PHILIPSBURG — A female identified with initials G.P.L. was arrested by police on Sunday October 29th suspected of seriously injuring her elderly mother-in-law with a shoe. The incident took place on Thursday, November 26th, during a discussion between the suspect and her mother-in-law identified with initials F.P.L. At one point the discussion got out of hand and a fight broke out between parties. During the fight the victim was pushed to the ground and she was stomped and kicked repeatedly in the face with her shoes. The victim suffered serious damage to one of her eyes and was rushed to…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – On Monday October 23rd, the interim report of the work group National Recovery Plan (NRP) for the reconstruction and recovery of Sint Maarten will be available after 3:00 PM on the website www.sxmemergency.org, the website that Government launched shortly after the passing of Hurricane Irma. The interim report entitled Interim Report National Recovery Plan provides a preliminary analysis of the economic impact expected due to the loss of the country’s main business activities and infrastructure. The main objective of the work group NRP was to take the various available damage and needs assessments into consideration and to consult…
PHILIPSBURG – Prime Minister William Marlin said on Sunday afternoon following a phone call from Minister Ronald Plasterk, that it is not right for the Dutch government to hold the people of Sint Maarten hostage over the issue of establishing an Integrity Chamber controlled by the Dutch and reports to the Dutch. If that is not accepted Minister Plasterk said then there will be no aid from the Netherlands. In the present draft legislation currently being advised on by the Council of Advice, the board of the Integrity Chamber will consist of three persons, each nominated by the Courts of…
Simpson Bay – Feedback from arriving and departing passengers and other users of the temporary facilities provided by the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM Airport) has so far been positive. According to Michel Hyman, COO and acting CEO of the airport, “many of them have commented that they have been very impressed with what we have been able to accomplish in just over a month after Hurricane Irma.” SXM Airport suffered severe damages to its facilities as a result of the devastation caused by the monster storm, Irma, followed by Maria. However, on October 10, 2017, the airport welcomed its…
Great Bay – A team of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is to conduct a Damage and Loss Assessment exercise on St. Maarten from October 22 to October 27 upcoming. The 15 person strong team is led by Dr. Omar Bello, Coordinator for Sustainable Development and Disaster Unit. The assessment is expected to be broad based with an emphasis on the economic impact of hurricane Irma. ECLAC is a United Nations regional commission to encourage economic cooperation. The commission’s work includes contributing to solutions by conducting research and analysis and providing sound policy advice and…
Dear Editor, This week officials from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will carry out a Damage and Loss Assessment with an emphasis on the economic impact of Hurricane Irma on Sint Maarten. ECLAC is a United Nations regional commission that encourages economic cooperation; contributes solutions by conducting research and analysis and providing sound policy advice and technical assistance to Caribbean Governments. There is a great concern in the post-Irma period related to the nation’s economic well-being which translates into the well-being of the country’s citizens. Much effort has been placed on getting the destination ready…
By Hilbert Haar It does not happen very often that St. Maarten gets help from an unexpected source on the other side of the ocean. In the middle of the discussions about the conditions the Dutch government has attached to financial assistance for the reconstruction of the island after Hurricane Irma, such help came last week from Flora Goudappel, a professor in European law. Her opinion – published in the quality newspaper Trouw last Thursday – will give our government some additional ammunition in its discussions with The Hague. Goudappel’s message: St. Maarten is in control of everything. St. Maarten…
Philipsburg — The St. Maarten Guyanese Association has distributed relief supplies to more than 250 residents of the island, including the St. Martin’s Home in St. John’s Estate. Six bags of rice and six cases of water were handed over to the director of the Home last Wednesday, October 18th, 2017, as the association felt that it was its civic responsibility to reach out to as many persons and organizations affected by Hurricane Irma. The relief supplies were delivered to the association some two weeks ago as the Government of Guyana was evacuating its nationals. More than 250 persons registered…
While most people blame our honourable Prime Minister and the Government for delaying Dutch hurricane financial aid, the hold-up really lies with Parliament. The Prime Minister is only acting on a mandate, received from Parliament on January 30th 2017, which instructed Government to block the establishing of the Integrity Chamber. In the corporate world when the Board of Directors instructs Management to carry out an order, it is executed until the Board cancels the instruction. Likewise, in the public sector when Parliament passes a motion, instructing government to execute an order, government is expected to carry out the instruction until…
Dear editor, A few months before Irma, I got a request from the VROMI Minister on his official VROMI Government letterhead (with what appears to be a Black Power fist as part of that official letterhead??), requesting a donation of FLS. 5,000.00 towards a plan to put two very tall flagpoles with huge Miami- dealership-style SXM flags in strategic locations: one on the Bell property above what was once Harold Jack’s look-out stand and one in the (now not so) Great Salt Pond, at the combined cost of well over US$ 150,000.00. The idea was to before November 11, 2017,…
