One of the suspects has been hospitalized because he was injured during an escape attempt shortly after the firefight. The same day, police arrested a second suspect. Police arrested two more suspects a day after and on Thursday.
According to the police, the suspects assaulted and took hostage employees of the Forest Management and Bostoezicht Foundation (SBB) in the area around the village of Pikin Saron last Tuesday. They also took their vehicles with them. Truck drivers and employees of the Surinamese mining company Grassalco were also taken hostage. The suspects also shot at officers of the Pikin Saron checkpoint and set the post on fire, the Surinamese newspaper said. Two police officers were injured and had to be taken to Paramaribo for treatment.
Army and police freed the hostages the same day. Pikin Saron is located about 60 kilometers southwest of the capital Paramaribo. It has been unsettled for some time in the area, which is rich in natural resources, such as wood, gold and other minerals. The indigenous inhabitants have been complaining for years that third parties, mainly from Paramaribo, receive land and concessions for the exploitation of natural resources from the government – without consulting the local inhabitants. The indigenous people are demanding an end to this practice, the newspaper said.