PARAMARIBO, Suriname--Shock reigned in Suriname over the weekend after a tourist visiting from the Netherlands was gunned down in front of his wife in Paramaribo on Saturday night.
Johan Jansen (54) and his wife were walking back to their hotel on Jessurun Straat around 9:30pm when two men pulled up next to them in a car and tried to grab the woman's handbag. Jansen told his wife to run as he tried to fight the robbers for the bag, but one of them pulled out a gun and shot him. The robbers then drove off, leaving their victim to die in the street.
Janssen was an amateur photographer and a first-time visitor to this former Dutch colony in South America. He reportedly was intrigued by the country and planned to return to take more pictures. The bag the robbers tried to steal held his camera and lenses, hence his fierce fight to get it back.
The news sent shockwaves through the community. Readers of the online media reacted with horror. Some sent out condolences to the victim's family, others criticised authorities for their inability to handle the worrisome rise in violent crimes.
Police had announced up to two weeks ago that violent crimes in the country were down 12.5 per cent.
As the news of the killing was picked up immediately by media in the Netherlands and Belgium, many worried about the trickledown effect it would have on tourism. More than 100,000 people visit Suriname from the Netherlands annually.
Police have called for the community's support to solve the homicide. "Anyone who has any information, please come forward as soon as possible," urged Police Commissioner Humphrey Tjin Liep Shie.
The Police Chief told the media police are terrified by the incident. "All loss of life is awful. We are commissioning all our resources to find the people who did this and bring them to justice."
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