We have been asked by one of our readers why no one is posing questions to the COO of PJIA airport about the status and progress of the airport’s insurance claim. The reader writes that he thinks everyone is eager to know this information, but we have yet to receive any updates on the airport situation. He is surprised how they can keep the public in the dark for so long. Another reader informed us that the insurance company has only paid out an advance of 5 million guilders. We at StMaartenNews.com know from our research into insurance claims handling…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — The honourable minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports gave an address to the gathering at the National Day of Prayer event on Sunday, January 14th, 2018, at the Government Administration Building on Pond Island. The following is the text of her address: The theme of this National Day of Prayer “Repentance will result in the Glory of God in the Land” and I daresay St. Maarten is so fitting for the time we are in. This morning in service I was blessed by this word by the boys and l again to recognize the power of God…
Philipsburg — Minister Lee on Friday afternoon, January 12th, met with the Sint Maarten Consumer Coalition coordinators to address their concerns with the Sint Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) tariff increase of 41.8% per January 1st, 2018, and the quality of the services of the institution. Minister Lee informed the coordinators that the precarious financial situation of the Medical Center had his attention since he became Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor. The deficits of the SMMC were increasing annually and the annual costs of health care also were going up each year. To guarantee financial stability for SMMC…
Simpson Bay — The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has expressed its grave concerns regarding the unrestricted flow of waste water being entered into an area of Kim Sha Beach. During inspections carried out at various times at the area waste and possibly sewage water was clearly seen being pumped from the wall of the Atrium Hotel parking area directly unto a section of Kim Sha Beach, close to the ruins of the Old Simpson Bay Bridge, which is listed as a historical monument. Building construction material was also found to be illegally dumped at the site. “We responded to several…
Pond Island — Gracita Arrindell is making a passionate plea to the electorate to come out today, Monday, January 15th, to the former Census Office located on Pond Island from 9am to 4pm to endorse the PPA slate in order for the party to secure the 142 signatures to participate in the upcoming elections. Gracita says that the endorsement of the PPA slate is a firm step in the direction towards securing a strong, stable and pro-active Parliament of, for and by the people of Sint Maarten. Gracita states: “Monday January 15, is D Day for the P.P.A party in…
by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert Wow, why, what? Is there an upcoming baby-boom? Is it related to this year’s carnival? Why don’t they distribute contraceptives? Those are questions that I don’t have answers for. But I had something else in mind anyway. I believe that the Caribbean needs Business Incubators. Unemployment rates in the region are too high; especially among young persons. There is no such a thing as opening up a can of jobs. The problem does not get enough attention. Well, attention maybe, if one considers ‘talk-talk’ to be attention. In some cases, measures are taken, like providing extended…
GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – The United Nations (UN) health agency, the World Health Organization (WHO), has embarked on a campaign to make antibiotic resistance a globally recognized health issue and to raise awareness of the need to protect antibiotics through appropriate use. The WHO/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in their efforts to address growing global resistance to antimicrobial medicines, has increased awareness and stimulated AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) stewardship by publishing a list of antibiotic-resistant “priority pathogens” – a catalogue of 12 families of bacteria that pose the greatest threat to human health. The list was drawn up in…
Willemstad/Philipsburg — On Tuesday, January 9th, Julian Lopez Ramirez was sworn in by the Governor of Sint Maarten as a new board member of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (the “CBCS”). Lopez Ramirez is the seventh member of the Supervisory Board of the CBCS (the “RvC”), as a result of which a full Supervisory Board now exists. The swearing in of Lopez Ramirez was attended by the Supervisory Board and by Mrs. Matroos-Lasten and Mr. Jose Jardim, as the Board of Directors of the CBCS (the “Executive Board”). The visit to Sint Maarten was gratefully accepted by…
Dear Editor, The names of the new ministers, scheduled to take office have been released and one could rightfully ask: Was Claret Connor not put forward for a ministerial position? Indeed I was. Persons nominated for a ministerial position must be screened according to the applicable procedures, conducted by several agencies, and reported upon to the so-called “Formateur” and the Governor. The reports from the different agencies are confidential, however I learned that hindering my appointment was the verdict in a civil court case, initiated against the government. In its defense, the government criticized the manner in which the then…
by Sir Ronald Sanders The effect of the inappropriate depiction of Haiti, El Salvador and all African nations as “shit hole” countries is a matter that the people of the United States of America and their government and Congress should contemplate seriously. The responses have been swift, showing a mixture of outrage and shock. At the time of writing this commentary, there has been no expression of regret about the comment that has done nothing but injure the relations between the United States and many countries. Hopefully, representatives of the U.S. in other countries will distance themselves from it, and…
