Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 12850 / 251,287

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13 2011/04/14 2011/04/15 2011/04/16 2011/04/17 2011/04/18 2011/04/19 2011/04/20 2011/04/21 2011/04/22 2011/04/23 2011/04/24 2011/04/25 2011/04/26 2011/04/27 2011/04/28 2011/04/29 2011/04/30
2011/05/01 2011/05/02 2011/05/03 2011/05/04 2011/05/05 2011/05/06 2011/05/07 2011/05/08 2011/05/09 2011/05/10 2011/05/11 2011/05/12 2011/05/13 2011/05/14 2011/05/15 2011/05/16 2011/05/17 2011/05/18 2011/05/19 2011/05/20 2011/05/21 2011/05/22

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 96 97 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03 1985/05 1985/06
1986/05
1987/06
1988/01 1988/03 1988/07
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1991/05
1992/01 1992/03 1992/06 1992/09 1992/12
1993/01 1993/10
1994/12
1996/07 1996/11
1997/06 1997/12
2000/05 2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/06 2001/07 2001/09 2001/10 2001/11
2002/01 2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/07 2002/08 2002/09 2002/11 2002/12
2003/01 2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Apia Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Auckland Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belmopan Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dili Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown Consulate Fukuoka
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guayaquil Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Ho Chi Minh City Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamilton Consulate Hamburg Consulate Halifax
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kingston Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE Mission USNATO Mission UNESCO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manila Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia Embassy Niamey Embassy New Delhi Embassy Ndjamena Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples Consulate Naha
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito Consulate Quebec
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Suva Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate St Petersburg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sapporo Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Toronto Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Office Almaty US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok Consulate Vancouver
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AE AEMR AORC APER AR AF ASEC AG AFIN AMGT APECO AS AMED AER ADCO AVERY AU AM APEC ABUD AGRICULTURE ASEAN ACOA AJ AO ABLD ADPM AY ASCH AFFAIRS AA AC ARF AFU AINF AODE AMG ATPDEA AGAO ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AID AL AORL ADM AFSI AFSN ASUP AN AIT ANET ASIG AGMT ADANA AADP ACS AGR AMCHAMS AECL ACAO AND AUC ATRN ALOW APCS AORG AROC ACABQ AX AMEX AFGHANISTAN AZ ARM AQ ATFN AMBASSADOR ACBAQ ASEX
BR BA BRUSSELS BG BEXP BO BM BBSR BU BL BK BT BD BMGT BY BX BTIO BB BH BF BP BWC BN BTIU BIDEN BE BILAT BC
CA CJAN CASC CS CO CH CI CD CVIS CR CU CN CY CONDOLEEZZA CE CG CMGT CF CPAS CDC CW CJUS CTM CM CFED CODEL CWC CBW CAN CLMT CBC CONS COUNTERTERRORISM CIA CDG CIC COUNTER CT CNARC CACM CB CV CIDA CLINTON CHR COE CIS CBSA CEUDA COM CAC CL CACS CAPC CARSON CTR COPUOS CICTE CYPRUS COUNTRY CBE CKGR CVR CITEL CLEARANCE CARICOM CSW CITT CDB CROS
DS DJ DEFENSE DR DA DTRA DEA DHS DO DEAX DAO DCM DE DOD DOMESTIC DK DPRK DEPT DISENGAGEMENT DOE
