Politicians need to make a definitive pronouncement on the regularising of the Guyana-Suriname backtrack operations. This is according to Deputy Public Relations Officer (PRO) Suriname Police Force Inspector Humphrey Naarden.
In a recent interview with Guyana Times, Naarden said the issue has been in existence for many years, and it is for the governments of Guyana and Suriname to make a firm decision on the backtrack service. The backtrack service continues to flourish; as much as 300 persons traverse the Corentyne River to enter Nickerie , Suriname, or Springlands, Corentyne, Guyana.

Deputy Public Relations Officer (PRO) Suriname Police Force Inspector Humphrey Naarden

“The backtrack thing is not a thing of now. It is not for me to say what to do about that, I think it is something for higher order, in our political establishment. We call it backtrack but it is tolerated.” Inspector Naarden said. He told Guyana Times that Suriname police is only concerned about when persons attempt to enter the country. He said persons who have nothing to conceal would not cross the border in “the middle of the night”.
“The only moments when Suriname police are not so happy with the backtrack is when they come at night, in the dark of the night. It is logical that those who don’t have criminal intentions, they wouldn’t come in the middle of the night to either side of the border.”
He stressed, however, that the backtrack route to Guyana and Suriname is “tolerated”. When asked whether it is considered illegal, the inspector said: “Overall, it is tolerated… it is for the politicians to decide… it is tolerated by both sides, it is not for me to say… I don’t know… it is something for the politicians.”
He continued: “It is not the right way to come into the country.” In the meantime, the Deputy PRO said that migration to Suriname is high, but does not pose a problem for that country. He acknowledged that there is a high presence of Guyanese in Suriname, and they are contributing to the country’s economy.
Inspector Naarden said, however, that the Surinamese police are making every effort to clamp down on illegal migrants to that country and even those who pass through Suriname to go to neighbouring French Guiana. The Guyana-Suriname backtrack service have been in operation for several years and many citizens of both countries have opted to use that route to get to their various destinations as it was described as “a quick means of getting there”.
One passenger told Guyana Times that “the ferry service at Moleson Creek takes forever and the process at immigration is long… that is time and time is money.”
The MV Canawaima Ferry Service is located at Moleson Creek in Guyana and at South Drain on the Suriname side.
The Canawaima Ferry Service was launched in 1998 through a $20 million European Union project. The Guyana government has stressed many times that it is not keen on regularising the speedboat services that traverse the river. The ferry leaves Moleson Creek twice daily except on certain holidays; it departs at 09:30h and 13:00h respectively and takes approximately half an hour to arrive at South Drain.
However, Suriname, through its Justice Minister Chandrikapersaud Santokhi in 2011, had formally requested that Guyana regularise the backtrack service. Guyana has rejected the proposal, but had committed to reviewing the process. Suriname suggested that there be mechanisms put in place to deal with the influx of passengers there. Santokhi had also called for immigration and customs officials to be placed at the backtrack port.
Persons have used the backtrack route to smuggle drugs and other illegal items in and out of both countries, and the Guyanese authorities have said such activities will not be tolerated.  But though the backtrack operation is not safer than the ferry, many people choose to utilise it to get across either side of the border faster. Several non-governmental entities have in the past called for the backtrack service to be discontinued, as many persons have lost their lives while traversing the Corentyne River. Others have stated that the operation should continue, but there should be larger boats used to transport those desirous of crossing the border.