Desi Bouterse, aged 79, known for coups, killing 15 dissidents, and drug trafficking
Supporters remain for his ‘pension increase and welfare enhancement’ initiatives… Government urges ‘maintaining peace’
(Mexico City·Seoul=Yonhap News) Correspondents Lee Jae-rim and Lim Ji-woo = Desi Bouterse, the former president of Suriname who had been in hiding after receiving a 20-year prison sentence for murder, has passed away, the Surinamese presidential office announced on the 25th (local time). He was 79 years old.
Chandrika Persad Santokhi, the current president of Suriname, stated, “I received news from government officials this morning about the death of former President Bouterse” and expressed condolences to his family.
Albert Ramdin, Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, separately confirmed the death of the former Surinamese president, Bouterse, through investigations and family accounts, as reported by Reuters.
Born on October 13, 1945, at an old sugar plantation near the Surinamese capital, Paramaribo, Bouterse left for the Netherlands in 1968 in search of a better life, like many other Surinamese residents, during a time when Suriname was under Dutch colonial rule.
After serving in the military in the Netherlands, he returned to serve in his homeland during Suriname’s independence in 1975.
Bouterse led a coup in 1980, ruling until 1987, when he briefly stepped down under international pressure. He seized power again in a second coup in 1990 and remained in control until 1992.
Before winning the presidential election in 2010, he ran a business and wielded influence behind the scenes in politics, eventually serving as president until 2020.
“The deceased was criticized by opponents as a ‘ruthless dictator’ due to various criminal acts.”
In 2000, Bouterse was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison by a Dutch court for drug trafficking and was later sentenced to 20 years last December for direct involvement in murdering 15 opposition politicians, journalists, and university professors in December 1982.
While being tried without custody, Bouterse went into hiding after falsely stating he would voluntarily turn himself into law enforcement, becoming a target for police arrest.
In Suriname, with a population of about 600,000, Bouterse was reportedly still supported by some due to his charismatic political style.
The Associated Press reported that during his past rule, he increased pensions and introduced welfare enhancement programs.
President Santokhi of Suriname appealed to the public, saying, “I urge the citizens to maintain composure, uphold dignity, and preserve peace and order,” attempting to prevent unrest among supporters.
Bouterse, the former president of Suriname, had also garnered attention in Korea when he was compared to a character from the Netflix series ‘Narcos: Suriname.’