ECON EAID EINV EFIN EG EAIR EU EC ENRG EPET EAGR ELAB ETTC ELTN EWWT ETRD EUN ER ECIN EMIN EIND ECPS EZ EN ECA ET EFIS ENGR EINVETC ECONCS ES EI ECONOMIC ELN EINT EPA ETRA EXTERNAL ESA ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EAIG EUR EK EUMEM EUREM EUC ENERG ERD EFTA ETRC ETRN EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ESENV ENNP ENVI ECINECONCS ELECTIONS ENVR ENIV ETRO ETRDECONWTOCS EFINECONCS ERNG ECUN EXIM ECONOMY EINVEFIN ETC EAP EINN EXBS ENGY ECONOMICS EIAR EINDETRD ECONEFIN EURN EDU ETRDEINVTINTCS ECIP EFIM EAIDS EREL
FJ FI FR FTA FTAA FBI FAC FM FDA FARC FAO FO FOR FMLN FISO FAS FINANCE FOREIGN FREEDOM FINR FOI
GM GG GLOBAL GR GV GA GE GH GTIP GT GZ GAERC GOI GCC GOV GY GANGS GTMO GL GF GAZA GERARD
HUMAN HO HA HK HR HU HURI HILLARY HYMPSK HSTC HEBRON HUMOR HI
IC IR IN IT ICAO IS IZ IAEA IV IIP ICRC IWC IRS IQ IMO ILC IMF ILO IF ITPHUM IL IO ID ISRAEL IACI INMARSAT IPR ICTY ICJ INDO IA IDA IBRD IAHRC ISLAMISTS IGAD ITU ITF INRA INRO INRB ITALY IBET INTELSAT ISRAELI IDP ICTR ITRA IEFIN IRC IRAQI ITPGOV ITALIAN INTERNAL INTERPOL IEA INR IZPREL IRAJ
JA JP JO JM JOSEPH JUS JAMES JOHN JOHNNIE
KPAO KCOR KCRM KSCA KTFN KU KDEM KNNP KJUS KWMN KTIP KPAL KPKO KWWMN KWBG KISL KN KGHG KOMC KSTC KIPR KFLU KIDE KSAF KSEO KBIO KHLS KAWC KUNR KIRF KGIC KRAD KV KGIT KZ KE KCIP KTIA KFRD KHDP KSEP KMPI KG KMDR KTDB KS KSPR KHIV KCOM KAID KOM KRVC KICC KBTS KSUM KOLY KIRC KDRG KCRS KNPP KSTH KWNM KRFD KVIR KLIG KFLO KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KVPR KTEX KTER KRGY KCFE KREC KR KPAONZ KIFR KOCI KBTR KGCC KACT KMRS KAWK KSAC KWMNCS KMCA KNEI KPOA KFIN KWAC KNAR KPLS KPAK KSCI KPRP KOMS KBCT KPWR KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KRIM KDDG KPRV KCGC KPAI KFSC KMFO KID KMIG KO KWMM KVRP KNSD KMOC KTBT KHSA KX KENV KCRCM KNUP KNUC KNNPMNUC KERG KTLA KCSY KTRD KJUST KCMR KRCM KCFC KCHG KREL KFTFN KDEMAF KICA KHUM KSEC KPIN KESS KDEV
LY LE LG LH LABOR LI LO LA LU LOG LTTE LAB LT
MX MARR MTCRE MNUC MASS MOPS MCAP MO MA MR MAPS MD MV MY MP ML MILITARY MEPN MARAD MDC MU MEPP MIL MAPP MZ MT MASSMNUC MK MTCR MUCN MAS MEDIA MAR MI MQADHAFI MPOS MTRE MG MRCRE MPS MW MC MASC MOPPS MTS MLS MILI MEPI MEETINGS MERCOSUR MCC MIK
NZ NL NATO NU NI NG NO NP NK NDP NPT NSF NR NAFTA NATOPREL NEW NA NE NSSP NS NSC NH NV NPA NSFO NT NW NASA NSG NORAD NATIONAL NPG NGO NIPP NZUS NC NRR NAR
OTRA OREP OPIC OIIP OAS OVIP OEXC ODIP OFDP OPDC OPRC OSCE OECD OPCW OSCI OMIG OVP OIE ON OCII OPAD OBSP OFFICIALS OES OCS OIC OHUM OTR OSAC OFDA
PGOV PREL PHUM PTER PINR PK PINS PARM PA PHALANAGE PARTY PROP PM PBTS PDEM PECON PL PE PREF PO POL PSOE PHSA PAK PY PLN PMAR PHUH PBIO PF PHUS PTBS PU PNAT POLITICAL PARTIES PCUL PGGV PAO PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PAS PGIV PHUMPREL POGOV PEL PP PINL PBT PG PINF PRL PALESTINIAN PSEPC POSTS PDOV PCI PAHO PROV POV PMIL PNR PREO PHUMPGOV PGOC POLITICS POLICY PRAM PREFA PSI PAIGH PJUS PARMS PROG PTERE PRGOV PORG PS PGOF PKFK PEPR PPA PINT PRELP PNG PFOR PUNE PGOVLO PHUMBA POLINT PGOVE
QA
RIGHTS RU RS RW RIGHTSPOLMIL RICE RUPREL RO RF RELATIONS RP RM RFE REGION REACTION REPORT RCMP RSO ROOD ROBERT RSP
SA SNAR SOCI SENV SZ SP SO SU SF SW SY SMIG SCUL SL SENVKGHG SR SN SARS SANC SHI SIPDIS SEVN SHUM SC SI STEINBERG SK SH SNARCS SPCE SNARN SG SAARC SNARIZ SWE SYR SIPRS SYRIA SEN SCRS SAN ST SSA SPCVIS SOFA
TPHY TSPL TS TRGY TU TI TBIO TH TP TZ TW TX TSPA TFIN TC TAGS TK TIP TNGD TL TV TT TINT TERRORISM TR TN TD TBID TF THPY TO TRSY TURKEY
USEU UK UG UNGA UN UNSC US UZ UY UNHRC UNESCO USTR UNDP UP UNMIK UNEP UNO UNHCR UNAUS UNCHR UNPUOS UNDC UNICEF UNCHC UNCSD USOAS UNFCYP UNIDROIT UV USUN UNCND USNC USPS USAID UE UNVIE UAE UNODC UNCHS UNFICYP UNDESCO UNC
VE VZ VT VM VAT VC VI VTPREL VN VTIZ VTEG
WHO WWARD WTRO WS WHA WIPO WEU WZ WTO WMO WA WHTI WTRQ WBG WFP WB WI WMD WITH
XM XL XV XW XS XA XR XG XB XF XD XK XY XC XZ XX XU XI XT XH XQ XE XTAG
YM YI YE YMCS
ZI ZU ZF ZR ZK ZANU ZB ZEALAND ZP ZO ZL ZOELLICK ZJ ZN ZA

