Dear Editor, Over the past few days I have read the reflections circulating online from St. Martiners, especially young St. Martiners, with a mixture of recognition and concern. Their words carry all of our frustration, but also something much more important: attachment. Their voices are not those of people who have given up on our island but those who still care enough to speak out. That is precisely why they deserve to be heard with seriousness rather than dismissed as merely negative, emotional, or impatient; there is nothing unreasonable about looking at the state of St. Martin with a feeling…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams says the recent call by Members of Parliament for a parliamentary meeting on the future of the monetary union between Curaçao and Sint Maarten is rooted primarily in concerns about the governance of the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS). In an exclusive response to questions from StMaartenNews.com, Wescot-Williams explained that the issue has gained urgency following ongoing disagreements over the appointment of leadership within the Central Bank’s Supervisory Board. The controversy has been closely linked to the recent nomination of St. Maarten attorney Jairo Bloem by the Minister of Finance…
Sponsored Article Example In an increasingly digital world where families and friends are often separated by oceans, small gestures of love can make a powerful difference. One St. Maarten based online business has been quietly helping people bridge that distance for years. StMaartenFlowers.com is an online flower and gift delivery service that allows customers anywhere in the world to send flowers, gift baskets and other special surprises like edible chocolate covered fruits to loved ones on the island. Founded in 2009, the web based business was created with a simple but powerful idea: You order online, and the flowers are…
PHILIPSBURG — Member of Parliament Francisco Lacroes (UP Party) is calling on the Government of St. Maarten to urgently assess the impact of rising international shipping costs, warning that new freight surcharges could soon translate into higher food prices and further pressure on the island’s cost of living. Lacroes issued the call following a recent notice from shipping company King Ocean Services, which announced substantial increases in bunker surcharges on cargo shipments between United States ports and the Caribbean beginning April 12, 2026. According to the notice, the surcharge on a standard 20-foot cargo container will increase from approximately US$200…
PHILIPSBURG — Several Members of Parliament have requested an urgent parliamentary meeting to discuss the future of the monetary union between Curaçao and Sint Maarten, raising concerns about the potential economic implications should the arrangement come under pressure. The request, led by Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams and supported by other MPs, calls on the Chair of Parliament to convene a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament to address recent developments surrounding the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) and the sustainability of the monetary union. According to the MPs, Sint Maarten must begin…
A Caribbean masterstroke by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert The Caribbean rarely gets the chance to define its own mythic universe. St. Tosia is Caribbean innovation in a genre the region has never claimed before. It is doing something the region has never done before, offering a large-scale fictional island that provides a shared cultural setting for humor, spirituality, and satire. A fictional island becomes a neutral Caribbean space without favoring any real island or sparking competition or conflict. Real islands may inspire, but a fictional island can unify. A sitcom, situation comedy TV series, set in the Caribbean could become the…
More than two decades after a major tourism carrying capacity study warned that St. Maarten was approaching the limits of what its infrastructure, environment and communities could sustain, large-scale development on the island continues largely unabated. Luxury condominium towers, resort apartments and mixed-use projects aimed at foreign investors are being approved across key tourism districts, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of the island’s tourism model. The carrying capacity study, completed in 2004, concluded that several areas of the island—including Simpson Bay, Maho and the French–Dutch border regions—were already approaching thresholds for traffic congestion, water supply, sewage capacity and environmental resilience. The report warned that continued large-scale…
The Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) continues its efforts to combat violent crime and remove illegal firearms from the streets. As part of these ongoing efforts, officers arrested a suspect on the evening of Thursday, March 12, 2026, believed to be involved in a series of armed robberies that have taken place across the island. At approximately 8:30 PM, during a routine traffic control operation on A.Th. Illidge Road, officers stopped a vehicle for further control. While verifying the identity of the occupant, officers discovered that the individuals was the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant. The suspect, identified…
THE HAGUE – Novatech Solutions, a provider of illegal online gambling games received a fine of close to 25 million euros from the Dutch Games of Chance authority KSA. Novatech is based in Curacao. The company was fined for recruiting customers in the Netherlands while it did not have a permit to do so. There is a legal maximum of 10 percent for these fines. Otherwise the fine could have been 100 million euros or higher. “Such a fine would have been more fitting for this violation, said KSA-chairman Michel Groothuizen in a report published on dossierkoninkrijksrekaties.nl. Based on the…
Authorities from the Dutch and French sides of the island formalized a new step in cross-border law enforcement cooperation on Tuesday with the signing of a treaty allowing maritime “hot pursuit” during anti-drug trafficking operations in the waters surrounding Sint Maarten and Saint Martin. The agreement was signed at the police station in Cole Bay by Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina and French Minister of Overseas Territories Naïma Moutchou. The ceremony brought together senior officials from both administrations and maritime law enforcement agencies. Among those present were Governor Ajamu Baly, Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling, French state representative Cyrille Le Vély and President of the Collectivité of Saint Martin Louis Mussington. …
