We received Rudi Moeridjan＇s email this morning, who is the Nomination Awards winner of HPA2009, telling us today, 20 October 2009, is 156th Anniversary of Chinese immigration in Suriname. And also today in one of Surinam newspapers named ＂De Ware Tijd＂ report an article of Rudi on page with the headline ＂Rudi Moeridjan heeft HPA 2009 fotoprijs al ontvangen＂, which means ＂Rudi Moeridjan has already received HPA 2009 awards＂.
Rudi could not help himself saying:＂ For me this was the first big international award and my country, my photographic organization and everyone who likes photography in Suriname were very happy. China also Suriname has a great relationship, we both has an embassy in mutual countries and once Suriname also has a descendant of China named ＂Henk Cnin A Sen＂ as the president of Suriname.＂
[History Background]
October 22, 2009 is 156th Anniversary of Chinese immigration in Suriname. Surinam government celebrates that day as an official holiday, and hosts a range of great events and parties.
The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Suriname on October 20 1853. This group came from Java (Indonesia), from where they left on July 2 1853 with initially 18 men, but underway 4 died, so that 14 came on shore. They had been called for by the governmental sugar plantation Catharina Sophia in Saramacca, to be used at a new way of sugar cooking.
Surinam is the last colony of the Netherlands, independence in 1975. It gained the support by the People＇s Republic of China on its Independence Day and established diplomatic relations with China in the next year.
