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Former tourism marketing head facing suspended prison sentence

~ Prosecutor: LaBega not off the hook ~

PHILIPSBURG--More than four years after criminal complaints were filed against him in his capacity as Head of Marketing of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau Edward Dest finally had his day in court on Wednesday. He is facing charges of embezzlement in his capacity as civil servant.

Prosecutor Nanouk Lemmers found it proven that Dest had embezzled funds belonging to the St. Maarten Tourist Office in New York for promoting tourism to St. Maarten in North America and instead had used the money to pay for airfare, hotel rooms, daily allowances, the Tourist Bureau's Christmas dinner and Boardwalk Mas 2010 expenditures.

For these crimes, which allegedly were committed between June 1, 2009, and August 23, 2010, the Prosecutor requested a suspended sentence of two months, with two years' probation Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister responsible for Aviation Affairs Claret Connor and the Department of Civil Aviation and Shipping and Maritime would like to advise the public against the use of remote piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in Sint Maarten, particularly in the area near Simpson Bay. This advisory comes in the wake of these aircraft systems being operated off vessels in the Simpson bay lagoon and in the Simpson Bay area adjacent to Runway 28.
These aircraft systems pose a danger to landing and departing aircrafts at the airport and should not be operated in the area or anywhere on Sint Maarten without the express approval from the Department Read more

style="text-align: center;">Calls on Raphael Boasman to vacate his seat as Chairman of the Supervisory Board since he is operating in Conflict of Interest.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) headed by Ludson Evers along with his other board members told reporters at a press conference held on Wednesday that he would like for the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs (Shareholder representative of TELEM) and other entities they contacted to deal with an illegal situation that TELEM another government owned company has engaged in Read more

Smcu Says Local Contractors Being Side-Lined

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Local fiber optic contractors on the island are being sidelined, while Surinamese are brought in to execute work that could have been done locally.

One such person being sidelined is Alberto Arrindell, a former employee of the TelEm Group who is also an expert in the area of fiber optic cable.

While the Surinamese, who are said not to be in the possession of work permits have been awarded a contract to do the work, local qualified persons are being left out.

This was disclosed at a press conference held by the St Read more

Committee Puts Three Questions To Council Of State: Do Kingdom Instructions Violate Our Autonomy?

St. Maarten – On the day of the extended deadline, the permanent parliamentary committee for Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations formulated three questions about the procedures around instructions by the Kingdom Council of Ministers to the governor. The questions will be added to those already formulated by the Dutch Second Chamber and sent for advice to the Council of State.

The instructions the governors of Aruba (about its 2014 budget) and of St. Maarten (about integrity-investigations and about the establishment of the Integrity Chamber) are still a hot topic in the autonomous Caribbean countries of the kingdom.

The questions the Second Chamber members have formulated are, in the opinion of the committee-members in St Read more

Editorial - Reassuring

That Arke will be flying to Princess Juliana International Airport SXM twice weekly from Schiphol in Amsterdam starting next winter (see related story) is obviously good news. After all, attracting more visitors from the Netherlands, but also the rest of Europe so far has proved a challenge for St. Maarten.

That is certainly the case compared to the ABC-islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao), which have been very successful in this regard. As a matter of fact, the alternative Arke provided to Royal Dutch airline KLM over there especially concerning fares no doubt played a big role in that development.

To be sure, St Read more

Netanyahu draws clear rebuke from Obama over Iran speech

WASHINGTON--Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the United States on Tuesday that it was negotiating a bad deal with Iran that could spark a "nuclear nightmare," drawing a rebuke from President Barack Obama and exposing a deepening U.S.-Israeli rift.

They delivered dueling messages within hours of each other. Netanyahu made his case against Obama's Iran diplomacy in a speech to Congress that aligned himself with the president's Republican foes. Obama responded in the Oval Office, declaring in a frustrated tone that Netanyahu offered "nothing new."

In its response, the Iranian government denounced Netanyahu's 39-minute speech as "boring and repetitive," the state news agency IRNA said.

In an appearance boycotted by dozens of Obama's fellow Democrats, Netanyahu said Iran's leadership was "as radical as ever" and could not be trusted and the deal being worked out by the United States and other world powers would not block Iran's way to a bomb "but paves its way to a bomb."

"It will all but guarantee that Iran will get those nuclear weapons, lots of them," the Israeli leader said Read more

BlackBerry unveils new mid-market smartphone

BARCELONA/TORONTO--BlackBerry unveiled a new mid-market smartphone on Tuesday dubbed the BlackBerry Leap that is set to replace the Z3 device launched a year ago, in a move to woo buyers in certain emerging markets where BlackBerry still has a fairly large client base.
  The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said the phone, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, would initially hit stores in U.S and European markets around April and be priced around $275.
  The company also said it planned to roll out two more models over the course of the next months, both with a keyboard Read more

Simpson Bay: Parliament must investigate land deal

SIMPSON BAY--Simpson Bay residents are pulling together after again being faced with uncertainty concerning the area's development.

