PHILIPSBURG – The luxury cruise liner Viking Sea docked at the port in Philipsburg on Monday morning at 7 a.m. – the first cruise vessel to arrive at St. Maarten after Hurricane Irma destroyed the island on September 6. There was no fanfare on the cruise pier to receive Viking Sea; no steel pan band, there were no government or tourist bureau representatives in sight. From the top of the hill in Pointe Blanche that overlooks the port, a female security guard expressed her happiness with the arrival of the Viking Sea. It almost felt like a new beginning for…
Author: The Publisher
PORT ST. MAARTEN – Viking Cruises cruise ship Viking Sea made its inaugural visit on Monday which was also the first commercial cruise ship to call at Port St. Maarten post-Irma. A delegation boarded the vessel for the welcome and plaque exchange ceremony mid-Monday morning. Minister of Tourism Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher presented a plaque of the Courthouse to Captain Mikael Hilden. Captain Hilden said it was great to be back in Sint Maarten and he was sure that his guests will enjoy the island. Minister Arrindell-Doncher welcomed the Captain and his guests to the island and wished them an enjoyable stay.…
Philipsburg – Today, December 3rd, the Government of St. Maarten in collaboration with the St. Maarten United Ministerial Foundation (SMUMF), Christian Council (CC) successfully hosted and celebrated the annual Thanksgiving Service and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony heralding the end of the Hurricane Season 2017. His Excellency Governor E.B. Holiday and Mrs. Holiday, Chairlady of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams, Honorable Prime Minister Rafael Boasman, 1st Vice President of the Collectivite Mdme. Valerie Damaseau, Minister Silveria Jacobs, Deputy Governor Mr. and Mrs. Reynold Groeneveldt, along with several other Members of Parliament and the High Councils of State were among the dignitaries present. Under…
PHILIPSBURG —The Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) will be hosting her annual Christmas Market on Thursday, December 21st, from 10 am to 8pm at the library’s parking lot. The Library’s annual Christmas Market festivities will be hosting crafters from all over St. Maarten, displaying their arts and creative works. Individual decorated stands will offer handcrafted goods where shoppers can find one- of – a kind gifts, and decorations. This year is promised, just the same as previous years, to be a spectacular community event. In order to make this event a success we would like to invite all interested persons to…
TelCell Breakthrough Youth Talent Show Winners take to the stage with TelEm Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Kendall Dupersoy (right) and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Mr. Brian Mingo (left) at the end of the event, held at the Habour Facility Saturday night. (Photo by Edgardo Lynch. Pond Island – TelCell’s Breakthrough Youth Talent Show finals, held for the first time at the Harbour Facility, Saturday, is being hailed the biggest and best to date by show organizers and an emotion-packed audience. Once again the performance brought the audience to its feet and some to tears, with all youngsters performing…
As was to be expected, former Prime Minister William Marlin countered Minister Emil Lee’s story with his side of the story: He never gave Minister Lee permission to use MR plate on his private vehicle. The saying goes, there is always three sides to a story, your side, his side and the truth. Whichever side prevails, we believe Minister Lee will continue to sweat bullets for a while as he continues to remain in the hot seat of the Ministry of VSA and the opposition continues to keep him in their firing sights. There is however another side of this…
Dear Editor, The vindictive Dutch politicians have achieved, with the help of local brownnosers, what they decided to make happen and that is the resignation of Prime Minister William MARLIN. The Dutch politicians could not accept the fact that William stood up to them as a true leader in defense of the self rule of Country St. Martin. How dare a local politician stand up to the “mighty” Dutch. That’s for the Dutch tantamount to a death sentence. And because of William’s reaction to their immoral action, William must “die”. politically. But the voters of St. Martin have the last…
Dear Editor As a board, we wanted the people of St. Maarten to know that we are EXTREMELY proud of our leader Prime Minister William Marlin. We realize that some people have been trying to discredit him as a politician and a person. We know the real man, the man devoted to family and friends and loyal to St. Maarten. We also felt the need to remind ourselves of some of his many accomplishments. Many politicians can claim to have vision or a record of accomplishments but upon scrutiny, their claims are easily discarded. Prime Minister Marlin can not only…
by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert Airlift is a major Caribbean problem that deserves top priority because it is vital for tourism and trade, subsequently for the economic well-being of all population members of the Caribbean communities. The problem has been acknowledged for many years. Just check the on-line archives of the news media to find the evidence. No one has come up with a true common solution. How to solve the airlift problem? It is quite complicated. Already because of the geography and the many jurisdictions. Try to define the Caribbean. It could be any area between Bermuda and the Guyanas,…
PHILIPSBURG — St. Maarten AIDS Foundation held a testing event at Gisela Salon on Cannegieter Street, Philipsburg, to commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1st, 2017. It was a much smaller-scale event than the usual World AIDS Day testing the island has become used to, due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Irma. Scotiabank, which normally offers the use of their premises for the annual World AIDS Day event, suffered too much damage to host this year, and American University of the Caribbean, which normally provides physicians-in-training for the event, has not yet returned to the island. The AIDS Foundation,…
