PARAMARIBO – “Armed robberies often occur in the Lawa region and masked robbers take everything that belongs to the residents,” said residents and entrepreneurs who live and work in the Lawa region. The residents and the entrepreneurs claim that most of the armed robbers are Brazilians. The entrepreneurs who have invested in the Lawa region complained that they are hit the hardest.

They pointed out that the robbers who are heavily armed do not only steal the gold but that they also take other things such as mobile phones and jewelry. “Even the female cook is robbed at gunpoint.” The entrepreneurs claim that the police have a slow response to these armed robberies and that the police sometimes show up after a few weeks and that they also do not go in the forest where the armed robbers are hiding. The armed robbers who receive help from local residents also use boats to flee. The entrepreneurs have repeatedly asked for gun permits but haven’t received them. They can’t afford to hire private security firms because these firms often demand payment in foreign currency. The entrepreneurs fear that the situation will get worse in December which is why they are urging the government to deploy police officers in the Lawa region so that these officers could restore law and order…[+]