Suriname snubs Dutch queen’s speech

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – Suriname’s chargé d’affairs and acting Ambasador Chantal Doekhie did not attend Queen Beatrix’s speech yesterday. It is still unclear whether her absence had anything to do with the latest drug-related allegations made against president Bouterse. Some sources claim Suriname did not send any representative to the opening of the Dutch legislature last year as well.
Diplomatic relations between Paramaribo and The Hague cooled down since Bouterse took office in 2010. Alleged suggestive notes in a case file about ties between Bouterse and drug suspect Piet Wortel did not go down well with Suriname’s government. The allegations are nothing but ‘mudslinging’ by The Hague, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Lackin claims. “The chargé d’affaires did not attend the Queen’s speech. Why invite us if you do not think highly of our president. We have no use for The Hague,” says NDP board member and legislator Rashied Doekhie.