Bonaire asks for help

Suriname 7th July, 2022 

James Fines, president of Nos Ke Boneiru Bek, and Davika Bissessar, president of Bonaire Human Rights Organization, were in Paramaribo in connection with the 43th CARICOM Head of States Meetings held July 3 – 5 to seek solidarity and support for the UN re-listing trajectory and to raise awareness on the apartheid situation that Bonaire is experiencing after the illegal annexation of Bonaire by Holland on October 10, 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.

We can look back on a very successful awareness mission as we had very important meetings, conversations, discussions with the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Secretary General of the CARICOM and with presidents, prime ministers and leaders of the Caribbean Community with their vision of Caribbean integration and reparations. We had the opportunity to hand over our international United Nations recognized report financed by the people of Bonaire; "Assessment of selfgovernance sufficiency in conformity with internationally recognized standards: Country Bonaire" that concluded that our situation is deficient by all measures of democratic governance. We furthermore shared our sister islands of Aruba, Curacao, St Maarten, Saba and St Eustatius colonial repressive situation to this international platform.

We met and spoke with President of Suriname and Chairman of CARICOM Chan Santokhi and the outgoing Chairman of CARICOM the Prime Minister of Belize Johnny Briceno, President of Guyana Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, Prime Minister Ralph Concalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines and the newly elected Prime Minister of Grenada Dickon Mitchell and many other leaders, all of them vowed solidarity and support to us. A historical and proud moment for us and the people of Bonaire was when we had the opportunity to meet and hand over the Bonaire SelfGovernance Assessment to Antonio Gutteres, Secretary General of the United Nations.

We congratulate the people of Bonaire that believed in us and continuing supporting us with another huge step forward towards our trajectory to have Bonaire put back on the list of Non-Self-GoverningTerritories of the United Nations.