Caribbean Net News: Second vagrant murdered in one week in Suriname

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: While Suriname police are still investigating the brutal killing of a vagrant last week, the nation was shocked by a second gruesome murder of a homeless man.

According to police, the male victim�s head was smashed with a brick, while the corpse also showed stab wounds and cuts. The body was discovered at an outdoors basketball court in Zorg en Hoop, a southern neighborhood of the capital Paramaribo.

With the latest killing the death toll among homeless people murdered this year has risen to five.

Justice minister Chandrikapersad Santokhi informed Caribbean Net News that a special investigating team was established to look into these murders and other attacks on homeless people.

�At this point in time I won�t disclose the activities of this special investigating team, because the people who are targeting the vagrants are also listening,� said the minister.

Meanwhile police have discovered a certain pattern in some of the attacks, while some of the cases are described as incidents. Bases on the modus operandi in the attacks the authorities are taking into account that possibly more than one individual is committing the murders.

In previous attacks, all separate cases, three vagrants were killed. Two of the homeless men were shot to death, while another one was doused with gasoline and set on fire. A fourth victim, who was also set to fire, survived the attack.

In another incident a vagabond was stabbed to death and police subsequently arrested five suspects. Due to a lack of evidence they were set free.

The justice minister said that the Council of Ministers recently discussed the murders of the homeless men. �My ministry has to deal with the negative effects of the problems vagrants are causing, but we should tackle this issue in a coordinated manner,� said Santokhi.

A multi-disciplinary commission set up to address the issue of the homeless and drug addicts roaming the streets, has recently submitted its preliminary report regarding strategies for tackling the problems.

�I hope these incidents will trigger all stakeholders and the government to step up activities in addressing this serious problem,� the minister further added. �We can�t go on fighting symptoms.�

Over the past 20 years the number of vagabonds roaming the streets of the capital has increased and is becoming a nuisance. Most of the homeless are drug addicts and mentally challenged individuals. Several government initiatives to address the problem have proved futile.

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