De West

Last updated

De West is one of the main newspapers of Suriname.

De West was founded in 1892, and in its early years was a conservative paper that had a somewhat antagonistic rivalry with the left-leaning Suriname , the other leading newspaper in what was then the Dutch colony of Suriname. [1] De West became a daily newspaper in 1950 owned and edited by David George Findlay. [2]

On 25 February 1980, Dési Bouterse led a coup d'état. During the coup a hand grenade was thrown into the offices of De West, and the building was under fire. Luckily the fighting only caused minor damage. [3] The paper was forced to close in the early 1980s following a coup led by Dési Bouterse. It was allowed to reopen in 1984, although still under some government censorship. [4] As of 2002, it is the second-largest paper by circulation in Suriname, after de Ware Tijd , and takes an independent political stance. [5]

Related Research Articles

The early history of Suriname dates from 3000 BCE when Native Americans first inhabited the area. The Dutch acquired Suriname from the English, and European settlement in any numbers dates from the 17th century, when it was a plantation colony utilizing slavery for sugar cultivation. With abolition in the late 19th century, planters sought labor from China, Madeira, India, and Indonesia, which was also colonized by the Dutch. Dutch is Suriname's official language. Owing to its diverse population, it has also developed a creole language, Sranan Tongo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dési Bouterse</span> Leader of Suriname (1980–1987, 2010–2020)

Desiré Delano "Dési" Bouterse is a Surinamese military officer, politician, convicted murderer and drug trafficker who served as President of Suriname from 2010 to 2020. From 1980 to 1987, he was Suriname's de facto leader after conducting a military coup and establishing a period of military rule. In 1987, Bouterse founded the National Democratic Party (NDP). On 25 May 2010, Bouterse's political alliance, the Megacombinatie, which included the NDP, won the parliamentary elections, and on 19 July 2010, Bouterse was elected as President of Suriname with 36 of 50 parliament votes. He was inaugurated on 12 August 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henck Arron</span>

Henck Alphonsus Eugène Arron was the first Prime Minister of Suriname after it gained independence in 1975. A member of the National Party of Suriname, he served from 24 December 1973 with the transition government, to 25 February 1980. He was overthrown in a coup d'état by the military, led by Dési Bouterse. Released in 1981 after charges of corruption were dropped, he returned to banking, his previous career. In 1987, Arron was elected as Vice President of Suriname and served until another coup in 1990 overthrew the government.

The Jungle Commando was a guerrilla commando group in Suriname. It was founded by Ronnie Brunswijk in 1986 to ensure equal rights for Suriname's minority Maroon population. The group was formed after the Suriname troops committed mass murder against 35 people in Moiwana Village, near Moengo, after the Suriname national army failed to capture Ronnie Brunswijk. The commando fought against Dési Bouterse and the Surinamese army in the Suriname Guerrilla War.

The December murders were the murders on 7, 8, and 9 December 1982, of fifteen prominent young Surinamese men who had criticized the military dictatorship then ruling Suriname. Thirteen of these men were arrested on December 7 between 2 am and 5 am while sleeping in their homes. The other two were Surendre Rambocus and Jiwansingh Sheombar who were already imprisoned for attempting a counter-coup in March 1982. Soldiers of Dési Bouterse took them to Fort Zeelandia, where they were heard as "suspects in a trial" by Bouterse and other sergeants in a self-appointed court. After these "hearings" they were tortured and shot dead. The circumstances remain unclear. On 10 December 1982, Bouterse claimed on national television that all of the detainees had been shot dead "in an attempt to flee".

Ramsewak Shankar is a Surinamese politician who was the 4th President of Suriname, serving from 1988 to 1990. His government was overthrown by Dési Bouterse leading a bloodless military coup. Shankar had previously served as Agriculture & Fisheries Minister from 1969 to 1971.

