulk of outstanding uncompleted tasks and root causes of stagnation squarely on French stakeholders.

    The infrastructure project centers on the new ferry Le Malani and purpose-built docking terminals along the Marowijne River, which forms the natural border between Suriname and France’s overseas department of French Guiana. In recent weeks, regional media reports have circulated narrative that Suriname has failed to honor its pre-agreed commitments, holding up the full launch of the much-needed connection. NV Havenbeheer refuted that framing as factually inaccurate, saying it misrepresents the actual structure and division of labor of the entire project.

    The initiative is part of the European Union’s PO Amazonie regional development program, which grants French Guiana access to EU structural funds for cross-border integration projects in the Amazon basin. Per the program’s governance structure, France holds full ownership of the initiative and overall program management, while Suriname participates only as a cooperating partner. The new Albina ferry terminal itself was constructed strictly in line with technical designs and specifications provided by French project partners.

    NV Havenbeheer explained that after Suriname completed construction of the terminal per the approved original plan, French stakeholders requested a series of last-minute technical design adjustments that were not part of the original scope of work. Those adjustments have now been fully completed by the Suriname side, and the terminal has been redelivered for use.

    A second major challenge has emerged from falling water levels at the mouth of the Marowijne River. At low tide, the angle between the Le Malani’s loading ramp and the terminal creates access difficulties, particularly for heavy freight traffic. French authorities have selected a solution: install movable adjustable ramps on both banks of the river. The procurement and tendering process for this infrastructure upgrade remains the responsibility of French authorities, and is still ongoing.

    NV Havenbeheer also highlighted a lingering financial discrepancy that has yet to be resolved: currently, the Suriname side, via the port authority, covers all ongoing maintenance costs for the Albina terminal, while 100% of revenue from ferry ticket sales goes to the French side. The company confirmed that officials from both countries have held discussions on the issue, and are currently working to find a financially viable arrangement that is fair to Suriname.

    Contrary to earlier unsubstantiated claims that navigation on the Suriname side of the river was inadequate, recent depth soundings conducted by the Maritime Authority of Suriname confirm that the channel on Suriname’s side is fully navigable and poses no barrier to operations. NV Havenbeheer confirmed that at high tide, the Le Malani can already safely dock at the new Albina terminal to handle both passenger and freight traffic without issue. All pre-requirements on the Suriname side have been fulfilled, the company said, and the ball is now in the French court to complete the remaining steps needed for the full commercial launch of the new cross-border ferry connection.

  • Stremming Hormuz: Zeelieden vast in een uitzichtloze situatie

    Stremming Hormuz: Zeelieden vast in een uitzichtloze situatie

    Nearly 10 weeks have passed since Indian seafarer Anish found himself confined to a docked vessel in an Iranian port, a random twist of fate that turned him into an unintended eyewitness to the escalating open conflict between Iran and the United States. Arriving just days before former U.S. President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, Anish and his crew have been trapped in the high-risk waters of the Strait of Hormuz ever since.

    “We experience everything here firsthand: the war, the flying rockets,” Anish shared, speaking under a pseudonym to protect his safety. “Our minds are completely frayed by the constant uncertainty.”

    While a small number of his fellow crew members managed to coordinate an overland escape back to their home countries via the 44-kilometer land border between Iran and Armenia, hundreds like Anish remain stranded. The biggest barrier holding them back is unpaid wages: issues with corrupt Indian intermediaries that manage their salaries, paired with Iranian officials refusing to release the necessary funds for border crossing, have left them with no means to leave.

    Anish survives on simple, repetitive meals of potatoes, onions, tomatoes and flatbread. He has received reports that other stranded vessels in the area are already running critically low on food and clean drinking water.

    Anish’s ordeal is far from an isolated case. International maritime organizations estimate that roughly 20,000 seafarers have been trapped globally since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian territory. Before the outbreak of active conflict, the strategic waterway was one of the world’s most critical commercial shipping arteries, carrying roughly one-fifth of the world’s total oil and gas supplies, and one-third of global seaborne fertilizer trade.

