Marigot — The Department of Culture within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (MECYS) on Sint Maarten and the Department of Culture within the Overseas Collectivité of St. Martin held a historic meeting on July 10, 2018. Department Heads of Culture, Ms. Clara Reyes (Dutch) and Ms. Minerva Noel (French) came to together on this momentous occasion to dialogue, explore and exchange ideas for integrated cultural development. This gathering, the first of its kind, was a meeting of minds, bringing together, from both halves of the island, a team of dedicated civil servants committed to seeing the betterment…
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PHILIPSBURG — On Thursday, July 12, 2018, the full Council of Ministers met with the standing Committee on Kingdom Relations of the Dutch House of Representatives. The committee comprised of Alexander Pechtold (D’66, chairman), Ronald van Raak (SP), André Bosman (VVD), Stieneke van der Graaf (CU), André Bosman (VVD), Antje Diertens (D’66), Joba van den Berg CDA), Attje Kuiken (PvdA), Henk Krol (50plus), Nevin Özütok (GroenLinks), and Tim de Lange (‘griffier’). Members of the Interim Recovery Committee (IRC) were present to answer any technical questions. During the meeting Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin gave a presentation of the recovery process of Sint…
PHILIPSBURG — Tourism Minister Stuart Johnson has pledged to “correct the callous and of public lavatories at the Kim Shaw Beach in Simpson Bay” where most of the beach-loving cruise passengers who visit our shores have congregated since hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated St. Maarten in 2017. In a Press Release issued Thursday, Johnson said he was “shocked at the condition of the toilets.” He said, “We cannot sell St. Maarten like this. This is not the image we want to showcase to the rest of the world.” The proprietors of the bars that line the parking lot at Kim Shaw Beach…
PHILIPSBURG — July 12, 2018 — Sint Maarten Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin and World Bank Country Director, Tahseen Sayed, signed yesterday the first grant of the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund funded by the Government of the Netherlands. With this grant, the first project will repair public shelters, support the repairs of severely damaged houses of low income families, increase the resilience of the electricity utility and water system, as well as strengthen the emergency response capacities of the fire brigade and first responders in the face of natural disasters. This project is one of four emergency projects fast-tracked and endorsed by the Sint…
by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert In past three weeks, politicians and industry leaders at a number of summits in the Caribbean have expressed the urgent need for better air connections and more reasonable prices. Sorry folks. That’s an old hat to say the least. There may even be a skeleton in the closet. In 2007, Ministers of Civil Aviation in the Caribbean and other tourism and travel officials drafted the ‘San Juan Accord’, which called for regional officials to put in place the policy framework that would make intra-Caribbean travel for airlines less expensive and more competitive in terms of attracting…
PHILIPSBURG — On Tuesday July 11th, Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin attended the farewell party for Mr. Hans Leijtens. “On behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten I would like to officially thank Mr. Hans Leijtens for his contributions to Sint Maarten during the recovery and rebuilding process. I also wish Mr. Leijtens farewell and much success in his future endeavors”, said Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin.
PHILIPSBURG — On Tuesday July 11th, President of Tallahassee St. Maarten Foundation Stephen Knight paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin. The Division Study Financing has invited Mr. Knight to participate in the ongoing information sessions that have been organized in order to prepare Sint Maarten students that are scheduled to leave for Tallahassee in the month of August. In his brief discussion with the Prime Minister, Mr. Knight reiterated that the City of Tallahassee has continued with its commitment to assist and support Sint Maarten under the Sister City Partnership agreement that was signed in 1999.…
PHILIPSBURG — It is with great sadness that the management and staff of the Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) announce the unexpected death of their beloved colleague and friend, Officer Quintin Gregory Rogers. Quintin Rogers, who was an Inspector of Police, has served in the Police Force for more than 40 years. He has worked on the island of Sint Eustatius, Bonaire and Sint Maarten. Quintin Rogers was the Acting Chief of Police on Sint Eustatius and Acting Head of the Simpson Bay Police Station on Sint Maarten. He has been a role model and mentor for many of…
Drone owners on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are reminded to adhere to the rules when operating drones on these islands. Violating these rules, a drone pilot risk being fined, confiscation of the drone or jail time. This reminder comes after a recent verdict on Bonaire, where a drone pilot received a conditional sentence with 1-year probation for illegally flying the drone over the prison on Bonaire. Operating drones as a hobby is increasing in popularity, therefore the Public Prosecutor’s Office would like to outline the rules for this practice. • The drone should not be heavier than 25 kilos.…
Philipsburg — On June 29, 2018, the Electoral Council invited Minister Plenipotentiary, drs. Jorien Wuite, and deputy Minister Plenipotentiary, Mr. Michael Somersall, to sign the declaration regarding article 53 of the National Ordinance on Registration and Finances of Political Parties. By signing this declaration, the ministers declared that they are cognizant of the provisions laid down in the National Ordinance on Registration and Finances of Political Parties and have not acted in contravention of said provisions during the election campaign for the Parliamentary elections that were held on February 26th, 2018. According to article 53 of the National Ordinance on…
