&hinese community once aJain asNs president to address crime issue

At the start of the Chinese lunar year, the <ear of the 'og, the Chinese community once again asked for the crime issue to be addressed. The chairman of )a Tjauw Song )oei, Chen -in +ua, told 3resident 'esi Bouterse that the crime rate went up in 2017. ³Chinese entrepreneurs are mainly the victims of the many robberies and suffer serious injuries that are inflicted by the robbers.´ The chairman therefore asked 3resident Bouterse to make sure that the government implements efficient measures aimed at fighting crime and severely punishing the perpetrators. +e pointed out that the crime issue must not be underestimated because it has a negative influence on the safety feeling of citi]ens. Chen hopes that the <ear of the 'og will bring luck and prosperity for the Surinamese nation and that the social and economic development will increase. The chairman of the Chinese association pointed out that he is looking forward to the benefits that China’s One Belt-One Road initiative can have for Suriname. 3resident Bou-terse, who had been invited to the New <ear’s celebration of )a Tjauw Song )oei in Restaurant Chi 0in listened to the concerns of the Chinese association and promised that the government would do more to address the issue. The head of state pointed out that the <ear of the 'og has started and that it would be good to adopt several characteristics of this Chinese ]odiac animal. The dog is the symbol for loyalty, commitment, intelligence, courage, strength and hard work. ³Good characteristics that will be needed to do business together in Suriname,´ said 3resident Bouterse. The Chinese ambassador, =hang -in[iong, pointed out that he appreciated the fact that the Chinese New <ear is a national holiday in Suriname and that this day ³is very important for the Chinese because it brings family together at the start of the new year. +e also applauded the fact that the Chinese community is working shoulder to shoulder with the other ethnic groups in Suriname in order to make the country more beautiful and more modern. The Chinese New <ear was also celebrated in .ong Ngie Tong Sang. ³The <ear of the 'og must strengthen the economic ties between the 3eople’s Republic of China and Suriname,´ said Thomson Cheung, chairman of .ong Ngie Tong Sang. Cheung added that 2017 was a difficult year for the Chinese people living in Suriname. 0any members of the Chinese community were therefore forced to return to China for a better life. The ones who stayed in Suriname e[pect 2018 to be a better year.