Dear Editor, It might be nothing new for us, but it is embarrassing to be constantly reading and hearing about members of the highest governing body on our island being corrupt. Yes, there is corruption worldwide, however when the comparison is made of the size of St. Maarten relative to the corruption rate, it is disproportionately great in number. It is not only about the individuals in our Parliament but also those who help contribute to the crimes, from the top come right down. When the island that you love is depicted by the international world as corrupt, you feel…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — The Police Special Unit Robbery is presently investigating what seem to an attempted armed robbery which went wrong leaving one of the suspects dead. The incident took place on Monday August 27th at approximately 11.05 p.m. on Chin Cherry Road in Point Blanche. According to the report the victim and his son were driving in their car on Chin Cherry Road when they were attacked by two unknown male suspects who were armed with guns and who attempted to rob them. Shots were fired by the suspects at the victim who was also carrying a gun and who…
WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG — The Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) recently announced in a public statement that it had been informed that counterfeit 100 guilder banknotes are currently in circulation in Curaçao. The CBCS alerted the public to pay attention when accepting banknotes. NAf. 100 guilder banknotes in particular. The Bank stated a the time that “if you find yourself in the situation where you doubt the authenticity of a banknote, we strongly advise you not to accept the suspect banknote.” Now, the CBCS wishes to make known that besides the counterfeit NAf. 100 banknotes, fake NAf. 25 banknotes…
CAY BAY — Junior Cannegieter was the happy recipient of keys to his newly built bunker-style and hurricane-proof home handed over during a brief ceremony by SMDF Director, Keith Franca, in the presence of Chris Johnson of the Dutch Representative’s Office of The Netherlands in Philipsburg on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kingdom Relations (BZK), Joseph Dollison, supervisory head of the technical team overseeing the home building projects and members of the Cannegieter family. A former Mullet Bay worker in the Food & Beverage Department, Junior Cannegieter, after hurricane Irma destroyed his wooden dwelling in Cay Bay…
PHILIPSBURG — On the Saturday August 25th 2018 at 18:30 pm a town hall meeting was held for the residents of Oyster Pond, Dawn Beach, Tamarind Hill and Ocean Terrace. A presentation was given by the Community Police Officer Felix Richards to the residents who attended the meeting. The topics that were discussed were Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), crime statistics, the forming of a neighbourhood WhatsApp group chat and safety police safety tips in general on how to help them better secure their neighbourhood. The meeting was well attended and the information shared was well received. The residents…
PHILIPSBURG — On Friday, August 23rd, 2018, during the evening, the second suspect in the attempted armed robbery of the Coliseum Casino identified as Samuel Oliver Smith also known as “Chris” voluntarily turned himself in at the Police headQuarters in Philipsburg. He was immediately arrested as a suspect in this case and placed into custody for further investigation. The Special Unit Robbery continues to investigate this case. For more information, read the related police reports via the following links: Attempted robbery at casino Suspect in attempted robbery flee police
COLE BAY — The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has been responding to an ongoing diesel Fuel Spill in the Simpson Bay Lagoon. On Sunday the Foundation was alerted to a large amount of fuel entering the Simpson Bay Lagoon from a channel in Cole Bay close to Kool Baai Villas. It was established that the fuel was diesel and that the source was somewhere in the area, perhaps from unregulated garages that can be found throughout the Cole Bay district. “For the past 24 hours we have been dealing with this spill and we have contacted the authorities, including law…
PHILIPSBURG — The Nature Foundation carried out water quality tests at seven sites surrounding St. Maarten. These tests, which were conducted for the first time since the passage of Hurricane Irma, were carried out in order to determine the levels of pollutants and other factors affecting wetlands and beaches on St. Maarten. Tests were carried out in order to determine Nitrates (which shows that the water is polluted), Phosphates and Coliform Bacteria (which shows the presence of Sewage), Nitrogen, Dissolved Oxygen, and the acidity of the water. Tests were carried out on seven sites; Cole Bay Lagoon, Simpson Bay Lagoon,…
PHILIPSBURG—While sharing his vision for the future of his Ministry, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunication (TEATT) Stuart Johnson made it clear to over 100 civil servants on the afternoon of Wednesday August 8th, that he was ready to roll up his sleeves, and “put on my sneakers and get to work.” Johnson outlined his strategic plan for the ministry of TEATT for the coming four years, which includes instituting the current Philipsburg revitalization plan as a priority. His projects will also involve developing community-based tourism and developing a sustainable agricultural policy to maximize the potential of farming…
PHILIPSBURG — On Thursday August 23rd 2018 during the evening members of the Alpha Team operating at the Princess Julian International Airport carried out a control on man identified with initials J.A.M.S. who initially came to the airport to pick up an arriving passenger. During this control the man could not provide the investigating officers with valid identification. J.A.M.S. was temporarily detained at the airport where shortly after an acquaintance handed over his Venezuelan passport to the investigating team. During the inspection of the passport the investigating officers noticed that J.A.M.S. arrived legally on the island in February of 2018,…