    Though a fragile ceasefire was announced on April 7, repeated attacks in and around the strait have kept commercial shipping traffic at a near-complete standstill. The U.S. Navy recently announced it has intercepted and responded to multiple attacks on its vessels from Iranian missiles, drones and small fast-attack craft. For its part, Iran says its actions are a defensive response to U.S. strikes on an oil tanker in its territorial waters, and accuses Washington of violating the fragile ceasefire by carrying out bombings on civilian infrastructure.

    In a contradictory move, Iran has offered safe passage to commercial vessels in exchange for payment, but still carries out intermittent strikes on merchant shipping. Since mid-April, the U.S. has further tightened its blockade on Iranian ports, designed to disrupt Iran’s oil exports and cut off its access to foreign currency.

    Maritime experts warn that attacks on civilian vessels are growing more frequent, putting civilian crew members in extreme danger. The United Nations estimates that at least 10 seafarers have been killed since the conflict began; Iranian labor unions report that 44 seafarers and port workers have died within Iranian territory alone.

    For trapped crews, daily life is defined by unrelenting fear. Stephen Cotton, spokesperson for the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), describes the situation as a “constant heightened state of terror.”

    “Military units board civilian ships like it’s the 17th century,” Cotton said. “But these are just ordinary working people just trying to do their jobs and get home to their families.”

    The ITF and other maritime advocacy groups draw a clear divide between large international shipping firms, which typically provide stranded crews with hazard pay and emergency support, and smaller, unregulated operators that often ignore international labor rules. Many small operators leave crews without access to basic supplies and cut off access to earned wages.

    The crisis is compounded by the fact that most foreign seafarers working in Iranian ports are hired through unlicensed intermediaries that do not meet international labor standards. While international law caps consecutive service on a vessel at 12 months, the ongoing closure of the strait has made repatriation impossible for thousands, forcing them to extend their tours indefinitely.

    John Bradford, a former U.S. Navy officer and maritime security analyst, highlighted the far-reaching social toll of the crisis. “Vessels cannot sail, repatriation flights are completely disrupted,” Bradford explained. “Many seafarers are forced to stay far longer than their contracts required, thousands of miles from their families, in an environment that grows more stressful by the day.”

    The mental health of trapped seafarers has suffered dramatically as a result. Steven Jones, founder of the Seafarer Happiness Index, reports that overall seafarer well-being has dropped by roughly 5% since the outbreak of the conflict. Trapped crews regularly report seeing drones and missiles flying near their vessels, and live in constant fear of a direct attack.

    “One captain told me he had to brief his entire crew on how to evacuate and where to jump overboard if the ship came under attack,” Jones said.

    Despite a U.S. announcement of a planned initiative to escort stranded vessels out of the strait, the program was suspended less than 48 hours after it was announced to make space for ongoing peace negotiations.

    Even if the strait were fully reopened tomorrow, global trade would take weeks to return to pre-conflict levels. Damage to port infrastructure, overflowing storage facilities, and a massive backlog of exports have created logjams that will take months to resolve. Compounding these risks are naval mines laid by Iran in the strait’s waters, which have made any navigation extremely dangerous. U.S. maritime experts say Iran deployed large numbers of mines but has failed to keep accurate records of their locations, so clearing the waterway could take anywhere from weeks to months.

    The International Maritime Organization is currently developing an emergency evacuation plan for stranded crews, but emphasizes that all conflict parties must halt attacks to make large-scale evacuation possible. Beyond the physical danger of being trapped in a conflict zone, seafarers also face the crippling uncertainty of not knowing when they will receive their earned pay. Anish has now waited nine months for his salary, and has no guarantee he will ever receive the money he is owed. His current contract is set to expire on May 20, but he has no information about whether he will be paid after that date.