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 08PARAMARIBO128, CORRUPTION IN SURINAME: A HOW-TO-MANUAL

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08PARAMARIBO128.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08PARAMARIBO128 | 2008-03-28 10:54 | 2011-02-10 16:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Paramaribo

`

    VZCZCXRO7215
    PP RUEHAO
    DE RUEHPO #0128/01 0881054
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    P 281054Z MAR 08
    FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0082
    INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1525
    RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO PRIORITY 1242

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARAMARIBO 000128

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    WHA/CAR FOR JACKIE ROSHOLT, INR FOR BOB CARHART, USEMBASSY
    BRASILIA FOR BRIAN BUTCHER

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2018
    TAGS: KCRM PGOV NS
    SUBJECT: CORRUPTION IN SURINAME: A HOW-TO-MANUAL

    REF: A. 2007 PARAMARIBO 470
    ¶B. 2007 PARAMARIBO 444
    ¶C. 2007 PARAMARIBO 120

    Classified By: Ambassador for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

    ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. This cable details methods of small-scale,
    endemic corruption in Suriname. While large scale corruption
    is common and makes the news, small scale corruption is
    pervasive (ref A). Current rejection by Government of
    Suriname (GOS) officials of corruption allegations in the
    U.S. International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR)
    released February 29, as well as contentious discussions in
    the Surinamese National Assembly over a new corruption law
    highlight continued denial at the highest levels. END SUMMARY

    --------------------------------------
    All the Land You Want for Free--or Fee
    --------------------------------------

    ¶2. (C) In Suriname, plots of land are often the currency of
    corruption. Though approximately 65% of the country is
    uninhabited, land is hard to come by for the average
    Surinamer. Ownership of government land is regulated by a
    byzantine maze of laws which create opportunities for
    corruption. The country's legislation states that every
    Surinamer over the age of 18 is entitled to a piece of
    government land for a nominal yearly rent, and entrusts the
    Land Management Office (LMO) with the distribution and
    registration of these plots. In practice, the road from
    submitting an application to the actual granting of a plot is
    long, arduous, and rampant with corruption. Those who are
    able pay large sums of money ease their way past the many
    procedures the LMO demands--and those with political
    connections obtain exceptions--while the average Surinamer
    can wait literally a lifetime before his or her request is
    granted. It is rumored that employees at the LMO take bribes
    for speeding up grants of land requests, and politicians are
    accused of selling land, obtaining it for free (ref A), or
    giving it away as political favors. Rabin Parmessar,
    prominent local politician, was asked by players on the
    soccer club he heads for cell phones in the presence of a
    Post employee. Parmessar reportedly said, wait until I'm
    President in 2010, and I'll give you all the land you want
    (instead).

