GREAT BAY — Sint Maarten (DCOMM) — The St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) in collaboration with the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), on June 29 concluded their Hurricane Preparedness Forum for critical partners that dealt with the development of a proper Communications and Logistic Plans for the national tourism sector. Some of the critical partners for STB are St. Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA), the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association, the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry, SXM Airport, Port St. Maarten, Red Cross, Department of Communication (DCOMM), bus transportation companies, Nature Foundation, EPIC, and K1 Brittania. The…
Author: Desk Editor
THE NETHERLANDS/PHILIPSBURG — The legislative proposal of Minister Grapperhaus (Justice and Security), which provides legal protection for journalists who choose not to reveal their sources, was adopted today by the First Chamber. The regulation, which goes into effect on 1 October 2018, is a recognition of the special position that journalists and publicists have in our society and the free news gathering. In practice, it means that journalists as witnesses in a criminal case do not have to answer questions about the identity of their source. Normally a witness is obliged to answer. But the public interest that people should be able to turn to journalists with…
The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation over the weekend responded to a significant fish-die off event occurring in the Oysterpond wetland. The event is related to the present sargassum invasion the country is currently experiencing. “We have been at the area in Oysterpond for a few days now monitoring the situation and it is serious. Due to the amount of sargassum decomposing in the Oysterpond Wetland there has been a drop in oxygen levels in the water resulting in numerous organisms dying. Up to now we have recorded about fifteen species of fish as well as lobster being affected significantly,” commented…
The Emancipation Journey, Remembering A Stance for Liberty and Respect”. by His Excellency Governor E.B. Holiday Delivered on the Occasion of the Observance of the 155th anniversary of Emancipation Day My Fellow Sint Maarteners, Brothers and sisters, Good morning Marie- Louise and I are honored to join you beside the waters of Great Bay to celebrate the observance of our Emancipation Day. Today, July 1st, 2018, one hundred and fifty-five years since the emancipation proclamation, is a critically important day in our nation’s history. Critically important because, as I stated in my 2012 Emancipation Day address, the July 1st, 1863…
Minister of VSA, Emil Lee returns to Sint Maarten from Curacao with confidence in the working relationship between the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten towards strengthening health care within the Kingdom. The Public Health Ministers of the four countries; State Secretary Paul Blokhuis of the Netherlands – representing Saba, Sint Eustatius and Bonaire, Minister Danguillaume Oduber of Aruba, Susanne Camelia-Römer of Curaçao and Emil Lee of St. Maarten, signed an inter-ministerial cooperation agreement that expresses the intentions on the way forward in the area of International Health Regulation. Each of the countries will work towards supporting each other in…
PARIS — FRANCE — Relations between both sides of the island have warmed with the signing of the Joint Declaration between the Governments of the French Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Sint Maarten, and the Collectivity of Saint-Martin at the recently concluded 4th Quadripartite Meeting in Paris. In her address, Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin, made an appeal for innovative solutions to addressing the issues of mutual concern with the French Government. She highlighted progress made over the past few years including the ratification of the Police Cooperation Treaty, the signing of the Sea Demarcation Treaty, and the efforts being…
PHILIPSBURG — Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin congratulates the people of Curacao, on the annual celebration of Curacao Flag Day on July 2nd 2018, on behalf of the people & the Government of Sint Maarten. “I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath and all the people of Curacao including those that have made Sint Maarten their home, on their celebration of Curacao Flag Day. It very important that we recognize our National symbols and we utilize national celebrations as a time to come together and unite with a sense of patriotism for your Country”, said…
PHILIPSBURG — With the theme “the water remembers”, the 6th annual Emancipation Day Celebration was held at the Captain Hodge Wharf in Philipsburg. It has been 155 years since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed liberating the enslaved Africans on Sint Maarten on July 1st, 1863. Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin, among many other dignitaries, attended the celebration and delivered her address as follows’ “I would like to share with you an excerpt of a poem called “Title Deed” written by a son of the soil, our own Lasana Sekou from his book The Salt Reaper. History is always just ensuing it…
PHILIPSBURG — On Saturday June 30th, the Voluntary Korps of Sint Maarten (VKS) celebrated their 21st Anniversary with a promotion & award ceremony for its soldiers in front of the Government Administration Building. The celebration continued with a march through the streets of Philipsburg to the Catholic Church on Front Street, and then the celebration concluded with a reception at the Hope Estate Recreation Center. The responsibility for matters concerning the VKS falls under the Ministry of General Affairs as such, Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin played an active role in the celebration ceremony, by assisting with the pinning of the…
Great Bay — St. Maarten — For the first time, 30th of June this year is celebrated as the International Day of Parliamentarism. It is also the date, in 1889, on which the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) — the global organization of parliaments — was established. This Day celebrates parliaments and the ways in which parliamentary systems of government improve the day-to-day lives of people in the world. It is also an opportunity for parliaments to take stock, identify challenges, and ways to address them effectively. The United Nations promotes international awareness and action on these issues. What parliaments do Strong…