    “Maybe I’ll get my salary then, maybe I won’t,” Anish said.

  • Rode Kruis benadrukt menselijkheid en hulpverlening op Wereld Rode Kruis-dag

    Rode Kruis benadrukt menselijkheid en hulpverlening op Wereld Rode Kruis-dag

    May 8 marks World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, an annual observance that honors millions of humanitarian workers and volunteers across the globe who dedicate themselves to supporting vulnerable communities, often operating in high-risk and challenging conditions. This year, the Suriname Red Cross used the international day to draw public attention to three core principles guiding its work: solidarity, human dignity, and the critical need to protect all humanitarian operations.

    The core mission of the Suriname Red Cross, like all Red Cross movement branches, centers on preventing and alleviating human suffering across all populations, regardless of an individual’s ethnic background, personal beliefs, or socioeconomic circumstances. In Suriname, the organization’s volunteers are first responders to a wide range of local crises, including flooding, traffic collisions, public health outbreaks, and other unexpected emergency events. Beyond direct emergency response, the Suriname Red Cross also invests in long-term community resilience, offering public training courses in first aid, disaster preparedness, and general health education to equip local residents to respond to crises before they escalate.

    A central tenet of the organization’s work is that all people affected by disasters or crises deserve to be treated with full respect and dignity, a principle the Red Cross reaffirmed on this year’s observance. Currently, the Suriname Red Cross is carrying out an active public health outreach operation, funded by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF), to raise awareness of mosquito-borne diseases. The operation was launched in response to recent outbreaks of chikungunya across the country.

    As part of this initiative, volunteers are visiting residential communities across three districts – Paramaribo, Commewijne, and Nickerie – to deliver targeted education on prevention of chikungunya, dengue, and Zika, three common mosquito-borne illnesses in the region. During these visits, volunteers share practical information with local residents on how to protect themselves from mosquito bites and reduce their overall risk of infection.

    This year’s World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day also included a moment of remembrance for all humanitarian workers who have lost their lives while carrying out relief work across the globe. The Suriname Red Cross noted that these losses underscore the urgent need to better protect aid workers and ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law by all parties to conflict and crisis. To close the observance, the organization issued a call to all Surinamese communities to reflect on the value of solidarity and collective support for vulnerable groups, stating, “At the end of the day, our work is about helping people, protecting lives, and upholding human dignity.”

  • VS scherpt sancties tegen Cuba aan; VN waarschuwt voor ‘energiesterfte’

    VS scherpt sancties tegen Cuba aan; VN waarschuwt voor ‘energiesterfte’

    On Thursday, the United States rolled out a fresh slate of economic sanctions targeting Cuba, expanding on a months-long pressure campaign that has steadily ratcheted up tensions between Washington and Havana. The announcement came just hours after independent United Nations experts condemned the ongoing U.S. fuel blockade against the island nation as a form of “energy starvation” that inflicts severe damage on Cubans’ fundamental human rights.

    The latest penalties target high-profile Cuban entities and individuals, headlined by Grupo de Administracion Empresarial SA (GAESA), a large business conglomerate controlled by the Cuban military that holds sway over nearly every major sector of the country’s economy. Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, who serves as president of both GAESA and Moa Nickel SA (MNSA) — a nickel industry joint venture between Canadian firm Sherritt International and Cuba’s state-owned nickel enterprise — was also sanctioned. Within hours of the U.S. announcement, Sherritt International confirmed it had temporarily suspended all of its operational activities in Cuba to comply with the new measures.
    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated via social platform X that the new sanctions make clear the Trump administration will not tolerate what it frames as threats to regional security from the Cuban government. “We will continue taking action until the regime implements the necessary political and economic reforms, Rubio said.

    Cuba’s government has not issued an immediate official response to Thursday’s new round of sanctions, but earlier this week, Cuban officials already denounced U.S. restrictive measures as unilateral coercive tools that amount to collective punishment of the entire Cuban population.

