Report No. 22 (1989) IACHR. Case No. 10.124 (Surinam)

• Court: Inter-American Comission of Human Rights
• Case Number: 10.124
• Year: 1989
• Report Number: 22
• Case Type: Merits
• Respondent State: Surinam
• Alleged Victim: Masacre en Tjongalangapassie

OEA/Ser.L/V/II.76; Doc. 10; 18 S. 1989; Original: Spanish ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION; ON HUMAN RIGHTS 1988-1989 RESOLUTION Nº 22/89 CASE 10.124 SURINAME S. 27, 1989 HAVING SEEN: 1. The petition received by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on October 8, 1987, according to which: BACKGROUND INFORMATION: 1. The area under discussion is known as T.passie. At the 78 kilometers mark on the road between B. and P., in the Brokopondo/Sipaliwini District. T. area is inhabited by the S.M. or B.N.. T. road is the major line for communication for the S. people in the south to the urban coastal area. The road is of great importance since the construction of the dam prohibits safe and easy transportation by traditional boats. A. the construction of the lake, flooding of considerable areas of the S. territory and transmigration, many shifted to prepare their agriculture fields along the T.. 2. As a consequence many camps (small temporary settlements) arose in this environment. Residents from the following villages are entitled to settle there and grow their crops: Lispansi - I; Lispansi - II; J.J.; K.; A.; P.; G.; P.; K.; P.-Biudumatu; D.; B.; B.; Pikipada; G.. S. M.s living in other places might get permission to settle and grow their crops in this environment. From: H.; M.; S.; B. area; and, Paramaribo. 3. The schedule of agricultural production in the area or in the M. society, in general, is such that while men are preparing the fields for the next season, women are harvesting the previous fields and planting new crops like ground nuts and ochre in the new fields in preparation. T. go on simultaneously. Such is generally the programme in the months of August and S.. Mid-August till end of S. is school vacation period. B., schools in this part of the country have been closed for almost a year now. A. members of the family including children and those forming small vocational cooperatives are to be found in the fields, working from the early morning till late in the afternoon. M. people could, therefore, be found on this road and this area in the August-S. period. 4. T. area also became a hiding ground for residents of the B. villages. W. the military approach they flee to the dense forests here. The Jungle Commando also has a camp in this area at Km 49. OCCURRENCES: 5. We first learned about heavy fighting between the National Army and the Jungle Commando warriors from the Government news agency SNA in Paramaribo. They reported that heavy fighting took place at T.passie on 10 S. 1987. A camp of the Jungle Commando was destroyed; goods confiscated and forty warriors killed, the news agency said. A short while thereafter came the cry of distress (19 S. 1987) from “Aide Medicale Internationale” based in Paris. They reported a massacre of more than forty S.M. in the area of the T.. Those killed were not Jungle Commando warriors but civilians. Men, women, and children were killed by the Military of the National Army, the report said. 6. Accounts from eyewitness confirmed that: i. The Jungle Commando had left that area since the first week of June 1987. They had left behind three camp watchmen. O. sporadic patrol of small units (of less than seven warriors) could be seen from time to time. ii. There has been no fighting between the National Army and the Jungle Commando warriors between 10 and 20 S. in this area. iii. A message of the army was given out meant for warning every non-Jungle Commando warrior to leave the area before 10 S.. T. message was not, however, announced publicly. We have been told that the message never arrived. iv. Until 15 October 1987, it was strictly forbidden to every- one to enter the road without special permission from the military. It was also not possible to collect the corpses or skeletons or other remainders of their own family without the special permission. No search or identification of bodies of family members was permitted. The permission could be requested at Berg-en-Dal, 17 Km from B. in the direction of Paramaribo. Some of those on the road witnessed an enormous amount of vultures and the unbearable stench of corpses. v. The fact that the mission of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights was not able to visit B. prevented a meeting with first hand witnesses of the alleged massacre. The Government indicated that it was not in a position to provide security arrangements necessary for the visit of this mission. 