By Hilbert Haar We stay in the old center of Hanoi at the City Backpackers Hostel on Bat Su Street. To say that the city is a bit overwhelming is an understatement. With 7.5 million inhabitants, 5 million scooters and 500,000 cars the buzz in this place never stops. About those scooters: everybody wears a helmet here – often combined with a facemask that would make bank robbers in St. Maarten envious – and nobody makes wheelies. Crossing a road is a combination of art and science. You have to throw yourself into the flow, being aware that nobody will…
Author: The Publisher
Thursday, September 27, 2018, is World Tourism Day and apparently also World Maritime Day. So the cruise industry is having a double celebration. Today we also published a World Tourism Day flyer from the Saba Tourist Office. What we have noticed during our recent visit to Saba is that the island takes enormous pride in its tourism product. From the very top of Saba Mountain to The Bottom. On land as well as above and below the ocean. We took pictures of the island during a tour with the Director of the Saba Tourist Office, Glenn Holm, and while reviewing…
Philipsburg — This video of a rooftop fire was initially broadcasted via Whatsapp claiming that a helicopter crashed had happened in Galisbay, Saint Martin. However, the report was quickly determined to be ‘fake news’. Nevertheless, with the appearance of a second video of this fire incident that apparently even reached all the way in Curacao and Bonaire, reporters asked StMaartenNews.com for further clarification into what actually happened. Apparently, this fire occurred this morning. It is an old sports auditorium building the French government was using for government services in Galisbay that got damaged during hurricane Irma last year. The roof…
Dear Editor, I am one of the few people that is knowledgeable in Dutch Taw law on this Island and I am also an experienced designer of software, especially for Tax administrations. I developed major tax systems in the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles and Sint Maarten. I would like to react to the [The Daily Herald’s, -Ed.] Editorial of September 26, 2018, in which plans to improve the tax department and making more procedures electronic for greater efficiency is being applauded. In itself that is worth applauding, but the process is far from fair and transparent. As a tax collector in…
SIMPSON BAY — Leisure Car Rental was established in 2007 on the island of St. Maarten. They started small, but consistently grew over the years to become the number one Car Rental Agency on the friendly island. Hence the slogan ‘The Best Place to Rent A Car in St. Maarten’. Ten years later, they opened a branch in the Nature Island, Dominica. With plans to expand to St. Kitts, Anguilla, and the rest of the Caribbean. Winning prestigious Awards is nothing new for this company. Over the years, they picked up multiple local and international Customer Service Awards. To date,…
PORT ST. MAARTEN – Port St. Maarten representatives recently returned from attending Seatrade Cruise Med 2018, the world’s largest cruise industry event focused on the Mediterranean and adjoining seas. The St. Maarten delegation included Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Stuart Johnson and representatives of his Cabinet, and the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau. The event brought together over 2600 industry professionals; 160+ exhibiting companies; 60 countries represented; and 30+ cruise line brands. Seatrade Cruise Med 2018 took place from September 19-20 at the FIL Lisbon Exhibition and Congress Centre in Lisbon, Portugal and was an integral element of Portugal Shipping…
By Hilbert Haar Oh oh; the justice system is doing what it is supposed to do and politicians start to feel the heat. Don’t let their cries of Gestapo-tactics, denationalization and Dutch takeover fool you. Nor should you be fooled by the (repeated) call from that misguided MP Christophe Emmanuel, who keeps insisting that St. Maarten must send a strong message to The Hague that the island wants its independence. It’s all smoke and mirrors, my friends. All the ruckus in parliament is obviously the result of a decision by the Common Court of Justice that gave the Prosecutor’s Office…
This is a special report brought to you by StMaartenNews.com outlining the views of the Public Prosecutor’s Office on the statutes of limitations pertaining to the length of investigations, in particular those of politicians, other public figures and prominent citizens on St. Maarten. The introduction to this special report can be read online via the following article: “Public Prosecutor’s Office shares views on statute of limitations”. Part 1 – The Public Prosecutor’s Office and its workings In this first part of this 7-parts series, we will discuss what exactly the Public Prosecutor (known in Dutch as the ‘Openbare Ministerie’ or…
~ ‘Further talks on collaboration as part of the restructuring Tax Office’ ~ Philipsburg – Minister of Finance Perry Geerlings received Nichalin Martina, Director of Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland (B/CN) at the Ministry of Finance. The visit was initiated to discuss the challenges and opportunities that exist for St. Maarten as it undergoes the process of revamping its Tax Administration. Since 10-10-10, B/CN has made substantial progress in upgrading and restructuring its Tax Administration and can therefore be a vital partner in helping the St. Maarten Tax Office with its planned improvements. A team from B/CN’s Tax Office recently completed a…
~ Public Prosecutor’s Office seeking to implement various instruments such as JASAP, Justice As Soon As Possible ~ PHILIPSBURG — On the morning of Wednesday, August 29th, 2018, Chief Prosecutor, Jeroen Steenbrink, received a copy of a petition from activist, Elton Jones, together with former Minister of Education Rhoda Arrindell and former Member of Parliament, Sylvia Meyers-Olivacce. Outside the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Emmaplein in Philipsburg that morning, protesters were holding a ‘not so’ silent march condemning what they called persecution of local politicians by the Dutch government and the local judiciary. The petition, handed over to the Chief…
