~ TO CONTRIBUTE $150,000 IN RELIEF SUPPORT TO THE COMMUNITY OF ST. MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN AND THE SURROUNDING REGION ~ COLE BAY — Hyundai Motor Corporation (HMC) and Shell working together with Motorworld, have pledged $150,000 in post-hurricane relief support to St. Maarten/St. Martin, and the surrounding region. HMC is a multinational automotive manufacturer of the Hyundai brand vehicles which are sold by Motorworld, the exclusive dealership in this region. “As we remain steadfast in our efforts to recover and rebuild after the devastation caused by the hurricanes, we are truly excited about this opportunity to work with HMC and Shell…
Author: The Publisher
WILLEMSTAD — The 35 attorneys strong VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne with offices in Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Maarten and in Amsterdam, Holland, and serving Saba, St. Eustatius and Suriname as well via its ‘Flying Lawyers’ concept, is celebrating their 80th anniversary. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne, the firm launched a new event concept on Friday, November 10th, called ‘RECHT&’ (literally: ‘LAW&’), an interactive knowledge café. The first edition focused on the National Ordinance on Competition, which went into effect in Curaçao on September 1st of this year. During ‘RECHT& Concurrentie’ (‘LAW& Competition’), the consequences of the new…
“Former president Central Bank Curacao and St. Maarten not sentenced for tax fraud.” And: “Stinking rich bank director Curacao gets off scot-free.” These are two headlines in Dutch newspapers that illustrate how their editors perceive the Caribbean. The first headline is from the Volkskrant; the second one from the Telegraaf. The story is of course about the former president of the Central Bank, Dr. Emsley Tromp. The Dutch headlines suggest two things. One is that Tromp committed tax fraud but that he was not sentenced for it. The other headline depicts Tromp as filthy rich – as if there is…
Harbour View – On Friday, November 17, 2017, His Excellency the Governor of Sint Maarten, drs E.B. Holiday, met with and received an update from formateur Mr. Franklin Meyer as a follow-up to the formation assignment of November 7, 2017. During the meeting the formateur updated the Governor on the progress of matters related to the formation of the interim government. The formation of the interim government is supported by a coalition consisting of the United Peoples Party, the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament C.E. Brownbill, which with eight (8) seats represents a majority in Parliament. The supporting parties…
Philipsburg – The Ministry of VROMI will be initiating a roof repair program throughout several districts which is scheduled to kick off in the third week of November 2017. 5 Million guilders of which 2 million has been received through pledges, has been allocated towards emergency roof repairs following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma and Maria. Contractors will start in districts that experienced the most damage due to the hurricanes. Approximately 300 – 350 homes can be repaired. The repairs entail the replacing of T1.11, rafters and or zinc. With the money allocated the Ministry of VROMI is determined…
Philipsburg – The Ministry of VROMI would like inform the general public that trucks with a VROMI sign on the windshield are no longer working for the Ministry. If anyone is approached by a truck operator informing them they are working for the Ministry, please inform the Department of Infrastructure Management as soon as possible. The Ministry of VROMI thanks the general public for their cooperation.
AMSTERDAM – F*ck The Police! is the controversial title of a new theater production by Raymi Sambo, Sam Jones reports on Caribisch Netwerk. Last Sunday the premiere was in the Bijlmerpark Theater in Amsterdam. Raymi is an actor who leads VIG, his own theater company since a couple of years. His plays address compelling social issues like discrimination, taboos surrounding homosexuality in the Caribbean community and now ethnic profiling. The play is about youngsters with diverse backgrounds in a large city. The police often stops them in the streets and they stage a protest action when a rightwing politician visits…
PHILIPSBURG – King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will visit St. Maarten on Saturday December 2 as part of a tour that includes visits to Saba and Statia. State Secretary Raymond Knops (Kingdom Relations) will accompany the royal couple. King and Queen arrive in St. Maarten on Thursday November 30. The next day they travel to Saba to attend the celebration of Saba Day. “Next to the celebration of this traditional holiday, there is attention for environmental protection,” the government information service (RVD) states in a press release. Prior to the visit to Saba, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will spend…
~ Valya Lake-Pantophlet is Chairperson ~ GREAT BAY — Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher on Thursday appointed the first full board of the St. Maarten Tourism Authority (STA) foundation and immediately tasked the group to formulate a plan that would eventually result in the incorporation of an independent governing body (Zelfstandig Bestuursorgaan, ZBO). Finalizing a process that started months ago and stressing country above politics, the Minister appointed seven local professionals to the board whom she described as “energetic, knowledgeable, forward and creative thinkers with vast knowledge over various sectors.” Valya Lake-Pantophlet was appointed as Chairperson of…
Philipsburg — UTS will continue to open its doors on Saturdays for the upcoming three weeks. This after a series of Saturday openings in October and early November, to offer customers the convenience of handling their telecom business on Saturday. The openings started on October to cater to the steady flow of visitors since reopening after hurricane Irma. The UTS store in Philipsburg will be open on Saturday November 18, 25 and December 2, from 10AM to 2PM. The expanded opening hours will allow customers who are not able to come in during the week to handle their business. “The…
