Suriname court convicts president of murder

DW, 30 November 2019

Suriname's President Desi Bouterse has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 1982 murder of 15 political opponents. The South American country is now on edge over what happens next.

Suriname President Desi Bouterse (Reuters/R. Abhelakh)

A military court in Suriname on Friday convicted President Desi Bouterse of murder for the execution of 15 opponents in 1982, plunging the South American country into political uncertainty.

Opposition parties called on Bouterse, who is on a state visit to China, to step down. He was expected to return home on Saturday or Sunday.

The 74-year-old leader was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but the military court did not issue an arrest warrant. Under Surinamese law, he cannot be arrested until all appeals have been exhausted.

After the court decision, the government asked Suriname's 560,000 people to remain calm.

Who is Bouterse?

As a junior military officer, Bouterse seized power in a coup in 1980, five years after Suriname gained independence from the Netherlands. He stepped down in 1987 under international pressure in a move that led to a democratic election, only to briefly seize power again in 1990.

He later left the army and took office again in 2010, following democratic elections won by his National Democratic Party (NDP). He secured a second term in 2015.

What did the court find? 

The court ruled that Bouterse had overseen what is known as the "December killings," in which soldiers abducted 16 opponents, among them prominent journalists, academics and military officers.

All but one of the detainees was killed at a colonial fortress in the capital Paramaribo. The sole survivor — a union later — testified against Bouterse.

What led up to decision?

The court decision marks a turning point in a trail that began in 2007, when Bouterse accepted "political responsibility'' for the killings but insisted he was not present.

Bouterse and the NDP have repeatedly sought to obstruct the trial. Shortly after taking office in 2010, the NDP-controlled National Assembly granted him amnesty that was overturned by the constitutional court.

Then in 2016, the president asked the attorney general to halt the legal proceedings against him, but the court ruled against the move because the trial had already started.

Calls to implement law

Angelic del Castillo, head of the opposition Democratic Alternative '91 party, said Bouterse had "disqualified himself" and demanded he immediately resign.

In a joint statement, the diplomatic missions of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States called on the final verdict in the killings to be "implemented and upheld in accordance with the rule of law."

"The integrity and independence of the Judiciary is a pillar in Suriname society," they said.

Drug trafficking

In 2009, a Dutch court sentenced Bouterse to 11 years in prison in absentia for drug trafficking. However, his 2010 election victory protected him from being extradited under an Interpol warrant.

In 2015, his son, Dino Bouterse, was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison in the United States after being convicted of drug smuggling and trying to help the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah establish a base in Suriname. He had previously been picked to run Suriname's counter-terrorism unit.

A Suriname judge in 2005 convicted Dino of trafficking arms, drugs and running a gang.

Zwarte Piet is a negative stereotype: court orders parade rethink

DutchNews.nl, Thursday 03 July 2014

The 'new look' Piet (right) was widely ridiculed. Photo: Nos

Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan has been told by a court in the capital to reconsider the licensing of the Sinterklaas parade through the city last year, which became mired in controversy because of the Zwarte Piet character.

The administrative court says the mayor has six weeks to look again at the decision to allow the parade to go ahead last year and determine if the correct one was taken.

The administrative court said in its ruling the Zwarte Piet character a negative stereotype which is insulting to black people and the mayor must decide which interest is more important: that of black Amsterdammers or society in general, news agency ANP reported.

Racist

Critics of Zwarte Piet – played by white people in blackface make-up – went to court last year in an effort to have the parade halted, arguing Sinterklaas’s servant is racist.  That request was rejected by the courts, resulting in an appeal to the administrative court. 

Van der Laan is already in talks with both the pro and anti Piet lobby about this year’s parade. Earlier this year, the Dutch folklore institute recommended making changes to Zwarte Piet's appearance but did not suggest removing the blackface make-up.

The court's ruling has no implications for Sinterklaas parades in the rest of the country, Nos television said.

Opponents of the Zwarte Piet character said the court's verdict was an important victory. 'The court has said Zwarte Piet is racist. You have to eradicate racism and the Dutch state has a role in this,' said Barryl Biekman, chairman of the national slavery heritage platform.

Children

Social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher, who in charge of integration issues, said the Sinterklaas celebrations should be a party which everyone enjoys.

Sinterklaas is a children’s event and should remain so, he said. But it is also subject to change, he said. ‘We used to sing ‘who is naughty gets a switch’ and that has changed,’ the minister said.