    Washington has significantly ramped up pressure on Havana since the start of 2026, a shift that followed the kidnapping of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3. Since that event, the U.S. has cut off all oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba, and issued an executive order imposing secondary sanctions on any third countries that supply fuel to Cuba, effectively creating a full fuel blockade. President Trump has repeatedly repeated threatened military action to overthrow the Cuban government.

    The three UN special rapporteurs who released Thursday’s human rights assessment emphasized that the illegal blockade not only disrupts daily life across the island, but also systematically undermines the exercise of basic human rights for all Cubans. They defined the situation as “energy starvation”, a crisis where widespread fuel shortages paralyze the essential services that are required for a dignified human existence.

    The experts also noted that only one Russian oil tanker has reached Cuban ports in recent months, a shortage that has drastically worsened the existing energy crisis sparked by long-term economic stagnation on the island. Local reports confirm that fuel shortages have blocked thousands of Cubans from accessing hospitals and prevented children from traveling to school. Cuba’s public health system alone is now backlogged with more than 96,000 delayed surgeries, including over 11,000 procedures for pediatric patients.

    “Energy starvation used as a tool of coercion is incompatible with international human rights standards, the UN rapporteurs warned.

  • Fruitverwerkingsproject met India moet landbouwsector nieuwe impuls geven

    Fruitverwerkingsproject met India moet landbouwsector nieuwe impuls geven

    In a landmark step advancing bilateral agricultural cooperation, India has formally transferred a state-of-the-art technical fruit processing installation to Suriname, a project designed to strengthen the South American nation’s local agro-industry and unlock new cross-border export opportunities. This initiative forms a core part of ongoing partnership between Suriname and India focused on inclusive agricultural development and small business entrepreneurship. The official handover ceremony took place at the premises of Melk Centrale Paramaribo Agro N.V. in Paramaribo, drawing high-level attendance from both nations. Key dignitaries in attendance included Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation (BIS) Melvin Bouva, Suriname’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Mike Noersalim, and India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

    Minister Bouva explained that the fruit processing project originates from a commitment India made back in 2023 during the CARICOM-India Ministerial Meeting, where New Delhi pledged to deliver machinery and technical assistance to support small and medium-sized enterprises across the Caribbean and Latin American region. Suriname made a deliberate strategic choice to prioritize expansion of its fruit processing industry, with a specific focus on passion fruit (locally referred to as markoesa), a high-value cash crop with strong regional and global demand. According to a statement from BIS, Bouva emphasized that the growing fruit processing sector holds significant potential to drive broad-based economic growth, create new formal employment opportunities for local workers, and expand Suriname’s footprint in international export markets.

    While the installation of the core processing line marks a critical milestone for the project, government officials noted that a power converter still needs to be installed before the facility can become fully operational. The Surinamese government has reiterated its firm commitment to completing the remaining construction and deployment work, and ensuring the facility is operated sustainably to deliver long-term benefits to the local agricultural sector.

    Minister Jaishankar framed the new fruit processing facility as a tangible example of the deepening broader partnership between India and Suriname. He stressed that meaningful international development cooperation should deliver visible, real-world improvements to the daily lives of ordinary citizens, particularly through targeted support for smallholder farmers, local small business owners, and domestic agro-processing sectors.

    Following the handover ceremony, officials from both nations expressed shared optimism that the project will deliver multiple layered benefits: it will strengthen Suriname’s overall agricultural competitiveness, add greater value to locally grown agricultural products, and deepen the long-standing bilateral ties between India and Suriname, opening the door for more collaborative development projects in the future.

