SURINAME – A 12-year-old boy on Tuesday opened fire on a group of students who were on a boat. Nobody was wounded during the shooting incident which took place in the Sipaliwini District.  The boy reportedly decided to open fire because he and one of the boys from the boat had had an altercation earlier that day. The boy from the boat had reportedly slapped the perpetrator…[+]

SURINAME  – The Teachers’ Association  (BvL) on Wednesday  announced that it has decided to give the government until Saturday to present a solution aimed at giving teachers a better position within the salary system. The BvL which announced the deadline at a protest meeting made it clear that “if this is not the case, the union will bring the work at high schools at a standstill after recess starting on Wednesday.” The Organization of Teachers’ Organizations in Suriname (FOLS) on Wednesday announced that the government’s decision would determine next week’s situation. The FOLS made its announcement at a separate meeting.  “If the government’s decision is not satisfactory, the FOLS will issue a lightning strike on November 28,” said the chairman of the FOLS,  Marcelino Nerkust…[+]

SURINAME – Copper thieves on Monday night stole copper from pressure test devices that belong to the Water Supply Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources (NH). The theft  took place in De Goede Verwachting. The head of the department, Marlon Oosterling, confirmed the reports. The department had placed the devices in De Goede Verwachting where residents are being provided with infrastructure for connections to the water network. The residential area has been divided into several blocks. The department was reportedly focusing on block 3…[+]

SURINAME – It is time for Desi Bouterse, chairman of the  National Democratic Party (NDP), to once again intervene by urging legislators from the coalition to report for work so that Parliament can convene. The chairwoman of Parliament, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, told Times of Suriname that “perhaps members needed to be encouraged.”  On paper the coalition has 28 members which is sufficient for sessions to take place without the support of the opposition. But the number of coalition members who attend sessions dropped after the president’s held his annual speech on October 1. The chairwoman pointed out that it is up to legislators, those from the opposition included to give quorum…[+]

SURINAME – Local animal rights activists will finally get their wish as Parliament has agreed to pass legislation aimed at punishing acts of animal cruelty. Legislators on Tuesday took the first towards handing in a private member’s bill against animal cruelty.  The chairwoman of Parliament, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, explained that a formal letter will be written in order to turn  the wish of the animal rights activists into a private member’s bill…[+]

SURINAME – A boat carrying 22,000 liters of fuel was intercepted at Paranam in the Para District on Monday. Reports indicate that three Guyanese men and a Surinamese woman were arrested. The police officers from the Paranam Police Department received a tip that fuel was being traded at Waterland on the border between Domburg and  Paranam. Police units immediately rushed to the location and encountered the boat’s captain, two crew members and the Surinamese woman. The Surinamese woman had reportedly purchased all of the fuel…[+]

SURINAME – “The same people who are yelling right now did not give quorum for 15 years when they were part of the opposition,” said MP Hesdy Pigot (NF/NPS) in response to people criticizing the current opposition for failing to give quorum. According to MP Pigot, the opposition is willing to show up and let sessions take place in Parliament under the  condition that the opposition be given more say. MP Pigot made it clear that the coalition can no longer rely on a strong majority due to the current difference in the number of seats of the opposition and the coalition…[+]

SURINAME – A house burnt down along the Coppenamestraat in Moengo on Sunday afternoon. The Fire Department reportedly received the call around 17:45 and immediately rushed to the location. The spokesman  of the Fire Department, Olton Pinas, told Times of Suriname that the house consisted of two rooms. The woman who lived in the house was not home when the fire started. The house was not insured against fire. Nobody was injured and the surrounding buildings also were not damaged by the flames. When the fire fighters arrived the house was already ablaze. It is not clear what started the fire…[+]

SURINAME – All over the nation schools will be given access to the internet free of charge for charge for six months thanks to a project that has been initiated by the Telecommunication Company Suriname (Telesur) in association with First Lady Ingrid Bouterse-Waalring. “Soon 19 schools will be connected to the internet,” said Roy Belfort, chief PR Officer at Telesur…[+]

SURINAME – “It is beautiful on the inside and on the outside,” said several children from the Nos Kasitas Children’s Home when they entered the new building for the very first time. The children had patiently waited for the President Desi Bouterse so that the official opening could commence. “The president is really funny,” one of the girls told another one. “I did not know that the president had also lived in a children’s home. So that means that I, too can become president,” one of the boys told his friend who was sitting next to him…[+]