But Asscher declined to comment on the court case, saying it is up to Amsterdam city council.

Asscher is due to meet Verene Shepherd, the UN official who last year criticised the Zwarte Piet tradition, later on Thursday.

UN advisor Verene Shepherd (with sunglasses and colored

scarf) in slavery memorial (NOS)

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A new-look Zwarte Piet: no curly hair, no red lips, but he's still black
Hundreds march in Netherlands to support 'racist Black Pete'

Dutch Santa faces ban in Suriname (+Video)

Kryon Q&A

Question: I’m a black woman who enjoys your teachings tremendously. It seems that there aren’t a lot of black people involved in these discussions. Is this true, and is there a reason for this? Is it cultural? Or am I wrong in this assumption?

Answer: Dear one, yes. If you’re speaking about black Americans, you’re right. It’s cultural. There are two basic reasons you won’t find many blacks in metaphysics in your culture: The first one is that in your land, your race is a minority with a history of oppression. This has created a very strong spiritual support base. Almost from birth, most of you have been exposed to very high church and spiritual support and a feeling of belonging and sticking together. There are few groups that have this kind of support and prayer base. So spiritually, you don’t look around much for answers other than what you have already learned about the love of God. This works for you and is honored.

The second reason is perhaps politically incorrect in your culture to speak of, but Kryon is not of your culture. Many of you are in survival mode due to sustained second-class citizenship you experience from birth. This causes despair, poverty, and a shift to crime among many due to despondency over life and a need to survive in a system that does not honor you. When a Human is consumed with survival in a difficult environment, they don’t have time or a desire for introspection or a search to better themselves spiritually. All their time is spent spinning within the challenges they have, many of which they assume to be their plight, many of which they have created themselves.

The sadness here is that if they did look within, they would find the tools to co-create a life outside of survival, and start processes that honors their endeavors and their lives. Blessed are those with life challenges, as so many of the minorities have, but who have decided to increase their spiritual knowledge as a solution, instead of trying to force-manipulate the reality of the cultural situation.

UN's Zwarte Piet critic is an 'unpaid volunteer' says Belgian paper

DutchNews.nl, Thursday 24 October 2013

Verene Shepherd

The United Nations official who said the Netherlands' Sinterklaas festivities should be scrapped because Zwarte Piet is a throw-back to slavery is a volunteer who is not paid by the UN and does not speak on behalf of the organisation, according to Belgian newspaper De Morgen.

There has been an outcry in the Netherlands since Verene Shepherd made her comments about Zwarte Piet and racism on a television programme. But according to UN spokesman Xabier Celaya in De Morgen, Shepherd is an 'independent expert chosen by member states'.

Sinterklaas is also celebrated in Belgium and the festivities there also include Zwarte Piet.

Unesco

Shepherd leads a four-person strong working group which was set up in 2008. In January the team, known as the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, wrote to the Dutch government asking for clarification about the character of Zwarte Piet. It also asked about plans to have the festivities included in Unesco world heritage listings.

Marc Jacobs, Belgium's Unesco representative, said in an opinion piece on website deredactie.be that Shepherd's group does not represent Unesco in any way. 'The four signatories are not a Unesco recognised body but used United Nations letter paper,' he said.

However, according to the Volkskrant, the team will publish a report on the case which will be presented to the UN’s high commissioner on human rights or the human rights council.

That could lead to a UN resolution, UN expert Dick Leurdijk of the Clingendael institute told the paper. Eventually, the Netherlands could be recommended to drop the Sinterklaas festivities, although the Netherlands would be free to refuse to do this, Leurdijk said.

Groningen

Meanwhile, Groningen city council is reportedly considering inviting Shepherd to the northern city to witness the arrival of Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Piets on November 16.

The council wants to show Shepherd 'what an enormous children's party' is celebrated every year, the NRC reported.

However, the town of Hoogezand has cancelled plans to include multi-coloured Piets in its Sinkerklaas celebrations for disadvantaged children after receiving email threats and accusations that officials were traitors.

Related Articles:

Hundreds march in Netherlands to support 'racist Black Pete' - New
Dark skin campaign seeks to stop prejudice

Zwarte Piet is a throwback to slavery, says UN working party chief

Facebook-page Pietitie

Kryon Q&A

Question: I’m a black woman who enjoys your teachings tremendously. It seems that there aren’t a lot of black people involved in these discussions. Is this true, and is there a reason for this? Is it cultural? Or am I wrong in this assumption?

