UNEMPLOYED MAROONS PROTESTING LACK OF JOB

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
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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.

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