Pokigron

Last updated
Pokigron
Atjoni harbor Suriname.jpg
The village from the Upper Suriname River
Suriname location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Pokigron
Location in Suriname
Coordinates: 4°29′28″N55°21′54″W / 4.491111°N 55.365°W / 4.491111; -55.365
Country Flag of Suriname.svg Suriname
District Sipaliwini
Resort (municipality) Boven Suriname
Elevation
246 ft (75 m)
Population
 (2018) [1]
 • Total~400

Pokigron is a town in Suriname located on the Upper Suriname River near the Brokopondo Reservoir. It is located in the Boven Suriname municipality (resort) in the Sipaliwini District. It has a population of approximately 400 people in 2018. [1] Pokigron is located at the end of a paved road via Brownsweg to the Afobakaweg. [2] Pokigron is often referred to as Atjoni which is the nearby quay, and literally the end of the road. Villages to the South of Pokigron have to be accessed by boat. [3] The village is home to Maroons of the Saramaka tribe. [4]

Contents

Nearby towns and villages include Wittiehede Ston (19.6  nm), Mofina (15.6 nm), Wittikamba (1.4 nm), Malrosee-Kondre (5.1 nm) and Abenaston (3.0 nm). [5]

History

Pokigron was, up to 1986, a village with a population of 700, and reasonably prosperous as the main transport hub to the south of the country. Many of the typical huts with thatched roofs had been replaced by houses, and the village even had street lights. This changed on 23 April 1987. [6] The Surinamese Interior War which had started far away in Albina and Moengotapoe the previous year, had come to Sipaliwini. [7] The Jungle Commando headed by Ronnie Brunswijk ordered the villagers into the jungle, robbed them of their possessions, and burned their houses. [6] On 11 September 1987, the National Army led by Dési Bouterse retaliated by attacking the Jungle Commando, and according to a report by Aide Médicale Internationale, killed civilians including women and children. Both parties have denied that any civilians had been killed. [8] On 27 September 1989, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights looked into the matter, declared that this constituted a very serious violation of the Right to Life, recommended that the Government of Suriname investigate the matter, and that the relatives of the victims are entitled to fair compensation. The IACHR identified 15 cases of deaths, four disappearances and one was unclear. Six of the cases were children, and three were women of which one was raped before she was killed. [9] In October 1993, the IACHR sentenced the Government of Suriname to pay $400,000 (~$687,398 in 2021) in damages to the victims. [10]

A group of civilians from Pokigron following the incidents squatted [6] [11] in a terrain near Paramaribo, and have named their camp Sunny Point. [11] It is located in Koewarasan, Wanica. [12]

As of 3 February 2018, the village of Pokigron now has 24 hours of electricity, because the Diesel generators could only provide for 5 to 6 hours. [1]

Healthcare

Pokigron is home to a Medische Zending healthcare centre. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marowijne District</span> District of Suriname

Marowijne is a district of Suriname, located on the north-east coast. Marowijne's capital city is Albina, with other towns including Moengo and Wanhatti. The district borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, the Surinamese district of Sipaliwini to the south, and the Surinamese districts of Commewijne and Para to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sipaliwini District</span> District of Suriname

Sipaliwini is the largest district of Suriname, located in the south. Sipaliwini is the only district that does not have a regional capital, as it is directly administered by the national government in Paramaribo.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurora, Suriname</span> Place in Sipaliwini District, Suriname

Aurora is a town in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname on the Upper Suriname River. Aurora is a tribal village, and has a twin village called Nieuw Aurora which was built as an extension. The village is home to Maroons of the Saramaka tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brownsweg</span> Town and Resort in Brokopondo, Suriname

Brownsweg is a town and resort in Suriname in the Brokopondo District. Its population at the 2012 census was 4,793.

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.

