Henry Nahar Details His Long History with Bouterse

A friendship forged in the 1960s unravels when the rules of power shift in 1980s Suriname.

Date: 1960s–1982 (History)

Henry Nahar Details His Long History with Bouterse

Details:

  • The Origin: Nahar met Bouterse in the mid-1960s through his brother-in-law, Paul Bhagwandas. They were close friends; Nahar claims, "We knew everything about each other".
  • The "Boss" Dynamic: Nahar claims Bouterse used to work for him in the Netherlands, trading stereo equipment. He characterizes Bouterse as "stingy" and obsessed with money ("Money, money, that's what Dési was all about").
  • The 1982 Warning: Even in 1982, Nahar was publicly calling Bouterse a murderer in his newspaper (Weekkrant Suriname). Yet, he admits: "I've already written it all down… And yet, after that, I was the only one picked up from Zanderij Airport by Dési himself.".

Significance:

  • Explains the 1986 Hubris: This confirms why Nahar felt safe traveling to Suriname in 1986 without a passport and threatening Bouterse with a "1 million guilder" bounty. He relied on this specific dynamic: I can insult him, and he still picks me up at the airport. He failed to realize that by 1986, the rules had changed.
  • The Brother-in-Law Triangle: The relationship was triangulated by Paul Bhagwandas. Nahar warned Paul: "Paul, boy, you'll regret it." This foreshadows the ultimate betrayal in 1986, where Paul—once the link between them—became the delivery man for Nahar's execution.

Source:

Bagijn, Karel. "Bouterse: A Rudderless Rise to Power." Algemeen Dagblad. Rotterdam, 18-12-1982. Geraadpleegd op Delpher op 18-12-2025,

Link:

https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=KBPERS01:003003016:mpeg21:p00025

Internal Link:

Date:
July 1, 1965
Categories:
Desi Bouterse, Log, Matthew Smith, Military & Intel, The Suriname Archive
Tags:
Betrayal, Friendship, Psychological Profile
Boxes:
MW Zotero
Years:
1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982
Persons:
Desi Bouterse, Henry Nahar, Paul Bhagwandas
META DATA
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