7. A. questioning two persons directly involved in the occurrence and many others directly affected by these, we arrive at the conclusion that killings of innocent civilians took place at the T.passie between 10 and 30 S. 1987. T. not in a battle members of the Jungle Commando might have been killed in this area. A. those killed in that period are primarily if not all B.N.. Of a total of 20 (twenty) of whom three could be considered involved in the civil war are registered. The others could not be identified. There has been no systematic search in the area as yet. T. findings or discoveries should therefore be considered accidental. T. and unanimous opinion of informers give ground to believe that there has been a massacre of S.M. by the National Army, involving much more victims than counted at the massacre of M.s in Moniwana in the afternoon of Saturday, 20 November 1986. 8. Following are some information on victims discovered by accident: CASE 01: ATANSO, Male Age 22, son of Main & Swaja Adiembo Killing area discovered T.pssie Km 10 Killing date 30 S. 1987 CASE 02: DIEKO, Edmundo Male, from the V. of P. Age 17, son of Metty Dieko and Rení Aboikoni Killing area discovered T.pssie Km 49 Killing date 11 S. 1987 Remarks Probably Jungle Commando Camp watchman CASE 03: DONOE, Ajajo Roël Male Age 35 Address B.-Kadjoe Killing area discovered T.passie Km 18 Killing date 11 S. 1987 Remarks Pickup destroyed. Robbed 3000 Guilders; hunting gun; driver’s license; passport. S. also C. 13. CASE 04: FINKI, Amonie Pantooli Male, from the V.ge of Lispansie Age 58, son of M.M. and Wakka Wai Address Paramaribo Killing area discovered Near landing-place of the V.ge of P. Killing date 18 S. 1987 Remarks He was on his way back to his village, returning from the village of his wife’s family after preparatory work for the annual agricultural field work. He was accompanied by his two sons-in-law (Asoetikoekoe and Dinda) and his son (of whom we have no name available). They were fired upon while in their boat. T. killing happened during the two day visit of Commander-in-Chief, leader of the Revolution and head of the Government of Suriname, Lieutenant Col. D.D. Bouterse to the vil- lage of P.. The companions of Mr. Finki escaped, his son was hurt. Occupation Watchman in Paramaribo. CASE 05: FINKI, Hugo Paiti Male Age 21, son of Suüku & Fanjí Killing area discovered T.passie Km 16 Killing date 11 S. 1987 CASE 06: GAJAGO Male Age Son of Gajagö of the V.ge of Pinpin Killing area discovered T.passie Killing date 11 S. 1987 CASE 07: GAJAGO Female Age 2, daughter of Gajagö of Pinpin Killing area discovered T.passie Killing date 11 S. 1987 CASE 08: MAIN, Baabaa (alias K.F.) Male, from Amakkakondë Age 21, son of Boddo Main Killing area discovered T.passie Km 49 Killing date 11 S. 1987 Remarks Probably Jungle Commando Camp watchman CASE 09: METISEN, Boisi Male from Godo Age 38, son of Soemato & Godo Address Vulcanusstraat 38 Paramaribo Profession Aluminium potter Killing area discovered T.passie Km 10 Killing date 30 S. 1987 Remarks S. also C. 14 CASE 10: PAM A TJOK, Nagwëtë Male Age 35, son of Ameïkan (alias Dondoko) Address V.ge of Pinpin Killing area discovered T.passie Km 49 Killing date 11 S. 1987 Remarks Probably Jungle Commando Camp watchman CASE 11: POEKETIE, William Andeloe Male Age 23, son of Apajaka Poeketie and Lonei Amokkoo Adjako Address K.e Killing area discovered T.passie Km 54 Killing date 11 S. 1987 CASE 12: VREDE, Desman Male Age 37, son of Telma Vrede- Ewijk and Sofnat Vrede Address B.-Nieuw Ganzee Killing area discovered T.passie Killing date 10 S. 1987 CASE 13: Waldie Male Age 17 Address B.-Kadjoe Killing area discovered T.passie Km 18 Killing date 11 S. 1987 Remarks He was probably killed together with Donoe, Ajajo Roël (C. 3) CASE 14: At the T.passie a body was discovered. Some say it belongs to a member of the Metisen family (S. C. 09). Probably killed in S. 1987. CASE 15: Woman and Child The body of a woman of about 40 years of age, and next to her the body of an approximately 6 years old child. The body of the woman showed signs of being raped. C. to her there was a basket with padi (dropped). T. discovery was made off Km 54. The woman and child were probably killed on 11 S. 1987. CASE 16: A Child voice warning A soldier made the following statement regarding this case:On our way from Km 32 to P. we fired with heavy weapons into the forest on both sides of the road in front of us. T. was on 11 S.. We destroyed and set on fire almost every agricultural field and camp in sight, making sure we killed instead of being killed. Those who were lucky to have learned beforehand of the presence of the military left the area in time as well as those who had their agricultural fields and camps deep in the forest beyond the reach of our bullets were lucky. We fired constantly until Km 48. The only sound we heard belonged to our machine guns. The ground under our wheels trembled. The noise was heavy. At Km 48 we stopped firing. T. only did we hear a voice. It was the...