<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">Koewarasan</span> Resort in Wanica District, Suriname

Koewarasan is a resort in Suriname, located in the Wanica District. Its population at the 2012 census was 27,713. It is located to the west of Paramaribo, and is mainly a suburban area. The municipality was founded in 1939, and was originally intended for the Javanese settlers from Java, however due to World War II, only a single group arrived. The majority of the population are East Indian. Prior to 1939, Koewarasan was an agricultural area used for the cultivation of rice.

Poesoegroenoe or Pusugrunu or Psugrunu is a Matawai village in Boven Saramacca, Sipaliwini District, central Suriname. The village lies along the Saramacca River and is the residence of the gaanman of the Matawai maroons.

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

Ronnie Brunswijk is a Surinamese politician, businessman, former rebel leader, footballer and convicted drug trafficker, who is serving as the current Vice President of Suriname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johan Kraag</span> 5th President of Suriname

Johannes Samuel Petrus "Johan" Kraag was a Surinamese politician who served as the President of Suriname from 29 December 1990, until 16 September 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henk Chin A Sen</span> 2nd 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">Brazil–Suriname relations</span> Bilateral relations

Brazil – Suriname relations refer to the bilateral relations between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of Suriname. Diplomatic relations were established on 3 March 1976. Brazil has an embassy in Paramaribo since the independence of Suriname on 25 November 1975. Suriname has an embassy in Brasília since 1976, and a consulate in Belém since 2012.

Medische Zending Primary Health Care Suriname, commonly known as Medische Zending or MZ is a Surinamese charitable organization offering primary healthcare to remote villages in the interior of Suriname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Suriname</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Suriname

The COVID-19 pandemic in Suriname was caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Suriname on 13 March 2020. The case was a person who travelled from the Netherlands the previous week. On 3 April 2020, one person died. On 3 May 2020, all nine cases had recovered. On 18 May, an eleventh case was identified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoelmanseiland</span> Village and island in the Paramacca Resort of Suriname

Stoelmanseiland is an island, and a village in the Paramacca resort of the Sipaliwini District. It is located at the confluence of the Tapanahony River with the Lawa River which forms the Marowijne River, and is also the border with French Guiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamacca</span> Resort in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname

Paramacca is a resort in Suriname, located in the Sipaliwini District. The population is estimated between 1,500 and 2,000 people. In 1983, the Sipaliwini District was created, and the eastern part became the resort of Tapanahony. The Paramacca resort is the northern part of Tapanahony, and mainly inhabited by the Paramaccan people, the border of the resorts is the island of Bofoo Tabiki in the Marowijne River.

The Tucayana Amazonas was an Amerindian guerrilla commando group in Suriname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalebaskreek</span> Village in Saramacca District, Suriname

Kalebaskreek is an indigenous village of Kalina Amerindians in the resort of Calcutta in the Saramacca District in Suriname.

<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. 1 2 3 "Pokigron 1×24 uur stroom". De Boodschap.today (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  2. ↑ "Suriname ontvangt geld van China om financiering project". Indian Feelings (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "Welcome to the Jungle". Vives Onderwijs in Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Planning Office Suriname - Districts" (PDF). Planning Office Suriname (in Dutch). p. 189. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "Pokigron". Map Landia. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 "De ondergang van een Surinaams bosnegerdorp". Terdege via Digibron (in Dutch). 2 January 1991. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Leger Suriname zoekt gijzelaars". Reformatorisch Dagblad via Digibron. 26 July 1986. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Franse artsen melden nieuw bloedbad in dorp Suriname". Reformatorisch Dagblad via Digibron (in Dutch). 29 September 1987. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Tjongalangapassie victims v. Surin., Case 10.124, Inter-Am. C.H.R., Report No. 22/89, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.76, doc. 10 (1988-1989)" (PDF). World Courts. 27 September 1989.
  10. ↑ "'BOUTERSE HOORT IN THE BAK'". Trouw via Delpher (in Dutch). 24 September 1994. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Wat wij doen in Sunny Point". Kansrijk Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Nikos-peiling: Onveiligheidsgevoel in Wanica toegenomen". Star Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  13. ↑ "Zorggebied". Medische Zending.sr (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 May 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.