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Governing Program In Hands Of Council Of Ministers

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The 2014-2018 governing program is now in the hands of the Council of Ministers.

The governing program was presented to them on Thursday.

MP the Honorable Cornelius de Weever told our news room on Friday that the Governing program is a reflection of the input of all partners, the main reason fo Read more

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Miya Signs A Water Efficiency Project Estimated At $42.5M In Jamaica

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Miya, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arison Investments, signed a $42.5M contract with the National Water Commission (NWC) of Jamaica to maximize the efficiency of its water systems in the KSA (Kingston & Saint Andrew) Area, it was announced today.

The 5-year co-management project focuses on improving KSA's water distribution system and substantially reducing non-revenue water (NRW), currently estimated at 54% Read more

Buncampers Sold The Right Of Long Lease To Sbs – On Paper

By Hilbert Haar / St. Maarten– It appears that former Minister of Public Health Maria Buncamper-Molanus and her husband Claudius sold the right of long lease to a parcel of land on Pond Island in 2013 for $345,000 to Sint Maarten Building Supplies (SBS) Read more

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Bomb Threat Damages Estimated At $150,000

No comment on investigation

St. Maarten – The investigation into the bomb threat at Princess Juliana International Airport last Friday is in full swing, but the prosecutor’s office declined to provide any information. Insiders estimate the damages the threat caused to be around $150,000.

“In the interest of the investigation I cannot make a single statement about this case,” press prosecutor Karola van Nie told this newspaper yesterday.

It remains therefore unclear whether the bomb threat was made in a phone call to the police or to the airport Read more

No Control On Right Of Long Lease By Council Of Ministers 

Former Minister Lake: “I am not aware of this”

St. Maarten – There is no control over the rules that apply to buying and selling rights of long lease by the Council of Ministers. This appears from a reaction by UP-MP Maurice Lake to questions from this newspaper about the long lease rights former Minister Maria Buncamper-Molanus and her husband Claudius sold on December 10, 2013 to Sint Maarten Building Supplies (SBS).

Yesterday this newspaper revealed how the Buncampers sold the right of long lease to a piece of land on Pond Island opposite the Melford Hazel Sports Complex for $345,000 to Sint Maarten Building Supplies Read more

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St. Dominic High School Ib Diploma May 2015 Examination Results

REWARD, St. Maarten - On July 5, 2015, St Dominic High School, the first government subsidized International Baccalaureate (IB) school in the Caribbean received its examination results for the Diploma Programme.

Thirteen International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme candidates sat exams during the month of May with 85% of them fulfilling the requirements to be awarded the internationally recognized IB Diploma.

They join a community of more than 1,300,000 Diploma Programme graduates in 140 countries across the world.

Franz Tapia Chaca who took seven subjects, scored the highest with a cumulative score of 37 points Read more

Mp Lake Sends Letter To Council Of Ministers Regarding Kadaster

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – United People's (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake is concerned about recent developments related to the Kadaster after the director was arrested, and therefore, has sent a letter to the Council of Ministers via the President of Parliament seeking information.

Lake added that the information he is seeking is to ensure the operational integrity and oversight of the Kadaster and Mortgages institution.

"As the previous Minister of VROMI, I would like to know the state of affairs with respect to Kadaster and the board Read more

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Court of First Instance project delayed, to start January 2016

MARIGOT--The project to create a branch of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe's, Court of First Instance (Chambre Detachée) in St. Martin will not start until January 2016 with a forecasted opening in October 2016 due to the preparation of a decree, it was disclosed Thursday. General preparations are ongoing however.

Originally the plan, according to President François Hollande's announcements during his official visit on May 8, was for the project to start this July with an intended opening in January 2016.

The Court of First Instance annex will be located in the former Municipal Library, at the rear of the court house in Marigot.

President of the Territorial Council Aline Hanson met with Basse-Terre Prosecutor Samuel Finielz on Thursday to discuss the project's progress Read more

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Independent Foundation calls for boycott of Dominican Republic

PHILIPSBURG--Independence for St. Martin Foundation (ISMF) has called for a boycott of travel to and importation of goods from the Dominican Republic, as it condemned the plight of loss of rights to citizenship and the stripping of citizenship going back some five generations from Haitians, and people of Haitian descent living in that country.

   Governments on the Dutch and French sides of the island are urged by the foundation, headed by rights activist José Lake Jr, “to condemn the atrocities that are being perpetrated in the Dominican Republic.”

In its press statement issued on Thursday, the foundation said it has aligned itself with the growing international call for a boycott of the Dominican Republic for travel and the importation of products made in that country.

The foundation urged the Caribbean Community CARICOM, the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations (UN) and other national and international bodies “to impose sanctions against the Dominican Republic until it reverses its ill-conceived policy of mass deportations of undocumented Haitian immigrants and of Dominicans of Haitian origin.”

The decision to approve the condemnation of the denationalization and forced deportation of tens of thousands of Dominicanos of Haitian descent was made in the foundation’s meeting of June 30.  

The foundation has been following “with great regret and outrage” the “unfolding human tragedy” in the Dominican Republic” brought about by “a misguided decision” of that country’s highest judicial entity, its Constitutional Court, in 2013.

“Contrary to what the government of the Dominican Republic is claiming, this whole issue has been one of human rights from the very start, and not of the sovereign rights of the country to regulate immigration,” said the foundation.

