VZCZCXRO0962
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHPO #0463/01 2061951
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251951Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8553
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO 1073

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARAMARIBO 000463 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR:  RVALERIN, 
WHA/CAR:  LLUFTIG 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ETTC KOMC NS
SUBJECT:  BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3:  PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK ON 
          APPLICATION 05-1000496, SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOLS 
 
REF:  STATE 105194 
 
PARAMARIBO 00000463  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Embassy staff visited the Shooting Club of Suriname 
located at Molenpad 73, Paramaribo, Suriname to conduct the 
requested site visit (reftel). Per conversation with Mr. 
Roland Tjin Wong Joe manager/consignee on July 12, Embassy 
submits responses to questions posed by the Blue Lantern 
Coordinator for consideration, which follow below.   We note, 
however, that while the manager has all required permits and 
is not reselling the weapons (Glock, Sauer, and Ruger semi- 
automatic pistols), his shooting club effectively engages in 
an off-site rental arrangement with minimal controls.  While 
this is legal under Surinamese law, we understand that the 
Attorney General of Suriname as well as police officials find 
the practice troubling, and intend to seek legislation to 
strengthen controls on the practice.  We share Surinamese law 
enforcement's reservations about the arrangements.  While 
they may fulfill the literal end-use requirements, in 
practice they do not meet the spirit of controlling end use. 
 
¶2.  Response to questionnaire: 
 
a) When was the company established and who are its 
principals? 
 
- The Shooting Club of Suriname was established on November 
15, 1966. Mr. Tjin Wong Joe has been the manager/chairman of 
the organization for the past 16 years. 
 
b) Who are the firm's typical customers and where are they 
located? 
 
- The "customers" are members of the Shooting Club of 
Suriname.  While they are meant to be the exclusive users of 
the weapons, and the club's rules specify there should be no 
resale of items, it is not clear to us how further usage is 
controlled once the weapons are checked out from the club 
(see response c below). Per Mr. Tjin Wong Joe, members go 
through a probationary period of six months and must be 
nominated by two current members. After a six-month waiting 
period the board decides on final admittance of a member. 
These members are located primarily in the capital city 
Paramaribo, and neighboring districts, Wanica, Para and 
Saramacca.  The club requires no police checks for 
membership. 
 
c) Does the company have an established, legitimate customer 
base to which it plans to sell these commodities? 
 
- The Shooting Club of Suriname does not sell the weapons to 
its members. The members pay a fee for use. While the 
shooting club retains ownership of the weapons, it loans them 
to members for "sporting purposes." The members store the 
weapons at their own premises. 
 
d) Does the company have adequate on-site security? 
 
Mr. Tjin Wong Joe's building has a security system and he 
stores unused weapons in a safe. His on-site inventory is 
low, as members retain possession of the borrowed guns for as 
long as they are in good standing. However, when a members go 
abroad they are obliged to store their weapon(s) at the 
shooting club. Members are also advised to keep unloaded 
weapons locked in a secure space. It is not clear how these 
requirements are enforced. 
 
The Attorney General of Suriname and Surinamese police 
officials believe those arrangements carry insufficient 
safeguards, and want to require individual members to file 
for a weapons permit for the weapon they desire to check out 
from the club.  This will require a change to existing 
Surinamese law.  This proposed change would put the 
responsibility on the member as opposed to the club.  The 
Embassy agrees that lax membership requirements and the 
ability of members to take the weapons home, while permitted 
under Surinamese law, introduce a considerable range of 
uncertainty about the conditions in which the weapons are 
stored and used.  The police would like to see the law 
further revised to require all shooting clubs to have 
adequate weapons storage on site, and that members shoot only 
at the club. 
 
e) Does the company keep proper, detailed records of its 
sales and customers? 
 
- The company is obliged to keep records of all weapons in 
use by its members per local law, and does keep an updated 
log of all weapons in use by the members, and reports this 
 
PARAMARIBO 00000463  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
data to the Attorney General. Registered in the logs are the 
names of the customers, and the registration numbers of the 
weapons. The Attorney General has the right to spot check the 
records at any time. To date there have been no known misuse 
or violations of Surinamese law by members of the club. 
 
f) Does the company understand the restrictions of USML 
articles, particularly regarding re-exporting? 
 
- The Shooting Club of Suriname understands the USML 
restrictions and does not intend to re-export. 
 
g) Does the company have the proper firearms license and 
import permits for the items listed on the license 
application? 
 
-   Yes 
 
h) In post's assessment, is the company a reliable recipient 
of the USML items? 
 
- Mr. Tjin Wong Joe has been importing weapons for 16 years 
for Shooting Club Paramaribo.  While admittedly we are aware 
of no untoward incidents connected to members, and his 
activities are legal under current Surinamese code, we 
believe that the club's loan arrangements provide 
insufficient safeguards for us to assert that the ultimate 
recipients of the USML items are reliable. 
 
BARNES