  • Galibi heeft 24 uur stroom met ingebruikname zonne-energiecentrale

    Galibi heeft 24 uur stroom met ingebruikname zonne-energiecentrale

    On Thursday, May 8, Suriname President Jennifer Simons officially inaugurated a new hybrid solar energy power plant in the remote coastal village of Galibi, marking an end to decades of limited and unreliable electricity access for the local community and unlocking new opportunities for long-term regional development. The launch ceremony was attended by key stakeholders including Natural Resources Minister David Abiamofo, District Commissioner Marvin Vijent, sitting members of Suriname’s parliament, representatives of local traditional governance bodies, and delegations from the Caricom Development Fund and project partner PowerChina.

    Before this facility came online, Galibi — a village famous for its protected nature reserve, rich Amazonian biodiversity, and growing ecotourism industry — never had access to consistent, 24-hour electricity. Connecting the remote village to the national grid run by Energie Bedrijven Suriname (EBS) was deemed geographically and financially unfeasible, leading regional and national leaders to pursue a renewable energy-focused alternative. Minister Abiamofo explained that relying exclusively on diesel generators to power the village would have cost the Surinamese government roughly 8.5 million Surinamese dollars annually, a recurring expense that made that model unworkable for long-term energy security.

    The newly launched plant operates on a hybrid system that prioritizes clean solar energy, with a single diesel generator held in reserve to back up power supply during periods of low sunlight or peak demand. The village’s old, pre-existing diesel generators will not be decommissioned entirely; instead, they will be repurposed to expand the capacity of Galibi’s local water pumping station, bringing clean running water to all households across the village once upgrades are completed.

    President Simons emphasized in her inauguration address that consistent electricity delivers far more than just basic power to homes — it creates foundational certainty for the entire Galibi community and opens new doors for educational advancement and inclusive economic growth. Most notably, she highlighted that local schoolchildren will now be able to study after dark and access digital learning tools including computers that were previously unusable due to limited power access, according to official statements from the Communication Service of Suriname.

    District Commissioner Marvin Vijent echoed the president’s optimism, noting that the reliable new power grid is set to transform Galibi’s key economic sectors. With consistent electricity, local businesses can expand ecotourism infrastructure, improve hospitality services, and open new small enterprises that were impossible without reliable power. He added that the upgrade will also boost the quality of local healthcare services, as medical facilities will be able to reliably power refrigeration for vaccines, medical equipment, and lighting for after-hours emergency care.

    Local parliamentary representatives welcomed the project as a long-awaited milestone for the community. Ines Pané, a member of parliament from the ABOP party, called the solar plant a critical breakthrough for Galibi, where electricity has been a scarce, limited resource for generations. She urged local residents to steward the new facility and work collaboratively with government and development partners to drive further progress across the region. Claudie Sabajo, an assembly member from the NDP party, echoed this support while calling for continued investment in Galibi, highlighting the need for additional support for local agricultural development, tourism expansion, and skills training programs to help local residents take full advantage of the new economic opportunities unlocked by reliable electricity.

  • Column: 160 jaar volksvertegenwoordiging. Maar wie vertegenwoordigt het volk nog?

    Column: 160 jaar volksvertegenwoordiging. Maar wie vertegenwoordigt het volk nog?

    On May 8, Suriname marks a major historical milestone: 160 years of institutional popular representation. This occasion is rightly a source of national pride, but it also demands unflinching reflection. Beyond the formal ceremonies and celebratory speeches planned for Wednesday’s extraordinary public parliamentary session, a pressing, uncomfortable question lingers: Who truly represents the Surinamese people in 2026?

    The trajectory of Suriname’s representative institution stretches back to the colonial-era Koloniale Staten established in 1866. After decolonization, it evolved into the Staten van Suriname, then the parliament of the independent Republic of Suriname, and today it exists as the National Assembly. Across all these iterations, the core mission has remained unchanged: to serve as a body that amplifies the public voice, oversees executive power, and guides the nation’s development. The 160th anniversary, therefore, is a natural moment to ask a fundamental question: How much of this original mission has been realized, and how much has slipped out of reach?

