The exact number of Surinamese people in Belgium is unknown. The (legal) Surinamese community in the Belgian capital is in any case very small: In 2015, only two Surinamese women were enrolled in Brussels along with a number of men); in 2012 this was only one. According to figures quoted "in the corridors" of the Surinamese Embassy in Belgium, the total number of Surinamese people in Belgium would be about 30,000, or at least 20,000.
[ Radio 10, "]
Precieze cijfers illegale Surinamers in België nu in kaart gebracht
'" (27 October 2016) According to the diaspora organisation Suriname Diaspora Solidarity Belgium (Surisobe), half of them are illegally present in the country. However, it is not known how Surisobe calculated this number. In October 2016, the embassy indicated that more precise figures are now being mapped out.
Some of the Surinamese people in Belgium use the so-called "Belgian route": they come and live in Belgium with their Dutch partner to circumvent the stricter rules on family reunification in the Netherlands. Their stay in the country is therefore only temporary.
There have been repeated incidents involving Surinamese people in Belgium in drug trafficking to the country. From 1990–1991, a group of Surinamese people with ties to the
Surinamese army smuggled
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
using their own airline, Trans-Caribbean Airlines, to transport the drugs from Paramaribo to Ostend airport. In 2013, four people, including two Surinamese people, suspected of taking small quantities of cannabis and cocaine from the Netherlands to Belgium every fortnight, were arrested.
In 2015 an organisation of fifteen Surinamese people smuggled
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
into Belgium and sold
ecstasy and
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
in
Antwerp. In 2016, ten people were arrested near Mol and Balen who were suspected of smuggling large quantities of cocaine from Suriname to Belgium via
French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...
. In addition, two were picked up in
Cayenne.
De Morgen
''De Morgen'' (Dutch for ''The Morning'') is a Flemish newspaper with a circulation of 53,860. The paper is published in Antwerp, Belgium.
History and profile
''De Morgen'' originates from a merger in 1978 of two socialist newspapers ' (meaning ...
, "
Surinaamse drugsbende opgerold in Mol en omgeving
'" (11 October 2016) The group consisted of both Surinamese and Dutch people of Surinamese descent.
[Radio 10, "]
In Belgische Drugsaffaire: Onderschepte cocaïne uit Suriname afkomstig
'" (14 October 2016)
See also
*
Surinamese people in the Netherlands
*
Surinamese Americans
Surinamese Americans ( nl, Surinaamse Amerikanen) are Americans of Surinamese descent. According to answers provided to an open-ended question included in the 2000 census, 2,833 people said that their ancestry or ethnic origin was Surinamese.
H ...
References
{{Ethnic groups in Belgium
Ethnic groups in Belgium