Answer: Dear one, yes. If you’re speaking about black Americans, you’re right. It’s cultural. There are two basic reasons you won’t find many blacks in metaphysics in your culture: The first one is that in your land, your race is a minority with a history of oppression. This has created a very strong spiritual support base. Almost from birth, most of you have been exposed to very high church and spiritual support and a feeling of belonging and sticking together. There are few groups that have this kind of support and prayer base. So spiritually, you don’t look around much for answers other than what you have already learned about the love of God. This works for you and is honored.

The second reason is perhaps politically incorrect in your culture to speak of, but Kryon is not of your culture. Many of you are in survival mode due to sustained second-class citizenship you experience from birth. This causes despair, poverty, and a shift to crime among many due to despondency over life and a need to survive in a system that does not honor you. When a Human is consumed with survival in a difficult environment, they don’t have time or a desire for introspection or a search to better themselves spiritually. All their time is spent spinning within the challenges they have, many of which they assume to be their plight, many of which they have created themselves.

The sadness here is that if they did look within, they would find the tools to co-create a life outside of survival, and start processes that honors their endeavors and their lives. Blessed are those with life challenges, as so many of the minorities have, but who have decided to increase their spiritual knowledge as a solution, instead of trying to force-manipulate the reality of the cultural situation.

Suriname president's son Dino Bouterse charged in US

BBC News, 31 August 2013

Dino Bouterse, seen here arriving at court in 2003, served an earlier prison
sentence on multiple charges

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The son of Suriname's president has appeared before a court in the United States, charged with drug and weapons trafficking.

Dino Bouterse pleaded not guilty in a federal court in New York.

Mr Bouterse was arrested in Panama on Thursday and swiftly handed over to American agents.

His arrest came as his father, President Desi Bouterse, hosted the Unasur summit of South American leaders.

Dino Bouterse, who was head of Suriname's anti-terrorism unit, was arrested at Panama City international airport while travelling on a diplomatic passport.

US officials said Mr Bouterse had been indicted on drug and weapons charges, including cocaine trafficking.

He had been sentenced to eight years in prison in 2005, after being found guilty of trafficking in drugs, weapons and stolen luxury cars.

Mr Bouterse was released three years later for good behaviour and was later named director of Suriname's Counter Terrorist Unit.

His father Desi (for Desire), a former coup leader, was elected president of Suriname in 2010.

He was accused of numerous human rights violations in the 1980s but was given immunity by parliament in 2012.

In 2000, President Bouterse was himself convicted in absentia of drug trafficking by a court in the Netherlands.

He has always denied the charges.

Caribbean nations take aim at the British, Dutch and French in slave-trader lawsuit

The Standard, Hong Kong, July 26, 2013

An exhibit on the slave trade at the
UN in March

Leaders of more than a dozen Caribbean countries are seeking compensation from three European nations for what they say is the lingering legacy of the Atlantic slave trade. 

The Caribbean Community, a regional organization, has taken up the cause of compensation for slavery and the genocide of native peoples and is preparing for what would likely be a drawn-out battle with the governments of Britain, France and the Netherlands, AP reports.

Caricom, as the organization is known, has enlisted the help of a prominent British human rights law firm and is creating a Reparations Commission to press the issue, said Ralph Gonsalves, the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, who has been leading the effort.

Any settlement should include a formal apology, but contrition alone would not be sufficient.

“The apology is important but that is wholly insufficient,'' he said in a phone interview Wednesday with The Associated Press. “We have to have appropriate recompense.''

The notion of forcing the countries that benefited from slavery to pay reparations has been a decades-long quest. Individual countries including Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda already had existing national commissions. Earlier this month, leaders from the 14 Caricom nations voted unanimously at a meeting in Trinidad to wage a joint campaign that those involved say would be more ambitious than any previous effort.

Each nation that does not have a national reparations commission agreed to set one up, sending a representative to the regional commission, which would be overseen by prime ministers. They agreed to focus on Britain on behalf of the English-speaking Caribbean as well as France for the slavery in Haiti and the Netherlands for Suriname, a former Dutch colony on the northeastern edge of South America that is a member of Caricom.

In addition, they brought on the British law firm of Leigh Day, which waged a successful fight for compensation for hundreds of Kenyans who were tortured by the British colonial government as they fought for the liberation of their country during the so-called Mau Mau rebellion of the 1950s and 1960s.

