AIRPORT — “The restriction of the Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 to St. Maarten has little or no immediate effect to the airlift to the island,” said Chief Executive officer of the Princess Juliana International Airport Brian Mingo. The restriction came after an Ethiopian airline crashed shortly after takeoff in Addis Ababa killing all 157 persons aboard the jet aircraft. Minister of Tourism Stuart Johnson has issued a Ministerial Decree after consultations with the Department of Civil Aviation and Maritime Affairs to restrict the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 from St. Maarten Airspace on Wednesday. He pointed…
Author: The Publisher
SINT MAARTEN (GUANA BAY) – “The detention of my son has certainly brought me a lot of sadness, frustration and anger,” Lillian Agnes Wathey said on Sunday. “I still feel as if Theo was kidnapped. On that night, without formal notice two masked police officers abducted him from his cell; took him to a car that rushed him to a flight for Bonaire. They were in such a rush that they “forgot” his Gout medication. “In Bonaire they’ve been interrogating him, sometimes for up to 8 hours with only a break for lunch. So, imagine this, my son is in…
~ Provides MSME Community with Solid Network and Information ~ Philipsburg, St. Maarten, March 15th, 2019 – “The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector is one of the primary drivers of economic growth and employment in a country in which they operate.” They create financial independence, provide employment and encourage innovation, said Garth Sherwood, Country Manager CIBC FirstCaribbean as he addressed some eighty (80) businesses at the opening of the First in Business Seminar hosted by the bank on March 14th. “Prior to Hurricane Irma you accounted for 85% of companies operating and you provided approximately 20% of the…
PHILIPSBURG — The National Recovery Program Bureau headed by former parliamentarian Claret Connor has finally opened its doors to the general public. Connor in his new function held a press conference to outline the work that his team is expected to undertake during the recovery phase. Connor stated that there is some US $200 million earmarked for the National Recovery Program which will be monitored by the representatives of the World Bank. In the Emergency Recovery Project 1, there are several areas that they are addressing such as the repairs and the procurement of the disaster preparedness facilities and the…
‘Construction to be finalised by the end of Summer’ CAY HILL — Construction of the Oryx Residences in Cay Hill is at 60 per cent according to its developers the Algemeen Pensioenfonds Sint Maarten APS and should be completed at the end of summer this year. This information was conveyed to Finance Minister with oversight on APS the honourable Perry Geerlings who was treated to a “walk-through inspection of the property” on Thursday afternoon. He received a progress report from contractors Liccom and from the management team of APS. The Minister expressed his satisfaction at the APS’s decision to invest in…
PHILIPSBURG — The power consumption at public schools varies wildly it appears from the draft 2019 budget. The government intends to save more than 46,000 guilders ($25,720) in 2019 on the electricity bills at eight primary schools and the Vocational School. The Rudy Labega School has the highest budget for electricity: 47,700 guilders ($26,648) – the same as in 2018. The total budget for all nine schools is 193,960 guilders ($108,358), down from 240,000 guilders ($134,078) in 2018. Three schools see the budget for electricity go down dramatically. The Lionel Conner School (30,891 guilders – $17,258 in 2018) has been…
PHILIPSBURG — Minister responsible for Civil Aviation on St. Maarten the honourable Stuart Johnson has issued a Ministerial Decree to temporarily restrict the use of Boeing 737 –Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft in the St. Maarten airspace (Juliana TMA) considering the recent international developments involving these aircraft. Minister Johnson held consultations on Wednesday morning with the Department of Civil Aviation, Shipping and Maritime along with the Management Team of the Princess Juliana International Airport to determine a way forward “that both safeguards the lives of travelers to the destination and protects the island’s economic interests.” “It is not an…
PHILIPSBURG — On Monday March 11 the Ministry of VSA hosted an interactive stakeholder consultation session for local medical professionals facilitated by representatives of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). The topic of the session was to learn and exchange views on the concept of universal health insurance and the implications of General Health Insurance (GHI) on Sint Maarten. Minister Lee commented: “we had an excellent meeting, the discussions were extremely positive. Everyone was focused on giving constructive criticism, which can be incorporated in the draft legislation.” The Department of Public Health had the opportunity to explain part of the draft…
PHILIPSBURG — Minister of VSA Emil Lee attended the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino job fair on Friday March 8th at the Belair Community Center. The resort is re-opening in phases and is eager to recruit local talent for various departments. Minister Lee spoke with the resort recruitment team, applicants at the fair and was pleased to see some graduates of the skills training program of the Ministry of VSA in attendance. “The resort is looking for people to start immediately, there is an urgent need. This is great news for our economy, it is a good sign the…
AIRPORT — These photos show the impact the SXM Festival internationally, as on Wednesday afternoon Minister of Tourism the Honourable Stuart Johnson greeted the first passengers from American Airlines who arrived on St. Maarten specifically for the SXM Festival. The festival is being considered an “electronic music takeover of the Caribbean” and attracts people from around the globe to the island. Photo caption: In the photo from the left is Member of Parliament Rolando Bryson, Multiple World Champion boxer Miguel Angel Cotto Vazquez, CEO of Coco-Cola Puerto Rico Bottlers Alberto De la Cruz, and Tourism Minister the honourable Stuart Johnson.…
