US embassy cable - 04PARAMARIBO502

UNCLAS  PARAMARIBO 000502 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR -- MSEIBEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, PHUM, PGOV, NS 
SUBJECT: UNEMPLOYED MAROONS PROTESTING LACK OF JOB 
OPPORTUNITIES BARRICADE MAIN HIGHWAY, COMMANDEER BUSFUL OF 
WORKERS HEADING TO CANADIAN GOLD MINING COMPANY CAMBIOR 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  After two days of unrest, protesters who had been 
disrupting operations of the Canadian gold mining company 
Cambior, in Suriname's Brokopondo district, decided to seek 
a peaceful resolution to address their key demand. 
Displeased with Cambior's alleged employment practices, 
protesters called on the government to revoke part of 
Cambior's concession and to grant them land for small-scale 
gold mining.  The move to a peaceful resolution followed 
the commandeering of a busload of Cambior workers who were 
later released unharmed and the barricading of a major 
highway leading to Cambior's gold mine, which resulted in 
the police and the military being deployed to the area. 
Former military strongman Desi Bouterse's National 
Democratic Party quickly denied that it played a role in 
the disturbances amidst accusations that the disturbances 
were politically motivated in the run up to the May 2005 
elections.  End Summary. 
 
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TEMPORARY END TO UNREST 
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2.  According to local media reports, on July 2, young 
unemployed protesters from the Maroon village of Nieuw 
Koffiekamp agreed to cease disrupting operations of the 
Canadian gold mining company Cambior, in Brokopondo 
district, 85 kilometers south of Suriname's capital 
Paramaribo.  (Note: Maroons are descendants of slaves that 
escaped harsh slave masters to Suriname's remote interior. 
End Note.)  The protesters had targeted Cambior because it 
allegedly hired most of its workers from the capital, 
Paramaribo, rather than surrounding villages.  They decided 
to give the government time to review their proposal to 
revoke part of the concession granted to Cambior and to 
provide them with land for small-scale gold mining.  They 
made no mention of what time frame was accorded to the 
government or what steps they would take if the government 
did not meet this demand. 
 
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PROTESTERS COMMANDEER BUSFUL OF WORKERS, BARRICADE HIGHWAY 
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3.  The protesters' decision to seek a peaceful resolution 
of their claim followed two days of unrest.  On June 28, 
protesters commandeered and then released a busful of 
Cambior workers near Nieuw Koffiekamp after they were 
unsuccessful in obtaining support from two nearby villages, 
Klaaskreek and Marchallkreek.  They demanded that the 
government permit them to engage in small-scale gold 
mining, that it address continuing power outages, and that 
it pave Afobaka highway.  They threatened to start a new 
interior war if the government failed to address their 
demands.  (Note:  Maroon soldier Ronny Brunswijk led a 
guerilla insurgency against the Desi Bouterse-led military 
regime in 1987 which ended in 1992, with acceptance of the 
Kourou Peace Accords.  End Note.) 
 
4.  In response to the disturbance, the government deployed 
police in the area to restore order and refused requests to 
negotiate with the protesters until they ceased disrupting 
the peace.  Minister of Regional Development Romeo Van 
Russell stated publicly that the government would do its 
utmost to maintain contact with the protesters but vowed 
that it would resort to more serious measures if the 
protesters continued to disrupt Cambior's mining 
operations. 
 
5.  The bus incident followed a June 27 altercation in 
which the police and the military had to use tear gas on 
protesters who had barricaded the Afobaka highway.  Prior 
to that incident, Brokopondo District Commissioner Hugo 
Pinas and village captain Ludwich Wijnerman initiated talks 
with the protesters in an attempt to seek a peaceful 
resolution to the conflict.  However, during talks between 
representatives of the protesters, the District 
Commissioner, and Cambior's management, other protesters 
started to throw stones at two fuel trucks on their way to 
Cambior's premises.  When the protesters attempted to set a 
barricade made of old tires ablaze, the government had to 
deploy military and police reinforcements to clear the 
road. 
 
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REACTIONS TO THE DISTURBANCES 
----------------------------- 
 
6.  Village leaders and representatives of the protesters 
engaged in talks have been quick to condemn the radical 
posture of a minority group.  The village leaders, in 
particular, expressed fears that Cambior would abandon 
agricultural and animal husbandry projects worth 30,000 
Surinamese dollars (about $12,000).  Bert Eersteling, one 
of the leaders of the Nieuw Koffiekamp Collective, a group 
that supports Cambior's activities, told the Embassy he 
believes that the radicals, who number around a dozen 
individuals, are being manipulated by people from 
Paramaribo with interests in the gold mining sector.  He 
added that former military strongman Desi Bouterse's 
National Democratic Party will try to capitalize 
politically on the problems at Nieuw Koffiekamp, as 
campaigning for the May 2005 elections has already begun. 
 
7.  Amidst swirling rumors of NDP's involvement, the party 
quickly denied that it had instigated the disturbances. 
NDP National Assembly member Yvonne Pinas publicly accused 
the government of blaming the opposition for its mistakes. 
 
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COMMENT 
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8.  The Afobaka disturbances highlight longstanding 
grievances held by residents in Suriname's interior over 
successive governments' refusal to recognize longstanding 
land claims.  Cambior, for its part, has tried to make 
peace with villagers through employment opportunities, 
funding for local projects, and community committee input. 
This has done little to appease the Nieuw Koffiekampers. 
Still, it is highly unlikely that the government would 
revoke a portion of Cambior's concession and distribute the 
land to the protesters, a move that would surely undermine 
the confidence of any future investors in Suriname.  Until 
the government, Cambior, and villagers negotiate an 
agreement which resolves the issue of surface rights, the 
Gross Rosebel mine will remain a bone of contention for 
Nieuw Koffiekampers.  Opposition parties like the NDP can 
be expected to exploit it in the run up to the 2005 
elections.  End Comment. 
 
BARNES 
 
 
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