Author: The Publisher

GREAT BAY – The parcel of land in Little Bay where New Life Town Investment and Development Limited China intends to build the Pearl of China project, belongs to insurance company Nagico, chairman Imran Mcsood Amjad confirmed yesterday. The insurance company has sold the land to the Chinese investor. “We have received the first installment,” McSood said. “I am not worried about the rest; they have until the end of the year to pay that.” Until that time, the property remains registered under the name of Nagico. Nagico bought the 36,000 square meter property for $8.8 million. The deed was…

If the first report of the trustee in the bankruptcy of Hypnotic and JMC teaches us anything it is that there are businesses on the island that really could not care less about rules and regulations. The trustee did not find any bookkeeping or administration at any of these two companies. There is no administration, no insight in turnover, no profit and loss statements. Sadly, such issues only become public when it is too late. How is it possible that a company like Hypnotic that received $216,000 in management fees did not keep any administration? How is it possible for…

GREAT BAY – When the radio station of Eddie Williams, 99.9. Choice FM reached the end of its life cycle, his son Elgin attempted to sell the license to UP-leader Theo Heyliger in 2013. There was an agreement about the price – $300,000 – but in the end the deal did not materialize. Williams’ company Soualiga Broadcasting NV took Heyliger to court in an attempt to enforce the agreement, but it failed. The court ruled in September that Heyliger is not bound by the agreement. The court ruled that Williams failed to provide proper information about the fact that the…

MFK-leader Gerrit Schotte has gone down on his knees in an attempt to grab some influence in the next government in Curacao. He said yesterday that he will give up his seat in parliament if other parties are prepared to include the MFK in the next government. It’s a nice try, but there are plenty of people wishing that this won’t fly. Inside or outside parliament, Schotte will continue to be the puppet master for those who sit in the parliament for him. The current political landscape keeps people with a shady past like Schotte on the sidelines – right…

The Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Ingrid Arrindell, appoints Aviareps as St. Maarten’s new marketing representative in the Benelux Market Philipsburg – In November of 2015, several agencies were invited to participate in a bidding process to represent St. Maarten in the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg) Market. After a vigorous selection process, the firm Aviareps was unanimously chosen. Aviareps is a full-service agency located in the Netherlands that specializes in marketing, sales, advertising, and promotion in the tourism, hospitality, aviation, and trade sectors. Aviareps will now be responsible for the destination marketing, trade advertising, social media/website content development, branding and…

MARIGOT – As part of its prevention policy on the risks related to overweight, the Collectivité launched the construction of three fitness trails in August. These public amenities have been provided to fight overweight and prevent cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and hypertension, through local and free access physical activity. In the light of the challenges and high goals of this project related to sports and health, the Collectivité of Saint-Martin has identified three geographical sites likely to meet the desired criteria: attendance, readability and access. The sites chosen are Galisbay/Seaside, Concordia/Media Library, as well as the path of the Natural…

Below is the unabridged text of the address of Prime Minister William Marlin on the occasion of Constitution Day – and the sixth anniversary of country St. Maarten. Six years ago, St. Maarten embarked on a new constitutional journey with the attainment of the status of autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was a journey that started with the referendum of 2000; a journey that took a whole decade. Six years ago, we lowered the flag of the Netherlands Antilles forever, and kept our own flag flying. We had arrived at 10-10-10 full of pride, full of…

WILLEMSTAD – The Royal Navy for the Caribbean is on its way to Haiti to provide emergency assistance in the wake of Hurricane Matthew that tore across the island and caused enormous damages, Dick Drayer reports on Caribisch Netwerk. For the first time the private sector in Curacao extends a helping hand as well. A building supplies store that employs a large number of Haitians provided basic construction material and helped loading the navy vessel Zr. Ms. Pelikaan. The Haitian authorities have asked the Netherlands for assistance. Ministers Hennis-Plasschaert (Defense) and Ploumen (Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) have promised the…

We hear a lot about awareness these days but how many people are really walking the talk? Like many other communities, St. Maarten is rife with citizens suffering from obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Talk is cheap and action is often lacking. We move around mostly in cars and spend our days playing with our smart phones and surfing the internet. Everything is accessible with the click of a button, but in the meantime many of us forget that it is important to stay active – or face the consequences. The French side has taken a remarkable initiative with…

GREAT BAY – The Kingdom Council of Ministers re-appointed Governor Drs. Eugène Holiday on Friday. Holiday (53) completed his first six-year term yesterday. Minister Ronald Plasterk (Kingdom Relations) nominated Holiday for a second term that ends on October 10, 2022. The Kingdom Council of Ministers furthermore appointed Alfonso Boekhoudt, the current Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba in The Hague, as Aruba’s next governor per January 1, 2017. The 51-year-old Boekhoudt succeeds Fredis Renfunjol. Yvonne Lacle-Dirks (64) succeeds Ella Tromp-Yarzagaray as Aruba’s acting governor per November 1. All appointments are for a period of six years. As a side note, we would…