On Tuesday night, the government convened emergency discussions with Amerindian leaders in the aftermath of rioting in the Pikin Saron district, southwest of the city, that killed two people and destroyed a police station and 11 lumber trucks earlier in the day.
Kenneth Amoksi, Minister of Justice and Police, stated that the Pikin Saron area remains inaccessible to citizens while the police and army continue their operations detaining suspects in the attacks.
Muriel Fernandes, Chairman of the Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs in Suriname (VIDS), stated that while her organization was taken aback, the situation had been brewing for some time among the indigenous population, who believe they are being treated unfairly by the government.
Fernandes expressed sadness for the acts of violence, as well as the deaths and injuries caused by the rioting.
She claims that the demonstration has cleared the way for conversation with the administration, and that the indigenous people’s cries are finally being heard.
Foreign Affairs Minister Albert Ramdin led the government delegation, which included former police chief Humphrey Tjin Liep Shie.
“The indigenous population demands, among other things, that their rights be respected and that lands in their traditional living space issued to third parties be dealt with,” Tjin Liep Shie stated, adding that “indigenous people feel they are not being respected enough, and this must stop.”
He stated that the government has studied the problem thoroughly and that everyone agrees that it has taken much too long, pledging that the government will seriously address the issues made.
The parties have agreed to meet within the next two weeks after an inventory of the indigenous people’s residential locations has been completed.
The Ministry of Land Policy and Forestry Management is participating in an attempt to determine which parcels of land have been assigned to third parties in areas claimed by indigenous peoples as their territories.
For years, indigenous people have protested that their land rights are not guaranteed by law, and despite repeated promises, successive administrations have failed to address this issue.
Meanwhile, a draft law governing land rights has been before parliament for several months for consideration and approval.
During a protest demonstration a few weeks ago, indigenous people presented petitions to the Speaker of Parliament urging him to expedite the bill’s passage.
Suriname has already been instructed by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to legalize indigenous and tribal peoples’ land rights in at least two judgements. None of these international rulings have been completely implemented to date.
