Security around Suriname prisons was tightened last week following the discovery of alleged plans for a coordinated prison break and a string of other events to create chaos and destabilise the government, according to a Caribbean Net News report.
The report said the Ministry of Justice and the police reported that judicial authorities received “hard intelligence” about prison riots involving a score of hard criminals, including drug dealers, arms traffickers and murderers who, during the riots, would break out of detention.
Justice Minister Chandrikapersad Santokhi told reporters last week that the events were aimed at destabilising the government.
According to the reports authorities are said to be in possession of a list with the names of inmates who would be freed during the riots. However, it is unclear whether individuals outside the prisons were involved in the plot.
No arrests have been made, and the minister was reluctant to name any possible initiators of the unrest but President Ronald Venetiaan has named the main opposition party, National Democratic Party (NDP).
According to the report, President Venetiaan has stated that protest demonstrations of the Suriname Youths Collective (JCS), a protest of former members of the National Army and a petition from a former armed guerilla organisation are being orchestrated by NDP of former dictator Desi Bouterse. Further, the report said, the scenarios to create unrest are aiming at toppling the government and subsequently derailing the trial in connection with a December 1982 mass murder.
Former army chief Bouterse is the main suspect and public hearings in the ‘December Murders’ trial start on November 30.
Meanwhile, in response, Bouterse said that the allegations come as no surprise, since he and his party were being blamed for everything that was going wrong in the country.
“I won’t be surprised at all if before long they will say that we are responsible for the climate change in the world,” Bouterse told de Ware Tijd newspaper.
It was reported that a bid by a delegation of members of the NDP faction in parliament to visit the Duisburg penitentiary was rejected.
On Tuesday last the justice minister had a meeting with Chief of Police Delano Braam to discuss the situation and more police patrols were ordered.
The meetings will continue at a higher level with Venetiaan, vice-president Ram Sardjoe, Minister of Defence Ivan Fernald and other security officials.