Unfortunately, the key legal points of the court decision “have disappeared in the current debate.” One of those points of the decision being retroactive to 1930 that gives “a perverse interpretation of the term ‘in-transit’ to mean anyone, who has been residing in the country without the necessary documents since 1929, and its defiant ignoring of the ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on a similar case,” said the foundation Read more

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Sarah concerned about Connor’s move from Tourism Ministry

PHILIPSBURG--A pending shuffling of portfolios in the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet, particularly the move of current Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Minister Claret Connor to the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI and the appointment of a new minister in Connor's place, has drawn concern from Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams.

She has termed the pending shuffle as "cabinet shake-up." She based her position on comments made by United People's (UP) party faction leader MP Franklin Meyers recently in a television interview.

Conner's post is tipped to be taken by a minister candidate proposed by coalition member independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo Read more

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General: Russia top US national security threat

WASHINGTON--Russia presents the greatest threat to U.S. national security and its behaviour is "nothing short of alarming," Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford told lawmakers on Thursday as they weighed his nomination to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dunford also added his voice to those Pentagon officials who have supported providing lethal arms to Ukraine to help it defend itself from Russia-backed separatists, a step that President Barack Obama has so far resisted.

"My assessment today, senator, is that Russia presents the greatest threat to our national security," said Dunford, the Marine Corps commandant, who is expected to swiftly win Senate confirmation to become the top U.S Read more

Editorial - Reserve judgement

The UP-led coalition submitted its governing programme “Ready to Work for You” on Thursday. Better late than never, considering that it comes almost seven months after the Gumbs cabinet took office.

The question is also to what extent the policy intentions can be achieved in light of the current financial situation, with a looming instruction from the Kingdom Council of Ministers to settle the arrears totalling 189 million guilders to Social and Health Insurance SZV and the general pension fund APS Read more

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Notices July 10

Volunteers Needed

St. Maarten AIDS Foundation is now registering volunteers interested in becoming facilitators for their Girl Power and Real Talk youth programmes. These programmes require that volunteers interact directly with students in a school environment. For more information call 588-1401 or

The faction of the DP is seriously concerned about the state of our tourism industry, for reasons which we have outlined on numerous occasions, such as lack of representation abroad, lack of funds, lack of direction, lack of real dialogue between partners and lack of investments in the tourism product in general.

We are facing critical times in our nation's main industry Read more

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Vandalism At School

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Police Department recently received report of Vandalism at the Helmich Stevens School in Sint Peters, where unknown youngster have entered the school premises and vandalized some of the equipment and property of the school.

The vandalism took place recently since the school vacation has started.

It is unfortunate that youngsters commit these acts destruction, not knowing the amount of damage and setback to the operation of the school this causes.

In this case the culprits used expanding foam, causing damage to the air-conditioning, water cooler, carpets, windows etc.

The culprits even tried to break into one of the rooms of the school Read more

Sabre Delivers Enhanced Merchandising Capabilities To Airlines

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR) has introduced an enhanced Sabre Branded Fares solution to help airlines merchandise their products in new and different ways to travelers through the travel agency channel.

The upgraded Sabre Branded Fares solution allows airlines to utilize ATPCO industry technology standards to distribute their branded fares to more than 425,000 travel agents as well as online travel agencies (OTAs) via Sabre's travel marketplace Read more

Notices July 9

Educational Scholarship

Be the Change Foundation is accepting applications for the first Erika Cannegieter Dream Big Educational Scholarship. The scholarship this year is up to the amount of $1500 for a student to help pay part of any educational expenses. Interested students must be legal residents and can apply by filling out the online form at this link: http://bethechangesxm.com/scholarship-application. The applications must be submitted by July 20 and the winner will be announced on July 27 Read more

Critical blogger imprisoned and intimidated

Dear Editor,

Mafia figures can have their way, politicians seem to get away anywhere, but a critical blogger intimidated and put in prison. Judith Roumou says what she thinks. And that’s not good — for politicians and other leaders in St. Maarten.

Sometimes rash, rarely nuanced, but always with conviction and humour, she sketches the abuse of power in this part of our Kingdom. Now she is possibly herself the subject of abuse of power. Roumou was arrested last Tuesday for libel, insult and slander Read more

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Sarah: Why are changes to the law taking so long?

PHILIPSBURG--How long does it take to make amendments requested by Members of Parliament (MPs) to the draft national ordinance to establish an Integrity Chamber for the country, Democratic Party (DP) leader MP Sarah Wescot-Williams questioned on Wednesday.

Her enquiry follows a statement from Justice Minister Dennis Richardson on Tuesday about the amendments Read more

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Education, Culture, Youth, Sports Ministry to develop 10 year plan

PHILIPSBURG--The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (ECYS) has started a strategic planning process to re-define its long term ambitions in order to remain responsive to the environment in which it operates, a press release said on Wednesday.

ECYS Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs wants to develop a 10-year (2016-2026) Strategic Plan for the Ministry with operational procedures for the policy areas of education, culture, youth and sports.

The first step in the development of the document was a strategic kick-off session to align and synchronise the ideas of the 70 key stakeholders who were present.

The first strategic session, called "The future through your eyes," challenged the stakeholders to think outside of the box and in terms of collaboration both within and outside of the Ministry Read more

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