Attorney Martyn Day said his first step would likely be to seek a negotiated settlement with the governments of France, Britain and Netherlands along the lines of the British agreement in June to issue a statement of regret and award compensation of about US$21.5 million to the surviving Kenyans.

“I think they would undoubtedly want to try and see if this can be resolved amicably,'' Day said of the Caribbean countries. “But I think the reason they have hired us is that they want to show that they mean business.''

Caribbean officials have not mentioned a specific monetary figure but Gonsalves and Verene Shepherd, chairwoman of the national reparations commission in Jamaica, both mentioned the fact that Britain at the time of emancipation in 1834 paid £20 million to British planters in the Caribbean, the equivalent of £200 billion today.

“Our ancestors got nothing,'' Shepherd said. “They got their freedom and they were told `Go develop yourselves.’’

British High Commissioner to Jamaica David Fitton was quizzed on the issue Wednesday during a radio interview and said that the Mau Mau case was not meant to be a precedent and that his government opposes reparations for slavery.

“We don't think the issue of reparations is the right way to address these issues,'' Fitton said. “It's not the right way to address an historical problem.''

In 2007, marking the 200th anniversary of the British prohibition on the transportation of slaves, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed regret for the “unbearable suffering'' caused by his country's role in slavery. After the devastating Haitian earthquake in January 2010, then French President Nicolas Sarkozy was asked about reparations for slavery and the 90 million gold francs demanded by Napoleon to recognize the country's independence. Sarkozy acknowledged the “wounds of colonization,'' and pointed out that France had canceled a 56 million euro debt to Paris and approved an aid package that included 40 million euros in budget support for the Haitian government.

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Suriname wants Dutch compensation for slave trade

Seedorf blazes a trail in Brazil

The Daily Star, Reuters, Brian Homewood, December 2012

FILES - A file picture taken on April 16, 2011 shows AC Milan's Dutch
midfielder Clarence Seedorf. (AFP PHOTO / OLIVIER MORIN)

                             

RIO DE JANEIRO: The idea of signing a big-name European player was unheard of in Brazil until Botafogo landed former Dutch international Clarence Seedorf in June at the age of 36.

Six months later, the Suriname-born former Ajax, Sampdoria, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan midfielder has became a hugely respected player in Brazil and a father figure to his team mates.

"I think I've helped open a door, (and shown) that it is possible that you have a very good experience in Brazil," Seedorf told Reuters in an interview.

"Brazil generally was an export country and now they have shown they can also import, and that has to do with the economic growth in the country.

"Look at Neymar who is still playing (here). (In the past) a guy like him would have been in Europe two years ago, so that's positive."

For the last 25 years, there has been an almost incessant flow of Brazilian footballers abroad, with hundreds leaving the country annually for more lucrative and organised leagues elsewhere.

Until recently, the idea of foreigners moving in the other direction was almost unheard of.

Most Latin American players would head for Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico while intensely nationalistic Brazilians wondered why the sport's most successful country should need foreign players at all.

That situation has changed dramatically over the past few years. Players from other South American countries have earned a grudging respect in Brazil and the country's economic boom has reinvigorated local football, providing lucrative sponsorship deals.

Although Seedorf is married to a Brazilian and knows the country, his move still raised eyebrows as European players usually chose to play out their careers in the Middle East, the United States or Australia.

"It was a long process before I got to the final decision," he said. "Brazil obviously has great potential, there are many opportunities here with the Confederations Cup coming up, World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up, and from that point of view I was very interested in being in this market.

"Botafogo have a very ambitious project, it's a very ambitious club, they want to get back to where they were before, with a young team.

"That was really a big motivation for me after 10 years with AC Milan, finding a new enthusiastic project that could help me get up in the morning and say 'here we go again' and keep the drive going.

"I have to say I am not regretting my choice. It has been very intense...a great experience, new culture in football and also in life."

Despite his popularity, Seedorf needed time to get used to his new life.

"There are many, many small details which are important for players," he said. "Training is very early in the morning, nine o'clock because of the nice sun, so many aspects that are part of a great experience but also a challenge in adapting.

"There is more creativity, there is a little bit less discipline tactically but that is exactly the balance and there is no good or better way, it's very different but it's also very intense."

The biggest eye-openers were the hectic schedule and the wildly fluctuating crowds at matches.

