12 Facts About Henck Arron

Henck Alphonsus Eugene Arron was a Surinamese politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Suriname after it gained independence in 1975.

Henck Arron was overthrown in a coup d'etat by the military, led by Desi Bouterse.

In 1987, Arron was elected as Vice President of Suriname and served until another coup in 1990 overthrew the government.

Henck Arron completed high school in 1956, and moved to the Netherlands to study banking.

In 1961, Henck Arron became a member of the National Party of Suriname, the main Creole party.

In 1970, Henck Arron was chosen as the Chairman of the NPS.

On 24 December 1973, Henck Arron became prime minister, and lead the final negotiation for the independence of Suriname.

In February 1974, Henck Arron announced that Suriname would be seeking independence before the end of 1975.

Many observers were surprised, as Henck Arron's NPS did not have a majority in favour of independence.

Henck Arron refused to recognise them, and arrested the ringleaders who were to go to trial on 26 February 1980.

That year Henck Arron was elected as Vice President of Suriname, serving from 26 January 1988 to 24 December 1990.

In December 2000, Henck Arron was invited by the Royal Tropical Institute to the Netherlands to talk about 25 years of Surinamese independence.