PHILIPSBURG – 48 Marines who boarded the naval vessel Zr.Ms. Karel Doorman came to St. Maarten, as of today they will be deployed in guarding borders and maintaining public order in St. Maarten. “The Marines have all been tested negative for the corona virus. They have completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine,” says Canan Babayigit, Defense spokesperson for the Caribbean. The eleven-day journey from Den Helder to St. Maarten was regarded as quarantine. After arriving in St. Maarten, the Marines had to remain in quarantine for three days to complete the fortnight. “The mission is well prepared medically,” says Babayigit. “We…
Author: The Publisher
GREAT BAY—- NAGICO Insurances made a donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) yesterday to the Justice Department as we continue to battle the Coronavirus pandemic. The equipment provided included hundreds of surgical masks, N95 masks, gloves and face shields which will be distributed among the Immigration, Customs, Prison and Police Departments. “This is an unprecedented situation,” Eric Ellis, Managing Director of NAGICO Insurances said. “Our first responders continue to work daily to help us with the first phase of controlling the spread and eradicating the virus so that we can all gain some level of normalcy again. It is therefore…
PHILIPSBURG – Reluctantly, Parliament accepted a motion tabled by National Alliance MP Ludmilla Duncan to cut salaries of parliamentarians and ministers, while it rejected a further-reaching motion with the same objective, tabled by the Party for Progress. However, the parliament approved the 2020 budget without including any paycuts. Duncan’s motion asks the minister of finance for “a comprehensive approach to cost-cutting measures within fifteen days.” It furthermore asks to reduce the salaries of parliamentarians and ministers by 5 percent for a period of six months and to reduce material costs at the Council of Ministers and the Parliament by 20…
PHILIPSBURG – “The Central bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten has not done near enough to assist the people of St. Maarten,” chairman of parliament MP Rolando Brison said during the meeting of parliament about the 2020 budget. “It is crucial that they come through now.” Brison reacted to the criticism he received over his letter to Central Bank president José Jardim in which he pushed for action within two weeks to help soften the blow of the COVID-19 crisis for St. Maarten. Brison said that the Central Bank does most of the work for putting together the budget of…
PHILIPSBURG – Ten thousand people in St. Maarten are smoking marijuana and they spend $20 to $30 a day on it, MP Christophe Emmanuel said during his plea for legalizing the soft drug the budget debate. If Emmanuel’s numbers reflect reality this would mean that ganja-users spend between $600 and $900 a month on marijuana. The current monthly minimum wage on the island is around $845. Consumption for all users on an annual basis would be between $73 million and $109.5 million if the parliamentarian’s numbers check out. “Legalize it now, he said, holding up a sheet from an exercise…
GRACITA: “SCHOOL DEEP-CLEAN PLAN URGENTLY NEEDED PRIOR TO – COVID- 19 RE- OPENING” “ESTABLISH SCHOOL FOR AUTISTIC STUDENTS” Philipsburg, April 27, 2020 Gracita R. Arrindell states: “Education remains a key factor in the development of our nation. St. Maarten has been under government-mandated lockdown since early March. It is clear that being confined for long periods of time can bring tension among citizens resulting in dangerous behavior. When government decisions are made based on plans that are carefully thought out and evaluated regularly on its merits, social escalation, can be prevented, or mitigated”. “This virus is a clearly a game…
Says President’s comments regarding CBCS not reflection of Parliament’s position ~ PHILIPSBURG –- Members of Parliament for the Party for Progress (PFP) faction Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson have sent a letter to President of Parliament MP Rolando Brison, regarding a press release concerning a letter Brison has sent to the Central Bank of Curacao & St. Maarten, via the Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion. The letter to Brison highlights the faction’s concern over the impressions given by the article’s tone and content. “We are writing to you, as President of Parliament, to inform you of the reality that the…
CAY BAY — The Regional Manager of SOL Petroleum David Antrobus was asked to go into retirement as of April 1, 2020, following the huge drop in oil prices in Russia and Saudi Arabia. Since the Covid-19 pandemic has taken over the world, oil prices dropped so low that the oil producing countries are now selling fuel at minus $0.59 per gallon. Antrobus has been a veteran in the oil industry for more than 27 years and has held senior management positions for nearly 20 years. He is presently on vacation and is expected to leave the island as soon…
PHILIPSBURG – Door het coronavirus zitten Venezolanen vast op St. Maarten, zonder geld en zonder vooruitzicht op hulp. “In Venezuela hebben we meer overlevingskansen dan hier,” zegt Carlos (40), namens een groep Venezolanen zonder papieren. “We hopen dat we met hulp van Nederland terug kunnen naar onze familie, of dat St. Maarten de hand over het hart strijkt en ons helpt.” Wie tijdens de lockdown voedselhulp nodig heeft, kan zich hiervoor registeren bij de overheid. Dit geldt zowel voor ingezetenen als voor ongedocumenteerden. De overheid heeft ruim 9.000 aanvragen ontvangen voor een voedselpakket. Bij de verdeling van de pakketten hebben…
PHILIPSBURG — Because of the coronavirus, Venezuelans are stuck on St. Maarten, without money and without prospect of help. “In Venezuela we have more chances of survival than here,” said Carlos, 40, on behalf of a group of undocumented Venezuelans. “We hope that with the help of the Netherlands we can return to our family, or that St. Maarten will help us to get back to Venezuela.” Anyone who needs food aid during the lockdown can register with the government. This applies to both residents and undocumented migrants. The government has received over 9,000 applications for a food package. When…
