PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC – The National Assembly is expected to debate a treaty that would allow the governments of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten to deport Surinamese citizens who illegally enter the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
While Suriname has committed to accepting its nationals, the National Assembly still needs to ratify the treaty before it comes into effect.
Curaçao and the other islands are not automatically obligated to accept the treaty, as treaties that apply to the entire Kingdom are submitted to the parliaments of the Caribbean countries for approval.
If they do not object within the statutory period, tacit approval follows, and the treaties also apply to the Caribbean Netherlands.
The treaty stipulates that Suriname and the Benelux countries – namely, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg – agree to readmit their own nationals who are illegally residing in each other’s territory.
Under certain conditions, persons from third countries can also be readmitted if they have traveled through the territory of one of the parties.
The treaty contains agreements on procedures for identification, issuing travel documents, and actual return, to expedite the deportation process and legally enshrine it. The governments of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten have indicated that they consider this so-called “co-applicability” desirable, noting that many Surinamese people without official residency status also reside on these three islands of the Dutch Caribbean.
The exact number of people affected is unknown. However, it is estimated that hundreds of people are involved. If the treaty is agreed upon, it would become easier for countries within the Kingdom to return people without proper documentation to Suriname.
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