Chinese Government provides $5 million grant for Phase 2 of Safe City Project (Linked to Project ID#55437 and #70442)

From June 8, 2017 to July 6, 2017, an 8-member delegation from China’s Radio Film & Television Design & Research Institute (DRFT) conducted a feasibility study for the Road Monitoring Project (also known as the Safe City Project) in Suriname. The Chinese Government subsequently issued a grant worth EUR 10 million in 2018 to facilitate the implementation of the first phase of the project. The purpose of Phase 1 was to (a) install 300 closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance cameras in the city of Paramaribo to monitor road safety and identify traffic crime, and (b) connect these cameras to a Command Center run by the Suriname National Security Directorate (DNVS). The software on all of the CCTV cameras was expected to be customized with license plate recognition and sound recording. Then, in 2019, the Chinese Government provided a $5 million grant for Phase 2 of the Safe City Project. The purpose of Phase 2 was to install cameras in twenty locations in Wanica district, two locations in Albina, and three locations in Nieuwe Haven to monitor road safety and identify traffic crime. A key goal of Phase 2 was to connect these additional cameras to the Command Center by November 25, 2019. Then, on January 19, 2023, the Chinese Government and the Government of Suriname signed a $15 million grant agreement for Phase 3 of the Safe City Project. The agreement was signed by Suriname’s Minister of Justice and Police Kenneth Amoksi and China’s Ambassador to Suriname, Han Jing. The purpose of Phase 3 is to install CCTV surveillance cameras in all of the country’s other districts, with the exception of Sipaliwini district in the interior of Suriname. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is the contractor responsible for implementation of all phases of the Safe City Project. Phase 1 was completed when the Command Center became operational at the end of December 2018. Phase 2 was completed when 60 CCTV cameras were put into use at 20 locations in Wanica district on February 21, 2020. By July 2022, 378 CCTV cameras had been installed through the capital city and various districts through the Safe City Project. As of February 2023, Phase 3 had not yet commenced. The Safe City Project has become a source of local debate and controversy. Allegations have arisen that the project is not being implemented in a way that is consistent with the original agreement. There is also a lawsuit pending concerning the Safe City Project. The lawsuit was filed by a human rights organization called 'Foundation December 8, 1982' against the Government of Suriname. According to 'Foundation December 8, 1982', there is no legal basis for recording the movement of citizens nor any official oversight of the CCTV surveillance program.

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