    Today, what too often plays out in the National Assembly is not the pure practice of popular representation, but a perpetual political battlefield where governing coalitions and opposition factions hold one another in a constant stalemate. The governing bloc acts largely as an extension of the executive branch, and partisan loyalty consistently outweighs the broader public interest. Public parliamentary debates have devolved little more than scripted political theater, where positions are predictable before any representative takes the floor.

    Recent years have only reinforced this grim picture. Political intrigue has become commonplace, with lawmakers frequently crossing the floor between factions. Backroom deals are rarely explained to the public, even as their impacts ripple across society. These trends have not strengthened public trust in representative institutions—they have eroded it dramatically. It is true that the assembly continues to formally function: laws are still passed, sessions are still held. But legislation itself is no achievement if it fails to improve the daily lives of ordinary Surinamese citizens. The question remains unanswered: How does this formal policymaking translate to tangible change beyond the walls of the parliamentary building?

    For years, the most pressing daily concerns of Surinamese society have remained unaddressed: affordable public housing, accessible public healthcare, quality education, and reliable social services. These are not abstract policy talking points—they are concrete, urgent worries for working people. And it is on these issues that the public ultimately judges the performance of its representative body.

    Equally fundamental is the National Assembly’s core oversight mandate. In theory, the body is the highest institution tasked with checking executive power. But in practice, the effectiveness of that oversight is increasingly open to question. Has the assembly truly forced the executive branch to deliver full transparency? Has it meaningfully improved governance across the country? Or has this critical role been weakened by the pressure of partisan loyalty and pre-negotiated coalition agreements?

    For all these reasons, the 160th anniversary of popular representation is not an occasion for unbroken celebration and nostalgic pride alone. It is a moment to openly acknowledge what needs to improve—even what needs fundamental change. Reform begins with the standards we set for people entering parliament. It is past time to have a more serious conversation about the profile of effective representatives, moving beyond basic eligibility requirements to focus on core qualifications and accountability. A representative should be more than a partisan candidate or a party loyalist; they must demonstrate proven commitment to public service, broad life experience in civil society, strong general knowledge, and at minimum a solid educational background.

    Even after candidates take office, the work of improving representation does not end. Every new cohort of parliamentarians should complete mandatory, structured training as a core part of their duties. Training in public administration, media engagement, and issue-specific preparation for sectoral committees is not an unnecessary luxury—it is a fundamental requirement. Without targeted knowledge and preparation, parliamentary oversight will always remain superficial, and legislation will always be vulnerable to gaps and misalignment with public needs.

    Beyond individual qualifications, it is also time to re-examine the institutional structure of the National Assembly itself. Important steps toward modernization were already taken during the tenure of former speaker Jennifer Simons, and that progress must be continued. One critical question to consider: Should the speaker of the National Assembly be an independent figure, selected from a pool of candidates put forward by all contesting parties? This would be a figure who stands above partisan politics, meets strict standards of authority, expertise, and governing experience. Such a reform could significantly strengthen the quality of parliamentary leadership and the overall performance of the body as a collective political institution.

    A parliament that only acts on partisan reflex quickly loses its meaning. A representative body that is out of touch with the concerns of the people it serves loses its legitimacy. That is why this 160th anniversary is less a celebration and more a critical wake-up call. The occasion is not just an opportunity to reflect on what popular representation has been over 160 years—it is a challenge to reclaim the original promise of the institution: to be the true voice of the Surinamese people, not the voice of parties and coalitions.

  • Politie slaat alarm over vermissingen en ontspoord gedrag onder jongeren

    Politie slaat alarm over vermissingen en ontspoord gedrag onder jongeren

    Suriname’s national police force has issued a pressing public alert over a sharp, alarming rise in missing person cases, violent incidents and youth suicides across the country, with data showing 56 people reported missing between January and early May this year, five of whom remain untraced. The alarming trend has pushed law enforcement leadership to hold a dedicated press briefing to outline the growing crisis and outline ongoing investigative efforts.

