PHILIPSBURG—The Minister of Labor Emile Lee has refuted the allegations that to acquire work permits is difficult. He stated that the documentation and the acquisition process of obtaining work permits are set out in legislation. “Once the documentation for the permits are submitted it takes about three to four weeks from that time to be approved,” said the Minister of Labor at the Council of Ministers Press Conference on Wednesday. “I don’t see that government is holding up anything from a work permit process,” he said. He explained that most of the permits that the companies have submitted have been…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin has promised to look into the high cost of rentals by home owners which is spiraling out of control following the hurricanes of 2017. Marlin in her capacity of Minister of General Affairs said at a recent press conference that it has been brought to her attention by the Rent Committee since there has been serious complaints about rents on the island. However, in a recent interview with members of the Rent Committee they have indicated that they will be able to address the matter of the high rents if the accommodations are less…
~ No interference in Theo Heyliger’s case ~ PHILIPSBURG — The Minister of Justice Cornelius De Weever has set the record straight with regard to his Ministry being involved in individual cases. He spoke of the discussions which involved the former Member of Parliament and Leader of the United Democrats Theodore Heyliger, who has been arrested and now detained in the Bonaire prison. In a statement he said that it is not customary that the Ministry should respond to any investigation. He said that as much as he is in sympathy with Heyliger’s family, there is a “fine line that…
PHILIPSBURG — The security officers at the Princess Juliana International Airport were sworn in by the Minister of Justice Cornelius De Weever as auxiliary police officers on Wednesday morning. The security officers who had attended a Police Officers training course some time ago said that they were satisfied with the training which them more competent to carry out their duties. Acting Security Manager Elsidro St. Jago said that they were looking forward to the swearing in ceremonies since they had completed the BAVPOL course in 2016. However, although it took sometime before the ceremonies and the dispensation, they are still…
PHILIPSBURG — Finance Minister, the Honourable Perry Geerlings, is critical of “the false claims made by the St. Maarten Consumer Coalition & Anti-Poverty Platform who recently said his Ministry’s policy on alleviating the burden for businesses and residents with outstanding taxes, did not favour the small man,” in a recent publication. Geerlings said contrary to the Platform’s claim, the Ministry did not make provisions for the average citizen and that certain taxes were exempt “is wrong.” This is a “misrepresentation of the truth” because the offer has been given to all residents and business owners to go to the Receiver’s…
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…
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…
