In the last seven weeks, Suriname has logged 15,000 foreigners living in the country illegally, including many Guyanese.
According to a Caribbean Net News report, in the Nickerie district, authorities registered over 2,000 illegal individuals, mostly Guyanese nationals.
The report said that several individuals indicated that loss of personal documents such as passports and red tape prevented the renewal of permits. In one case, a 65-year-old Guyanese-born man indicated that he had been living in Suriname for 51 years, of which 38 has been illegally.
“I came to Suriname when I was fourteen and at that time my mother was taking care of all arrangement for my legal stay. Since she died when I was 27 and the house I was living in burnt down, destroying all my documents, I never report to the authorities here again,” said the man, waiting for his turn to fill in the documents.
According to an anonymous official “We won’t expel people based on the information we have collected. We now have to find ways to address these issues and implement actions to ensure that they receive legitimate residence in the country”.