    In a recent update, District Commissioner Patrick Kensenhuis of Para confirmed that two young missing men—21-year-old Serginio Ansoe and 19-year-old Gianzo Ermelo, who went missing two weeks prior while lost in the remote Tibiti region—have been located safe. This update came after local outlet Suriname Herald first reported the good news.

    Concerns deepened last weekend, when a search operation for a missing teenage girl led police to an unregistered location where 13 young people aged between 14 and 24 were found gathering. Law enforcement has withheld full details of the incident to protect the privacy of underage individuals involved and to avoid compromising the active investigation.

    During Thursday’s press conference on national public security, Police Commissioner Melvin Pinas and his senior leadership team dedicated extensive discussion to the youth-centered crisis. Officials confirmed that the problem extends far beyond disappearances: police are also recording a steady rise in extreme anti-social behavior and a worryingly high number of youth suicide cases across the country.

    In another high-profile recent incident, four young people have been arrested and detained following a viral brawl caught on camera that involved uniformed schoolchildren fighting on public streets; the footage spread rapidly across social media platforms, sparking public outrage.

    Inspector Sharveen Koelfat, commander of the Central Region police unit, explained that the vast majority of missing person cases involving young people stem from minors running away from home or school. A smaller share of cases involve hunters getting lost in the country’s dense interior regions. Crucially, Koelfat emphasized that none of the current open missing person cases are linked to kidnapping or abduction.

    The discovery of 13 young people during the search for the missing teen—seven young men and six young women, all between 14 and 24 years old—remains one of the most high-profile elements of the current crisis. Police have declined to release additional details while the investigation is ongoing.

    Commissioner Eshita Hunte, head of the police’s Serious Crime Division, noted that law enforcement is required to handle the case with extreme care, given that most of the people involved are minors. “We have to take into account that this primarily concerns young people. Suriname has signed international protocols that we must adhere to, especially when minors are involved,” Hunte explained. She added that the mere fact 13 young people were found gathering in an unregulated, off-grid location is itself cause for deep public concern. The police’s Trafficking in Persons and Youth Affairs divisions have been assigned to lead the ongoing investigation into the incident.

  • MBA-thesis legt structurele knelpunten in verkeersveiligheid Suriname bloot

    MBA-thesis legt structurele knelpunten in verkeersveiligheid Suriname bloot

    Suriname’s long-running road safety crisis, marked by a worrying upward trend in traffic collisions and fatalities over the past decade, has been laid bare in a new Master of Business Administration thesis formally presented to Suriname’s Minister of Justice and Police, Harish Monorath, by researcher Purcy Landveld. Titled *Strategic Management of Road Safety Policy in Suriname: An Administrative and Organizational Analysis of Capacity Building and Policy Interventions (2015–2024)*, the study delivers a rigorous, evidence-based assessment of systemic gaps in national road safety governance and puts forward a concrete, phased roadmap for transformative improvement.

    Landveld’s decade-long analysis reveals that despite the existence of formal road safety policy frameworks on paper, on-the-ground implementation has remained fragmented and woefully under-resourced. The core barriers to progress, the research finds, stem from weak cross-institutional coordination, inconsistent and insufficient enforcement of existing traffic rules, scattered and uncoordinated policy interventions, and a chronic lack of sustained, structural capacity building within government agencies. These overlapping failures have kept national road safety targets unmet, imposing steep social and economic costs on Suriname: billions in unplanned medical expenditure, widespread lost workforce productivity, and a steady toll of preventable deaths and lifelong injuries among road users.

    A central argument of the thesis reframes the national road safety challenge: rather than being purely a technical issue or a problem of individual driver behavior, it is first and foremost a governance and public policy failure. To address this, Landveld anchors his recommendations in two globally recognized best-practice frameworks: the Safe System Approach, which operates on the principle that human error is unavoidable, so road infrastructure, vehicle design and regulatory systems must be structured to prevent fatal and severe harm even when mistakes occur; and the 5E model, which organizes action across five core pillars: education, enforcement, engineering, encouragement, and evaluation.

