PHILIPSBURG – The Little League Ball program on Sint Maarten was hit hard by hurricane Irma last month. Their clubhouse filled with materials and memories was blown away. Tom Burnett, better known as Coach Tom, spends most of his afternoons at the Little League Ball Field. Since 2012, he runs an after school baseball program called: ‘Player Development’, which targets vulnerable youth on Sint Maarten. Article continues after the video By Laura Bijnsdorp ‘Player Development’ teaches kids ages 4 and up to play baseball and take part in games as a team. A number of their players are now playing…
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Philipsburg — CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank (CIBC FCIB) donated US$75,000 to the St. Maarten Red Cross, aiding in relief and rebuilding efforts on the island. The funds are part of the USD$450,000, which the bank committed last month to be distributed through the Red Cross and other relief agencies to areas impacted by Hurricane Irma. Continues support of hurricane Irma relief and rebuilding efforts “The bank continues to stand with the territories impacted by Hurricane Irma. We have seen great efforts made by the communities to help those in need and rebuild the countries. St. Maarten in particular has not…
Philipsburg – Kids parading through the Philipsburg area in cultural wear will officially kick off the activities leading up to St. Martin Day 2017. The parade is a collaboration between the Cocaae Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport and is scheduled for Saturday October 14th 2017. The parade will start at 11 am at the Philipsburg Cultural and Community Center (back street) then on to Wilhelmina Street (Court House Alley), then turn onto Front Street and proceed up to Emma Plein where the parade will turn down the alley besides Diamond Casino, turn right onto the…
Major disasters and stressful situations tend to bring out the best and the worst in people and the organizations managed by them; public and private, and even volunteer. The indiscriminate nature of Hurricane Irma means that no one has been spared. Just a month after the passing of Hurricanes Irma and Maria we see some signs of normalcy on St. Maarten, the island is coming back little by little, everyday gets a little better; -a little greener. Many businesses mostly small and medium size ones are opening their doors to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, some that were already…
Cay Bay – SOL ANTILLES N.V. (Sol), confirms that after the passage of Hurricanes Irma and María, the residents of St Maarten once again have full access to fuels from the island’s five Sol Service Stations. Sol, the leading regional supplier of petroleum products, has re-established service at the Tackling, Sucker Garden, St. Peters, Risdons and Madame Estate service stations. The re-establishment of supply means that residents once again have reliable access to fuel for vehicles, electricity generation and cooking. “I genuinely thank our teams who have been working tirelessly under challenging circumstances to re-establish service and we are happy…
Kingdom Relations Minister Plasterk has put his cards on the table. Financial aid for the reconstruction of St. Maarten is now linked to two demands: the establishment of an integrity chamber and putting the Royal Marechaussee and Dutch Customs in charge of border control. The second condition should not be a headache because, according to Plasterk’s letter to the government of St. Maarten, these forces would operate under the formal responsibility of our Minister of Justice. That’s no skin of our nose. The first demand is however impossible and Minister Plasterk should be well aware of this. Even if the…
THE HAGUE – A Dutch fund – with hundreds of millions of euros – for the reconstruction of St. Maarten will only become available after the government of Prime Minister William Marlin agrees to two conditions from the Netherlands. Outgoing Minister Ronald Plasterk made this announcement on Friday after a meeting of the Kingdom Council of Ministers, John Samson reports on Caribisch Netwerk. If it were up to the Netherlands, the Royal Marechaussee takes over border control as soon as possible; according to The Hague, the island is unable to stop criminality and illegal immigration at the border. The Netherlands…
Philipsburg — On Friday afternoon, October 13, 2017 the Ombudsman, Dr. Nilda Arduin, met with approximately 40 vendors, many of whom filed a complaint against the decision of the Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication (TEATT), Mrs. Melissa Arrindell- Doncher, to demolish the kiosks in Philipsburg. Considering the urgency of the matter, the Ombudsman promptly requested the Minster to answer a number of questions relevant to the issue by Monday, October 16, 2017. The most irresponsible action, is inaction at Philipsburg Market In a press statement issued by the Minister’s cabinet, the Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs…
HAARLEM – A group of fifteen homeless citizens from St. Maarten has hired attorney Leandro Thomas. He has to make sure that they are able to register in a Dutch municipality, Natasja Gibbs reports on Caribisch Netwerk. The group of fifteen became homeless due to Hurricane Irma and they came on an evacuation flight to the Netherlands. There are five children in this group. Dutch municipalities, like for instance Haarlem, refuse to register them. “If there is an emergency situation they can be assisted with emergency shelter; but really only with emergency shelter,” the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom…
THE HAGUE – Members of the Dutch parliament are astonished about threats made by Island Council member Clyde van Putten towards Dutch military personnel on Statia, John Samson reports on Caribisch Netwerk. Van Putten said that they would “murder the soldiers and burn them in the streets of Statia.” “I said this to Minister Ronald Plasterk with my finger directly at his nose,” Van Putten said during a conference about autonomy and independence hosted by attorney Eldon Sulvaran’s pressure group KFO. Several islanders expressed their displeasure about the way the Netherlands deals with the islands. But according to members of…