    ---------------------------------
    Two Paychecks are Better than One
    ---------------------------------

    ¶3. (C) The majority of political parties in Suriname are
    ethnically based, and tend to reward their constituents
    directly with government largesse. Rewards range from plots
    of land, to job contracts, to jobs in the civil service.
    While packing Ministries with political allies is in itself
    not corrupt, the practice of collecting pay without work
    is--having multiple jobs for which one may or may not show
    up is common in Suriname. To cite just one example, XXXXXXXXXXXX, head of a non-governmental children's rights
    organization, told Post that of the eleven GOS social workers
    he deals with, eight are not functioning, and three are
    not functioning well. Similarly, in Suriname's interior,
    semi-autonomous traditional tribes make all sorts of
    arguments to create new (paid) dignitaries, through which the
    funding is stretched, said Minister of Regional Development
    Michel Felisi. Often, the line between corruption and
    patronage is hard to discern; when asked what the economy of
    the poor, under-populated district of Coronie is based on,
    Parliamentarian Remie Tarnadi told Post simply, the State.

    ----------------------------------------
    Cost of a Permit: A Couple of Cookies
    ----------------------------------------

    ¶4. (C) Corruption can be found at whatever level one
    chooses. According to Robbie Simson, Director of a bank in
    Suriname,s rural center of Nickerie, if the owner of a
    corner store has a problem with his permit, a couple of
    cookies or a Fruta (a local soft drink) for a visiting
    inspector are enough to take care of his problem. Rural
    parliamentarian Remie Tarnadi told PolOff matter-of-factly
    that he gives his salary away to help his people, a coded
    reference to a simple vote-buying and patronage mechanism.
    Bureaucrats in 2007 were caught adding numerals to the money
    figures in invoices and splitting the profits with
    contractors, and splitting up large payment vouchers into
    smaller amounts just under the U.S. $1,400 minimum to escape
    regulation. Lax enforcement, coupled with the practice of

    PARAMARIBO 00000128 002 OF 002

    political parties to use government institutions as
    self-staffed fiefdoms which don't communicate with other arms
    of the large bureaucracy, and a lack of transparency all make
    these sorts of routine corruption difficult to track or
    punish.

    --------------------------------------------- -----
    A Private Sector Example: Kickbacks in Journalism
    --------------------------------------------- -----

    ¶5. (SBU) Corruption is by no means limited to the huge
    State sector and its employees. One example is kickback
    schemes in journalism. Most journalists work freelance, and
    competition for news stories is high. According to a Post
    employee who worked as a journalist, Surinamese journalists
    kick back some of the money they receive for writing stories
    to editors who give them assignments. For example, if a
    story is worth $20, the editor will pick a journalist he can
    count on, give him or her the story, and get $5 of the $20
    back when it is written, while the journalist receives $15
    and the business owner pays the bill. Journalists who have
    contracts complain they get fewer stories because there is
    nothing in it for the editors. In addition, journalists take
    money from companies and political parties in return for
    positive coverage, or extort it.

    --------------------------------------
    Corruption in the News: Deny and Delay
    --------------------------------------

    ¶6. (C) The GOS is not ready to tackle the problem. After
    the February 29 release of the U.S. International Narcotics
    Control Strategy Report (INCSR), GOS Attorney General Subhas
    Punwasi was among several prominent justice sector officials
    who reacted with public outrage to the sentence
    ...drug-related corruption of the police, courts and
    military... inhibits the GOS,s ability to identify,
    apprehend, and prosecute narcotic traffickers. Punwasi told
    the media, that is absolutely not true... on the contrary,
    we know with certainty that we are holding our own against
    the mafia. This despite being told directly several months
    ago by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents about some
    of the problems that have now been published in the INCSR.
    Meanwhile, in February the coalition and opposition, after a
    bitter debate about whose administrations had been more
    corrupt, jointly sent the newly minted corruption draft law
    back to the Ministry of Justice and Police for adjustments in
    a rare show of solidarity, citing inconsistencies and a lack
    of clarity. The law had been years in preparation. It is
    unclear how much of Parliament's hesitation has to do with
    self-defense, and how much with legitimate objections.

    ¶7. (C) COMMENT: Suriname has made some progress in
    tackling high-profile cases of corruption (refs B, C) in
    recent years. However, corruption in myriad forms remains an
    accepted practice in Suriname. It is both a method of income
    generation and a way of bypassing bureaucratic
    inefficiencies, and will likely remain vibrant as long as the
    bloated state sector continues to employ a stunning estimated
    50% of the formal workforce. END COMMENT
    SCHREIBER HUGHES

`