Wilfred Hawker was a sergeant-major in the Surinamese military who was involved in two unsuccessful coups d'état in the early 1980s. Hawker was executed by the ruling military government for his role in the plots. He was the last person to be legally executed by Suriname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surinamese Interior War</span> 1986–1992 civil war in Suriname

The Surinamese Interior War was a civil war waged in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname between 1986 and 1992. It was fought by the Tucayana Amazonas led by Thomas Sabajo and the Jungle Commando led by Ronnie Brunswijk, whose members originated from the Maroon ethnic group, against the National Army led by then-army chief and de facto head of state Dési Bouterse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 Surinamese coup d'état</span> Violent overthrow of government in Suriname

The 1980 Surinamese coup d'état, usually referred to as the Sergeants' Coup, was a military coup in Suriname which occurred on 25 February 1980, when a group of 16 sergeants of the Surinamese Armed Forces (SKM) led by Dési Bouterse overthrew the government of Prime Minister Henck Arron with a violent coup d'état. This marked the beginning of the military dictatorship that dominated the country from 1980 until 1991. The dictatorship featured the presence of an evening curfew, the lack of freedom of press, a ban on political parties, a restriction on the freedom of assembly, a high level of government corruption and the summary executions of political opponents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Brunswijk</span> Surinamese politician and former rebel (born 1961)

Ronnie Brunswijk is a Surinamese politician, businessman, footballer, convicted drug trafficker, former rebel leader, and the current Vice President of Suriname. Brunswijk served in the early 1980s, as the personal bodyguard of Dési Bouterse, who overthrew the government in 1980, in a military coup. Brunswijk was discharged after asking for a raise, and denied back pay. In 1985, Brunswijk formed the Surinamese Liberation Army, better known as the Jungle Commando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henk Chin A Sen</span> President of Suriname

Hendrick Rudolf "Henk" Chin A Sen was a Surinamese politician who served as the President of Suriname from 15 August 1980 until 4 February 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chan Santokhi</span> President of Suriname since 2020

Chandrikapersad "Chan" Santokhi is a Surinamese politician and former police officer who is the 9th president of Suriname, since 2020. After winning the 2020 elections, Santokhi was the sole nominee for president of Suriname. On 13 July, Santokhi was elected president by acclamation in an uncontested election. He was inaugurated on 16 July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands–Suriname relations</span> Bilateral relations

Netherlands–Suriname relations refers to the current and historical relations between the Netherlands and Suriname. Both nations share historic ties and a common language (Dutch) and are members of the Dutch Language Union.

Roy Dennis Horb was a Surinamese military officer. He was one of the sergeants who committed a military coup in Suriname on 25 February 1980, and the right hand man of army leader Dési Bouterse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yngwe Elstak</span> Surinamese military officer

Yngwe Elstak (1927–2010) was a Surinamese military officer. He was the first commander of the Surinamese Armed Forces, from November 25, 1975, until February 25, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surendre Rambocus</span>

Surendre Sradhanand "Soerinder" Rambocus was a Surinamese serviceman. For a short period, he was the highest ranking officer of the Suriname National Army. He was involved in the unsuccessful coup d'état of March 1982 against the then dictator of Suriname, Dési Bouterse, and was executed on 8 December 1982 as one of the December murders.

Baal Indradj Oemrawsingh was a Surinamese professor of biochemistry at the University of Suriname, and member of the National Assembly of Suriname between 1977 and 1980. He was considered the political leader behind the Rambocus Coup of March 1982. He was one of the victims killed by the military regime of Dési Bouterse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Military Council (Suriname)</span>

The National Military Council was the ruling military junta of Suriname between the 1980 Sergeants' Coup and the 1987 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David George Findlay</span> Surinamese politician, editor, and writer

David George Findlay was a Surinamese politician, editor, and writer. He was the owner and chief editor of the newspaper De West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuba–Suriname relations</span> Bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations between Cuba and Suriname were established on 23 March 1979. Suriname has an embassy in Havana since 2003. Cuba has an embassy in Paramaribo since 1981.

References

  1. Rudolf Asveer Jacob van Lier (1971). Frontier Society: A Social Analysis of the History of Surinam. Martinus Nijhoof. p. 332.
  2. "Het dagblad De WEST is de oudste krant van Suriname". Dagblad De West (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  3. Alwin de Rooij (2008). "Pers onder bevel". OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis. (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 March 2021.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  4. Gary Brana-Shute (1986). "Back to the Barracks? Five Years 'Revo' in Suriname". Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs. 28 (1): 93–121. doi:10.2307/165737. JSTOR   165737.
  5. "Suriname: Transport and communications". Economist Intelligence Unit. November 5, 2002.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)