GREAT BAY — Leader of the United St. Maarten (US) party MP Frans Richardson on Wednesday said the Minister of VSA Emil Lee should be held fully accountable for his failure to properly organize the relief effort following hurricane Irma. Richardson said he cannot understand how the media have not attached accountability where it should go instead of letting Lee throw civil servants from his Ministry under the bus as the failures. The public, the MP continued, will soon know the extent of Lee’s failures and his efforts to wash his hands from providing an acceptable and effective relief distribution…
Author: The Publisher
GREAT BAY — The leader of the United St. Maarten (US) party is imploring the people of St. Maarten not to fall for the “pretentious saintly act” being put on display by the leader of the Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams. “The leader of the Democratic Party has deployed irresponsible actions in a time when St. Maarten is in crisis, in a desperate power grab on the backs of the people of St. Maarten,” the US board said. Leader of the US party, MP Frans Richardson, supported by his board, said that the public should pay keen attention to the…
Philipsburg – The Dominica Foundation St. Maarten (DFS) is inviting all Dominicans residing on St. Maarten/St. Martin to join them as they celebrate Dominica 39Th Independence Anniversary. The celebration will be held on Sunday November 5, 2017, activities kicks off with a church service at the Roman Catholic Church in Philipsburg at 8:00am, all Dominicans are encouraged to attend wearing their traditional/folklore outfit. Following the church service, persons can proceed to the Telem parking lot (across the University of St. Martin) where there will be various Dominica Breakfast dishes on sale from 8:00 – 11:00am. The celebration continues with a…
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…
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…