"They play every three days but what surprised me most were the fans because they are all crazy about football here but they don't really go to the stadium," he said.

"That is something which surprised me a lot, because for the important matches they fill Maracana with 120,000 people easily, then all of a sudden you have only 3,000 people going to the stadium (for the next game)."

Any fears that Seedorf might have struggled fitting in were soon dispelled. Brazil has taken to the Dutchman as quickly as he has taken to the country.

"I know I've worked hard to bring value to Botafogo and to Brazilian football," he said. "The whole of Brazil has embraced me in a positive way, shown me a lot of love and I can only show gratitude for that.

"I can only try to be an example on and off the pitch, performing as best as I can, helping football in general."

Dutch government to halt aid to Suriname

RNW, 11 April 2012

(Photo: ANP)

Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has announced that the Netherlands will be stopping its development aid to Suriname in reaction to the passing of law there last week granting amnesty to the suspects of the December murders, the killings of dictator Desi Bouterse’s political opponents in 1982.

The minister added that economic sanctions were not feasible “much to my regret”. He would however investigate whether some measures might be possible in a European Union context.

The Dutch ambassador to Suriname, who returned home the day after the amnesty law was passed, will not be returning to Paramaribo for the time being.

The cessation of aid had wide support across parliament.

The Dutch government is considering whether the 20 million euros intended for the Surinamese authorities could not be given to other organisations in the former Dutch colony. The opposition Socialist Party suggested investing it in healthcare or education at home.

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Parliament in Suriname passes amnesty law

Parliament in Suriname passes amnesty law

RNW, 5 April 2012

Photo: 123ik.nl

The parliament in Suriname has adopted a controversial amnesty law that could prevent the country's president, Desi Bouterse, from being punished for his alleged role in the December Murders of 1982.

After three days of meetings, 28 MPs voted in favour of the law and 12 voted against. It was an emotional vote in parliament. The law was passed after a roll call vote. Members of the opposition, including former President Venetiaan, requested a roll call vote so that it would be clear to the voters which MPs were in favour of the law and which MPs voted against.

It remains unclear what effect the new legislation will have on the criminal case against President Bouterse, which is already underway. The president is suspected of having ordered and participated in the murders of 15 people who opposed the military regime Bouterse ran in the country during most of the 1980s.

Ambassador recalled

Dutch Minister of Foreign Afairs Uri Rosenthal says the new amnesty law is “extremely disappointing”. In response, he has recalled the ambassador for Suriname to discuss the matter. The conservative VVD, Christian Democrats and Freedom Party agree with Mr Rosenthal’s decision.

By recalling the ambassador, Mr Rosenthal is sending out the right signal, says Dutch lawyer Gerard Spong, who for years has devoted himself to a fair trial in this case. But recalling the ambassador is not enough. “I think a travel ban should be imposed on the suspects in this case, as well as on the MPs who have voted for the amnesty law.”

According to Mr Sprong, the Netherlands should also consider stopping certain aid projects. "Suriname should pay the price for this decision."

Related Articles:

Dutch government to halt aid to Suriname

Suriname demands secret Dutch documents

Dutch Santa faces ban in Suriname

RNW, 23 December 2011

Dutch Santa faces ban in Suriname

Sinterklaas, the Dutch version of Santa Claus, looks set to be banned in Suriname. MPs in the former Dutch colony say the Sinterklaas festival is racist.

A white Sinterklaas brings presents for children accompanied by his blacked-faced ‘helper’ Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter. The critical MPs say this master-servant relationship serves as a bad example for children.

It was the former president of the Latin American country, Ronald Venetiaan, who raised the issue in parliament during a debate on the culture budget. He described it as a "provocation" that the Sinterklaas festival should be celebrated on Independence Square in the Surinamese capital Paramaribo.

Parliament now proposes a ban on the celebration of Sinterklaas in schools. It is expected that the proposal will be approved when the government responds next week.

Like Santa, Sinterklaas is a kindly, gift-giving old man with a long white beard, but his red and white garb is far more ecclesiastical. More importantly, he has nothing to do with Christmas – his festival is celebrated on 5 December.

Soot

Sinterklaas’ gift-bearing assistant Black Peter is traditionally a black-faced character in Moorish costume with thick lips and curly black hair. He is also a source of controversy in the Netherlands. This year, protestors were arrested when they appeared at a Sinterklaas parade wearing t-shirts bearing the slogan ‘Black Peter is racism’.

