Surinamese High School Graduation Lists Map Future Political Divide

1973 newspaper publishes names of future coup leaders, victims, and democracy advocates from same classrooms.

Date: August 21, 1973

A published list of 1973 graduates from various Surinamese high schools and pedagogical institutes provides a remarkable snapshot of the nation's interconnected society, containing the family names of individuals who would, a decade later, become key figures on opposing sides of the country's violent political conflicts.

Details: The graduation lists, published in the Free Voice newspaper, inadvertently map out a cross-section of future leaders, dissidents, coup-plotters, and victims.

  • Notable Surnames in General/Christian-Affiliated Schools (MULO-B, Pedagogisch Instituut):
    • Kamperveen (J.V. Kamperveen): The family of André Kamperveen, a future victim of the December 1982 murders.
    • Baboeram (A. Baboeram): The family of John Baboeram, a human rights lawyer also executed in the December Murders.
    • Daal (D. Daal): The family of Cyrill Daal, the powerful trade union leader who was a primary target and victim of the December Murders.
    • Bottse (C. Botse): The family of Roy Bottse, who would later be the lead police inspector investigating the December Murders.
    • Tjon A Kiet (I.B. and J.A. Tjon A Kiet): The family of Glen Tjon A Kiet, who would become a leader in the resistance-in-exile's Council for the Liberation of Suriname.
  • Notable Surnames in Hindu-Affiliated Schools (MULO-A, including Dayanand School):
    • Lachman (R. Lachman): The family of Jagernath Lachmon, the long-time leader of the predominantly Indo-Surinamese VHP political party and a key figure in the eventual return to democracy.
    • Mahabier (K. Mahabier): The family of Krishna Mahabier, who would be a key plotter in the failed 1982 Rambocus counter-coup against the Bouterse regime.
    • Sital (S. Sital): The family of Badrissein Sital, one of the original "Group of 16" sergeants who executed the 1980 coup alongside Dési Bouterse.
    • Doerga (H. and R. Doerga): The family of Rudolph Doerga, another participant in the 1982 counter-coup attempt.

Significance: This graduation list serves as a unique historical artifact, demonstrating the close-knit and overlapping nature of Surinamese society on the eve of independence and the subsequent military era. It shows that the future perpetrators of the 1980 coup, the leaders of the armed resistance against it, the political figures who would negotiate the path back to democracy, and the victims of the regime's worst atrocities all emerged from the same educational and social milieu. The list is a poignant testament to how a small society was tragically turned against itself, transforming classmates and the families of classmates into political adversaries, coup-plotters, and martyrs within a decade.

Source(s):

Source:

Link:

Internal Link:

https://surinamepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Vrije-Stem-Onafhankelijk-weebklad-voor-Suriname-21-08-1973.pdf

Date:
August 21, 1973
Categories:
Desi Bouterse, Foiled Coups & Plots, Log, Matthew Smith, Military & Intel, The Suriname Archive
Tags:
André Kamperveen, Baboeram (A. Baboeram), Bottse (C. Botse), Daal (D. Daal), December Murders, Education, Kamperveen (J.V. Kamperveen), Lachman (R. Lachman), Mahabier (K. Mahabier), Newspaper, Roy Bottse, Rudolph Doerga, Sergeants Coup, Sital (S. Sital), Society
Boxes:
MW Zotero
Years:
1973
Persons:
Andre Kamperveen, Badrissein Sital, Cyrill Daal, Jagernath Lachmon, John Baboeram, Krishna Mahabier
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