    Landveld calls for a fully integrated, cross-sectoral approach that aligns policy design, enforcement, infrastructure investment, public education, and community awareness to drive systemic change. Key actionable recommendations put forward in the study include expanding digital speed and traffic enforcement through widespread camera deployment, scaling up sustained public awareness campaigns, embedding road safety education into national school curricula, strengthening partnerships between public sector agencies and private stakeholders, updating and tightening national traffic regulations, and building a centralized national digital data platform to track road safety trends and evaluate intervention outcomes.

    To guide orderly implementation, the thesis outlines a phased strategy spanning short-, medium-, and long-term priorities. Over the long term, the strategy targets full national adoption of the Safe System Approach, widespread deployment of smart road infrastructure, full integration of digital enforcement systems, and the permanent institutional embedding of coordinated road safety policy within national governance structures.

    Accepting the thesis on behalf of the Surinamese government, Minister Monorath emphasized the critical value of Landveld’s findings and recommendations for shaping future national road safety policy. “This work is far more than an academic analysis,” Monorath stated. “It provides a practical, implementable framework to deliver structural, lasting improvement to road safety across our country.”

  • Politiebond spreekt van ernstige verstoring overleg met korpsleiding

    Politiebond spreekt van ernstige verstoring overleg met korpsleiding

    A major rift has emerged between Suriname’s national police leadership and the Suriname Police Union, after the union launched a forceful protest over the sudden termination of a high-stakes negotiating session between the two parties last Wednesday.

    The breakdown of talks, held on May 6, centered on a disagreement over the participation of one union board member who has been temporarily suspended from active police duty pending an ongoing internal investigation. Police leadership took the firm position that the suspended member was not eligible to join the consultation as a representative of the union. When no compromise could be reached on the issue, senior police leaders exited the meeting room early, bringing the entire session to an unplanned close.

    In an official protest letter addressed to National Police Chief Melvin Pinas, union chairman Revelino Eijk has labeled the incident a “serious incident” that inflicts lasting damage on the institutional relationship between police command and the country’s police labor organization. Eijk emphasized that the abrupt end to talks has put the entire framework of social negotiation between the two sides under severe strain, leaving a slate of critical issues related to the welfare of rank-and-file officers and organizational development completely unaddressed.

    The union has pushed back firmly against police leadership’s stance, noting that the suspended board member attended the meeting in their capacity as a democratically elected representative of the labor union, not as an active duty police officer. The union maintains that the authority to decide the composition of its own negotiating delegation rests exclusively with the union itself, not with police management.

    To back its position, the organization cites Article 4 of Suriname’s 2016 Law on Trade Union Freedom, adopted on December 15 that year. The legislation explicitly prohibits employers from implementing discriminatory measures against trade union board members or representatives. The union argues that police leadership’s actions create the clear impression that the board member is being treated unequally and subjected to restricted treatment solely because of their role in the union.

    Eijk stressed that walking away from the table does nothing to foster a mature, constructive working relationship between the two sides. Differences of opinion could have been worked through through open dialogue, the union says, without shutting down the entire consultation process entirely. The incident represents a serious disruption to social dialogue that undermines healthy labor relations, mutual institutional respect, and productive collaborative work, the union added.

    This is not the first time the union has raised concerns about the dynamic between the two organizations: Eijk noted that the union has previously reminded police leadership of the critical importance of mutual respect, open communication, and respectful institutional engagement in the partnership between the two groups. The union is now calling for future negotiating sessions to be held in an environment rooted in professionalism, mutual respect, and open, constructive dialogue. A copy of the protest letter has also been sent to Harish Monorath, Suriname’s Minister of Justice and Police, for further review.