The vast majority of Dutch people deny that there is anything racist about blacking up to play the role. They sometimes skirt the issue of Black Peter’s racial origin by explaining that his black face comes from the soot in the chimneys through which he descends to bring children their presents. One an answer to the accusations of racism, popular in Suriname, is to swap the black make-up for blue or other colourful variations.

End of slavery in Dutch colonies commemorated

RNW, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1 July 2011

A two minutes silence was observed Thursday to commemorate the abolition of slavery in Dutch colonies. The memorial is the beginning of celebrations that continue Friday with the Keti Koti festival in Amsterdam.

Thursday’s observed silence was followed by the raising of the flags of the Netherlands, Suriname and Curacao. A choir also sang the countries’ national anthems. The theme of this year’s memorial is ‘Standing Together and Celebrating Life.’

A second commemoration, which kicks off the Keti Koti festival, will take place Friday at the National Slavery Memorial in Amsterdam’s Oosterpark. The emotional memorial will be followed by a day of music and celebration. A parade, live music and entertainment are scheduled to take place in the park until late afternoon.

Last year’s Keti Koti festival attracted 35,000 visitors.

Related Article:

Global record on fighting slavery

Giant ocean whirlpools puzzle scientists

Pravda.ru, 12.04.2011

US scientists discovered two giant whirlpools in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Guyana and Suriname. It became a sensational discovery because this part of the ocean has been studied thoroughly, and no one expected anything like that to appear in the area. More importantly, no one can understand where the whirlpools came from and what surprises they may bring to people.

According to Brazilian scientist Guilherme Castellane, the two funnels are approximately 400 kilometers in diameter. Until now, these were not known on Earth. The funnels reportedly exert a strong influence on climate changes that have been registered during the recent years.

"Funnels rotate clockwise. They are moving in the ocean like giant frisbees, two discs thrown into the air. Rotation occurs at a rate of one meter per second, the speed is sufficiently large compared to the speed of oceanic currents, on the border hoppers is a wave-step height of 40 cm," Castellane said.

Even during the dry months, when the movement of oceanic currents and the flow of the Amazon River practically comes to a standstill, the funnels do not disappear. Therefore, the nature of the funnels does not depend on the flow of water, which one of the world's biggest rivers brings into the ocean. The natural phenomenon, which creates the whirlpools, is unknown to modern science.

As a matter of fact, the phenomenon of giant whirlpools in the World Ocean is not new to science. In most cases, the craters, or rings, as scientists call them, are formed as a result of so-called vertical currents. The latter, in their turn, appear because of differences in water density which appear because of difference in temperatures of water layers. It is an open secret that cold water is thicker and heavier, so it goes down, underneath the masses of warm water, which is lighter. This is the reason why warm currents in the World Ocean always flow closer to the surface, whereas colder currents flow closer to the bottom.

However, such movement of water may not always depend on the difference of temperatures of the water column. The difference in salinity can also be a reason. The mechanism here is the same. The density of saltier water is higher, this water is heavier and it moves closer to the bottom, pushing less saltier water up. This type of vertical fusion occurs frequently in the tropics because high temperatures lead to the evaporation of water from the surface. The salt does not evaporate with water, though. It stays in the ocean, which raises the level of salinity on the upper layer of water. This layer "drowns" and gives way to less saltier waters of the depth.

Such vertical movements of water create giant whirlpools. The whirlpools, tens and even hundreds of kilometers in diameter, may last for months and even years, scientists say. The vertical movement of waters is a slow process, though. Why do those whirlpools exist for such a long time? This is partially the effect of Earth's magnetic field. In addition, marine water contains many charged ions, Na and Cl for example. To crown it all, water molecules are dipoles that are charged both positively and negatively.

Any dipole starts spinning when moving in the magnetic field. An oceanic ring gathers millions of billions of molecules together. That is why the giant circle movement triggered by the vertical movement of water may last for months and years mechanically. Ions also give more power to the craters. Natrium and Chlorum are charged as well, and their movement in the magnetic field of the Earth also leads to the appearance of the circle movement.

It is not ruled out that the reason for the appearance of the whirlpools off the coast of South America is the same as in other parts of the World Ocean. Scientists are currently studying the influence of those giant funnels on the climate of Latin America and Africa. Such whirlpools show influence on the atmosphere and form cyclonical air mass. They can also affect the movement of air mass formed in other places. For the time being, scientists do not know how the newly discovered water craters can affect the climate of Central and South Americas.

