PHILIPSBURG –- The European Commission expects the 10th EDF planned for St Maarten from 2008-2013 to be finalized before the end of 2019. According to EU’s Interact, “following the blocking of diplomatic relations as a result of a border dispute and the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma”, it was not possible to administer funding for the Cole Bay Sewage Treatment Plant. The EU programme declared force majeure. The border dispute dates from November 1st, 2016. The then prime minister of St. Maarten William Marlin criticized the Prefect of Saint Martin for having abused his authority during an inspection in Oyster…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — On Monday, October 28th, SMCP Faction Leader and Member of Parliament, Mr. Claude ‘Chacho’ Peterson dispatched two letters to the President of Parliament, Mr. William Marlin, regarding the alarming financial developments surrounding the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) which has been playing out in the media lately. Copied in these letters were the caretaker Ministers Smith, Geerlings and Johnson as well as Mr. Connor of the National Recovery Project Bureau (NRPB) and his Excellency the Governor, Mr. Eugene Holiday. One letter concerned the reconvening of the Urgent Public meeting of PJIA (OV34) which was cancelled at the last…
~ Rouge et Noir investors envisions bringing back life to Philipsburg ~ PHILIPSBURG — The group of local and international investors of Rouge et Noir Casino dispelled rumors circulating in the community blaming the group of having issues with contractors and that the license to move their current location to the Super Plaza building would cause friction due to it being close to so-called sensitive buildings. In a statement issued by the group on Sunday, the investors assured the community that everything dealing with their request to move the old casino to a new location is within the confines of…
~ St. Maarten key to cruise line’s deployment strategies ~ PORT ST. MAARTEN – Port St. Maarten Management has had positive discussions with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) with respect to future itinerary calls to the destination. The one-on-one meeting took place with the cruise company’s executives, Federico Gonzalez-Denton, Vice President Destination Development, Latin America & Caribbean and Russell Benford, Vice President Government Relations, Americas. These one-on-one discussions took place on Thursday at the Caribbean’s largest and only official Cruise Conference and Trade Show in the region, the 26th Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), which is taking place from October 21…
PHILIPSBURG – “I am completely innocent of these trumped-up charges,” National Alliance MP Christophe Emmanuel said in an interview with 721news anchor Gromyko Wilson, shortly after he was released from custody. Emmanuel added that the timing of his arrest is suspicious and that “everything is going well with the screening process.” Emmanuel is most likely formateur Silveria Jacobs’ preferred candidate for the position of minister of Public Health, Labor and Social Affairs (VSA). His arrest could potentially throw a spanner in the works. Emmanuel’s attorney Zylena Bary did most of the talking in the interview. “The prosecutor’s office is there…
By Hilbert Haar The Christophe Emmanuel case begs a lot of questions. The first one is of course whether a crime was committed at all. From the currently available information it is hard to answer this question one way or the other. Emmanuel’s attorney Zylena Bary has a point when she says that the Prosecutor’s Office is not there to deal with government policies. The prosecutor’s office deals with crimes. After the MP’s arrest, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement that suspicions against Emmanuel and his former Chief of Staff Marisha Richardson have to do with “abuse of function…
By Hilbert Haar On August 29, 2017, I wrote an opinion about Parlatino for the Today newspaper that contains the following paragraphs. “The ties between the island – via the former Netherlands Antilles – and Parlatino are old: they go back to 1964, so feel free to do the math. And what has Parlatino ever brought to St. Maarten? Good question and we feel that it is time for our elected representatives to take a serious look at this matter and ask themselves whether a continued membership of Parlatino serves any purpose. We have never come across a report from…
PHILIPSBURG — Knockoffs of popular brands, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel, are being sold on the market in Philipsburg, in stores in Backstreet and Frontstreet, and online to customers on the island. “St. Maarten is a free port and transit port for counterfeits,” says lawyer Wiek Herben, who represents Louis Vuitton. The loss in retail value amounts to tens of millions of dollars. Louis Vuitton products holds the top spot in luxury goods being counterfeited. Herben, partner at Liance Law firm in Curaçao, took steps against different business owners and market vendors on St. Maarten on behalf of Disosa…
PHILIPSBURG — In celebration of Book Week 2019 the Police force KPSM was invited to read for students of the primary schools on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of October 2019. Inspectors Leonard and S. Crispulo took up the challenge and organize other officers to read to the students of the Martin Luther King Jr. School. Different books in English and Dutch were read to the students of the school. Special thanks goes out to the management of the Martin Luther Primary School and all the other police officers who gave up their time to assist and read to the…
PHILIPSBURG — On Friday, October 25 at 11:00 AM the Ombudsman released the short film to complement the report: ‘Home Repair. A revelation of a social crisis’. The turnout at the Bureau was successful. Many of the persons who were filmed were present as well as other invited guests such as: the former Ombudsman, Dr. Nilda Arduin, Director of The National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), Mr. Claret Connor, representatives of the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF), Sint Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform/Consumer Coalition, Sint Maarten Development Fund (SMDF) and Dr. J. Enterprises. The film depicts the challenges that persons are still…
