Hendrick Rudolf "Henk" Chin A Sen (;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: ''Chén Yàxiān''; 18 January 1934 – 11 August 1999) was a

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

se politician who served as the

President of Suriname The president of the Republic of Suriname ( nl, President van de Republiek Suriname) is, in accordance with the Constitution of 1987, the head of state and head of government of Suriname, and commander-in-chief of the Suriname National Army (S ...

from 15 August 1980 until 4 February 1982.

Biography

Hendrick Rudolf Chin A Sen was born in the town of Albina, on 18 January 1934. He studied medicine at the Geneeskundige School of

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

and graduated in 1959. From 1959-1961, he began a general practice, then went to the Netherlands to specialize as an internist. When he returned to Suriname, he worked in the

Sint Vincentius Hospital Sint Vincentius Hospital (Dutch: ''Sint Vincentiusziekenhuis'') is a hospital in Paramaribo, Suriname. It is Catholic hospital named after Saint Vincentius. History The hospital has its roots in a congregation of Sisters of Love from Tilburg ...

in Paramaribo. Then he joined the '' Nationalist Republican Party'' (PNR), a party which pursued the independence of Suriname, although he was not very active. On 15 March 1980, after the Sergeants Coup, which brought

Dési Bouterse Desiré Delano "Dési" Bouterse (; born 13 October 1945) is a Surinamese military officer, politician, convicted murderer and drug trafficker who served as President of Suriname from 2010 to 2020. From 1980 to 1987, he was Suriname's ''de facto ...

and his military council to power, Chin A Sen was installed as

Prime Minister of Suriname This article lists the prime ministers of Suriname from 1949 to 1988. In 1988 the position of Prime Minister of Suriname was abolished and replaced by a Vice President, who chairs the Council of Ministers ex officio. List of prime ministers ;P ...

. The appointment of the non-politically active Chin A Sen came as a surprise. Chin A Sen formed a leftist cabinet which also included two members of the

National Military Council The Military Affairs Commission (MAC) of the National Government, chaired by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II, directed the command of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China. ...

(NMR). On 15 August 1980, after President

Johan Ferrier Johan Henri Eliza Ferrier (12 May 1910 – 4 January 2010) was a Surinamese politician who served as the 1st president of Suriname from 1975 to 1980. He was also the country's last governor-general before independence, serving from 1968 to 197 ...

resigned, Chin A Sen assumed the post of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

as well. On 4 February 1982, Chin A Sen was fired by Bouterse after a disagreement. He exiled himself first to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

in the United States, and then to the Netherlands where he arrived on 27 December 1982. In the Netherlands, after the

December murders The December murders (Dutch: ''Decembermoorden'') were the murders on 7, 8, and 9 December 1982, of fifteen prominent young Surinamese men who had criticized the military dictatorship then ruling Suriname. Thirteen of these men were arrested on De ...

of 1982, Chin A Sen was chosen as Chairman of the Council for the Liberation of Suriname. The Council opposed the reign of Bouterse and his supporters, but it was not very successful. Chin A Sen was later in connection with

Ronnie Brunswijk Ronnie Brunswijk (; born 7 March 1961) is a Surinamese politician, businessman, footballer, convicted drug trafficker, former rebel leader, and the current Vice President of Suriname. Brunswijk served in the early 1980s as the personal bodyguard ...

and his

Jungle Commando The Jungle Commando (formally known as the Suriname National Liberation Army) was a guerrilla commando group in Suriname. It was founded by Ronnie Brunswijk in 1986 to ensure equal rights for Suriname's minority Maroon population. The group was fo ...

, who waged an armed struggle against Bouterse. On 7 March 1985, five musicians practising in an office building in

Rijswijk Rijswijk (), formerly known as Ryswick ( ) in English, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Its population was in , and it has an area of , of which is water. The municipality also includes th ...

were attacked by armed men. Three musicians were killed. The offices of Chin A Sen and the Council for the Liberation were located on the same floor. The hit was probably directed against Chin A Sen. He was, however, not present at that moment. The investigation was reopened in 1997, but no prosecution was made. In 1995, Chin A Sen returned to Paramaribo, where he resumed his work as an internist. He died at the age of 65 in Paramaribo.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chin A Sen, Henk 1934 births 1999 deaths Presidents of Suriname Prime Ministers of Suriname Finance ministers of Suriname People from Marowijne District Surinamese people of Chinese descent Surinamese politicians of Chinese descent h Surinamese physicians Hakka healthcare people Surinamese exiles Nationalist Republican Party (Suriname) politicians 20th-century physicians