Anton Yevseyev

Pravda.Ru

Read the original in Russian

Bouterse involved in drug crime after conviction

RNW, 22 January 2011

The President of Suriname Desi Bouterse allegedly continued to be involved in international drug crime after being convicted of drug smuggling by the Netherlands in 1999. The revelations were made by Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad based on cables by US diplomats in Surinam and neighbouring Guyana released by WikiLeaks.

President of Suriname Desi Bouterse

The cables indicate the Surinamese president was involved in drug smuggling until 2006, when he was still an MP. He allegedly had links to Shaheed 'Roger' Khan, Guyana’s biggest drugs baron, who is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence in the United States.

A spokesperson for President Bouterse told RNW correspondent Harmen Boerboom that he did not think the revelations would pose a problem for the president. “He is democratically elected by the Surinamese people.”

Voters already knew that Bouterse had been convicted of drug smuggling in the Netherlands and that he is suspected of giving the order for the December murders, in which 15 members of the opposition were killed in 1982 during an earlier term as president.

The 'cables' report a number of locations where Bouterse and Khan are believed to have met. Desi Bouterse also visited Guyana a number of times in spite of an international warrant for his arrest.

The two men are believed to be involved in various murders and plots to murder former Surinamese Minister of Justice Chandrikapersad Santokhi and procurer general Subhas Punwasi, who were responsible for a clampdown in drug crime.

The cables do not reveal whether the President Bouterse was involved in drug crime after 2006. Surinam is a former Dutch colony.

Dutch visa for Bouterse

RNW, 31 July 2010 - 7:59pm

Desi Bouterse, the new president of Suriname, will be able to visit the Netherlands during the next five years - with a Dutch visa.

Desi Bouterse, the new president
of Suriname. (Photo: ANP)

Now that he has become the president of a country, the Netherlands is obligated to provide Mr Bouterse with a visa should he wish to conduct an official visit to an international organisation based in the country. This was made clear by the Dutch Foreign Ministry in an article in the daily newspaper De Volkskrant on Saturday.

In 2000, Mr Bouterse was sentenced by the Netherlands - in absentia - to 11 years in jail for drug trafficking.

Although the Netherlands has issued an international warrant for his arrest, his status as president grants him immunity from prosecution. However, the obligatory visa applies only to official visits, not to private ones.

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An Outpost of Java on the Caribbean, Suriname Reaches Out to Indonesia

Haiti appeal in Surinam is a success

Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 21 January 2010 - 2:58pm

Red Cross in Haiti - Flickr/dieguchi

The Surinamese Red Cross is pleased with the response to a national appeal for Haiti.

By the end of a combined radio and television appeal on Wednesday evening, 260,000 euros had been raised. People from all walks of life and businesses joined in the Help Haiti appeal. Well-known artists auctioned their work and young people sent text messages, each raising a dollar.

In the Netherlands, a similar appeal is underway today, and various benefit events are being held up and down the country.

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(CNN) -- Thursday, January 21 - 12:55 p.m. -- Dutch Navy ship, the Pelikaan, was docked at Port-au-Prince's south pier Thursday, unloading 90 tons of humanitarian aid. Two other ships previously offloaded containers

Berbice Dutch officially extinct

Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 25 February 2010 - 9:12am

Berbice Dutch, a Dutch creole spoken in part of Guyana, has been declared officially extinct, according to an article in the March issue of the Dutch edition of National Geographic.

Berbice Dutch was spoken in plantations along the River Berbice, part of Guyana which was once a private colony founded by a Dutch planter from Zeeland. It is a mixture of the Zeeland dialect of Dutch, the local Arawak Indian language and Ijo, spoken by slaves from Nigeria.

Twenty years ago there were still handfuls of Berbice speakers in Guyana but, since it has been discovered that the last speaker died in 2005, the authoritative international language database Ethnologue has declared Berbice Dutch extinct.

A wide variety of Dutch creoles once existed around the globe. They included Albany Dutch, Jersey Dutch and Mohawk Dutch in North America, Berbice and Skepi in South America, Cape Dutch in South Africa, Ceylon Dutch in Sri Lanka and Javindo in Indonesia.

Those still alive and kicking include Papiamento in the Netherlands Antilles and Sranan Tongo in Surinam. Afrikaans, which is based largely on Dutch, is not officially classed as a creole although it does have features in common with many creoles.