[www.inewsguyana.com] – Recent revelation by a Dutch newspaper that Suriname’s President, Desi Bouterse (while an opposition Member of Parliament) was allegedly in close contact with convicted Guyanese drug baron, Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan is opening a can of political worms about the extent of the PNC opposition collaboration with Bouterse, as the same report says his son supplied high-powered weapons to criminal elements holed up in Buxton during the 2002-2006 crime wave spree.
According to the Dutch publication NRC Handelsblad, a diplomatic message to the US State Department released by Wikileaks accuse Bouterse’s son Dino of being involved in weapons smuggling between Guyana and Suriname. The Diplomatic note states that Dino Bouterse had travelled with a sports team to Buxton and it was believed that weapons were taken to the Guyanese village of Buxton at that time.
During that time, the East Coast of Demerara village of Buxton was under the control of criminal elements linked to the PNC party now the main player in the main opposition APNU. APNU Head David Granger is also the Leader of the PNC.
A source close to local and international law enforcement says they are studying whether the linkages between the PNC-sponsored Buxton criminal elements and the Bouterse clan might have had some form of blessing of the PNC leadership at that time.
Investigators are looking at events leading up to and surrounding a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the PNC and Bouterse’s National Democratic Party on June 13, 2004 which was in the middle of the Buxton siege and a crime spree across the country. There were many deaths including anti-drug agents, police ranks, entrepreneurs and ordinary residents.
According to the PNC/Bouterse MoU of 2004: “Recognizing their responsibilities, as major opposition political parties, to contribute towards solutions of the myriad problems that beset our peoples; Convinced that closer collaboration between our two Political Parties can contribute to solutions in keeping with the policies and programmes of our respective parties; Held discussions during the past weeks, in Georgetown and New Nickerie, aimed at fostering better understanding and closer collaboration in the interest of our peoples and countries.”
Law enforcement sources in and out of Guyana say that information on the contacts between leaders of the PNC, Bouterse family and opposition-backed criminal gangs might now surface, shedding new light on the devastating 2002-2006 crime spree.
During the criminal siege of Buxton, a PPP/C government minister, Satyadeow Sawh and members of his family were gunned down as they returned home one evening from the Pegasus Hotel.
The Dutch newspaper says it has gained access to digital sources of information ‘print-out’ of the satellite phone of Khan, who was convicted in the US in 2009. Khan, who was arrested in Suriname in June 2006 and taken to Trinidad where he was taken by US agents and flown to New York, is serving a lengthy prison sentence.
Dino Bouterse, the son of the Surinamese President, has been in US custody for the past three weeks on charges of cocaine smuggling.
See below full text of MoU.
FULL TEXT OF: MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (NDP) OF SURINAME AND THE PEOPLE’S NATIONAL CONGRESS REFORM (PNCR) OF GUYANA
The PNCR and the NDP,
Recognizing their responsibilities, as major opposition political parties, to contribute towards solutions of the myriad problems that beset our peoples;
Convinced that closer collaboration between our two Political Parties can contribute to solutions in keeping with the policies and programmes of our respective parties;
Held discussions during the past weeks, in Georgetown and New Nickerie, aimed at fostering better understanding and closer collaboration in the interest of our peoples and countries.
Both parties, recognizing that the present problems, inter alia, the border controversy, spring from our common colonial historical experience and that despite the attainment of political independence the present state of economic development is far from satisfactory.
Both Parties, therefore, acknowledge the need to accelerate economic development of our countries to improve the lives of our people.
Both Parties acknowledge that the border controversy between our two countries has been a source of tensions and a distraction from the pursuit of economic and social programmes to improve the quality of lives of our peoples.
Consequently, the Parties agree that the urgent and peaceful resolution of the controversy will redound to the benefit of both our countries and peoples.
The Parties noted that recent developments in the maritime boundary controversy have renewed tensions and resolved to play a constructive role in this process by supporting our Governments to settle this issue in a mutually satisfactory manner without utilizing our scarce resources which could be better used for improving the lives of our peoples.
Recognizing that the Arbitration process has created windows of opportunities whereby other agreements can be made, we urge both Governments and Opposition Parties to create an atmosphere conducive to rapprochement so that the resources of our countries can be urgently exploited for the benefit of both our peoples.
The two political Parties resolved to work for a peaceful settlement of the border controversy and call on our Governments to avoid the temptation to manipulate this issue for narrow political interests.
Finally our two political parties, taking into consideration that our peoples are closely tied by historical experiences, family bonds and common interests, agree to continue the dialogue to promote and foster good neighbourly relations, closer cooperation and friendship.
SIGNED BY
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY PEOPLES NATIONAL CONGRESS REFORM.
Dated this 13th day of June 2004
New Nickerie
Suriname
