PHILIPSBURG – Justice Minister Anna E. Richardson met with Correctional Officers and Management of the Prison and House of Detention in Point Blanche on Wednesday, May 13. The meeting, requested by Correctional Officers, served as an opportunity for them to express challenges and grievances that they have been faced with at the various detention centers. Since her appointment, the Minister and her support staff have been diligently working to address a number of challenges within the Ministry of Justice, with the detention centers and their staff well-being being a high priority. After hearing their concerns, the Minister reassured the officers…
Author: The Publisher
~ Re-iterates areas of priority ~ PHILIPSBURG—Faction Leader of the United People (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Grisha Heyliger-Marten on Tuesday said she was unimpressed with answers given to Parliament by airport CEO Brian Mingo regarding Princess Juliana International Airport’s financial situation, its reconstruction post-Irma, and the resignation of the Airport CFO. She said Mingo’s answers to various questions posed by MP’s in the Parliament meeting held this past Tuesday, showed a lack of interest, and at times no sense of urgency when it came to the agenda point up for discussion. “We are discussing St. Maarten’s premier port…
PHILIPSBURG – In August 2019, less than two years after Hurricane Irma, the VROMI Ministry eagerly approved a permit to allow Sunwing’s plan to build Planet Hollywood St. Maarten Beach Resort on the location of the destroyed Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort and Casino. It was welcome news at the time, but now the administrative court has declared an appeal against the building permit justified. The ruling brings the construction of the project to a grinding halt and makes opening sometime in 2021 an illusion. On April 9, 2019 construction company Balaclava received its building permit for Planet Hollywood. Steven…
PHILIPSBURG – The Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) has put Chairman of Parliament, MP Rolando Brison, firmly in his place with a response to a letter he sent on April 21 in which he demanded “urgent action” from the bank. Interim president José Jardim picks Brison’s arguments apart one at a time, beginning with a quote from the American economist and chess grandmaster Kenneth Rogoff: “The whole point of not relying on debt excessively in normal times is precisely to be able to use debt massively and without hesitation in situations like this.” Jardim writes that this…
~ Motion passed to have supervisory board evaluate CEO within four weeks ~ PHILIPSBURG – The current state of affairs related to the reconstruction of the airport is “an embarrassment,” airport-director Brian Mingo “is lying to the parliament,” and the airport “is failing to properly manage the reconstruction.” Those are some of the sentiments members of parliament expressed during a rather contentious meeting with Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and airport director Brian Mingo. At the end of a lengthy meeting, UP-MP Rolando Brison tabled a motion that got the support of most MPs, with the exception of MP Sarah Wescot-Williams…
People of St. Maarten here and abroad, I hereby address you as Prime Minister and Chair of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), in an update for today, Monday, May 11, 2020, as part of the process to keep the community of St. Maarten informed about the latest developments and the Government’s COVID-19 containment, mitigation and response measures. I would like to take this time, one day post Mother’s Day, to wish each and every mother, mother figure, and a person who makes an impact on our youth, a Happy Mother’s Day. Know that you are appreciated every day and that I’m very happy we had the…
PHILIPSBURG – The deadline for application for COVID-19 Income Support for vendors and taxi drivers for the month of April 2020 expired on Sunday, May 10th. Payments will commence from next Friday, May 15th. As the St. Maarten Stimulus and Relief Plan is reviewing applications, the question arises who should get the income support in case a permit holder ‘rents out’ his permit. Subletting, sharing and selling permits is a common practice in St. Maarten. A few hundred entrepreneurial individuals pay between $650 and $1300 per month to permit holders to operate a taxi, a watersport activity, beach spot, or…
~ The Government of The Netherlands has asked the Red Cross to coordinate the humanitarian aid for Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten ~ PHILIPSBURG — The consequences of the corona pandemic can be felt everywhere. The impact in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom is significant. The islands are largely dependent on tourism, which has come to a complete standstill. Unemployment on the islands is increasing rapidly, resulting in more and more households falling below the poverty line. There is an urgent need for emergency assistance. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has made €16 million euros available.…
PHILIPSBURG — Locally-owned and operated passenger handling company, Juliana Airport Handlers (JAH), refutes allegations published by online blogsite, SMN-News.com. In what is considered a malicious and reckless article, JAH has retained legal representation to take measures to ensure that the blogsite is held to legal and professional standards. In a press statement, the company’s managing director, Dylcia Lake wrote: “Juliana Airport Handlers (JAH) has taken note of an article written by SMN NEWS, wherein a picture is presented to the public that employees at JAH were abandoned and not paid their salaries for the month of March and April 2020.…
PHILIPSBURG — NAGICO Insurances will reopen to the public as of Wednesday; May 13, following the announcement by the Prime Minister and Head of EOC, Silveria Jacobs on Sunday, of government’s plan to reopen businesses on the island in strategically planned phases. In a statement, NAGICO indicated that while the green light has been given, to reopen their office immediately, NAGICO’s management took the decision to officially re-open its doors to the public on Wednesday, May 13, to allow for certain health and safety measures to be fully implemented. “The health and safety of our clients and staff is our…