The latest stir surrounds the possibility of long-term resident and business owner's eviction from a plot of land on Simpson Bay Road. After fighting in court, the community will submit a petition to Parliament today, March 4, demanding a thorough investigation into the "fishy business" surrounding the land deal.

Marlon Halley is facing the possibility of another court case or eviction after operating his maintenance business on the plot of family land for some 28 years Read more

Govt to clamp down on ToT, wage tax defaulters

PHILIPSBURG--Businesses that are in default of their turnover tax (ToT) and wage tax payments can expect a visit from Tax Administration Marshals.

The Tax Administration has started to clamp down on businesses that are in default of their payment of these two taxes, department head Sherry Hazel said on Tuesday.

Some eight marshals already have started to visit businesses.

Tax Administration will also use the opportunity to clean up its database by removing businesses that have ceased operation, as it is suspected that some businesses have closed their doors and have not informed the Tax Administration Read more

Sarah calls for discussion on companies’ annual accounts

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has called for the examination of the annual accounts of all government-owned companies in a meeting of Parliament's Permanent Committee for Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication.

This urgent meeting request has been communicated to committee chairman MP Frans Richardson (United St Read more

Arke Airline returns to St. Maarten November

RIJSWIJK--After ceasing service to St. Maarten six years ago, Arkefly (Shortened to Arke in the current corporate design to match the travel agency) is resuming flights to St. Maarten per November this year, the Dutch airline announced on Tuesday.

Flights from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to St. Maarten will be carried out with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at considerably lower fares, some twenty per cent cheaper at least, than competitors Royal Dutch Airline KLM and Air France.

Arke, a subsidiary of travel organisation TUI Netherlands, will be scheduling two flights per week, on Wednesdays and Sundays Read more

MPs call for clarity on taxi, bus permits

PHILIPSBURG--Government is called on to make the register of bus, taxi and tour-bus permits public and to give an explanation of the current moratorium on issuance of permits for those types of businesses by two Members of Parliament (MPs).

Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo said in a press statement issued late Monday night she "wants clarity" on the moratorium Read more

Teacher’s union concerned over Cité Scolaire schedule

MARIGOT--Teacher’s Union Syndicat National Enseignants Second Degré (SNES-FSU) has voiced a number of concerns about Cité Scolaire’s timetable in an open letter to President Aline Hanson, indicating it has been left in the dark, deprived of progress reports from the various committees, and says questions have been met with “silence,” “evasiveness,” or answers have been changed from what the union was originally told.

   The Collectivité has previously boasted the 17-million-euro project La Savane is “well on track” for an opening this coming September, just six months away Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo said a request was sent on Monday February 23rd 2015 to the Chairman of the Committee Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommuncation Member of Parliament Frans Richardson for a meeting to be held on the current Moratorium Policy on Bus, Taxi, and Tour Permits.

"Clarity is being sought on this matter because despite having a moratorium policy, exceptions were made in the past and permits were still awarded based on the discretion of the minister.

"It is in this aspect that this faction is seeking changes in the process and encouraging the current minister to review the current Moratorium Policy on Bus, Taxi, and Tour Permits Read more

style="text-align: center;"> Says Benelux representatiosn being worked on ~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Based on discussions that have taken place, Honorable Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Claret Connor, hereby announces that Arkefly will start flying to St. Maarten as of November 2015 using the Dreamliner aircraft.

Minister Connor, his Cabinet and the management of the St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, February 28 at the University of St. Maarten, a certificate ceremony was held for those civil servants who successfully completed the USM course in English and Spanish.

Present at the ceremony were Minister of TEATT, The Honorable Claret Connor, Secretary General, a.i., Ministry Education, Sports and Culture, Jorien Wuite and General Affairs Director of Resources and Support Erno Labega.

The courses were organized by P&O (Personeel & Organisatie) and executed by USM Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism Claret Connor on Monday hosted a meeting with all the key players in the organizing and security of the Heineken Regatta. The meeting which was held at the Police Department focused on ensuring a safe and memorable experience for residents and visitors alike by making sure all contingent plans are in place.

The Minister stressed that the Regatta is important to the marine industry which, in turn, is important to St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The police department has again intensified their general controls as of Monday March 2nd with the start of the Heineken Regatta. This event which has been growing steadily over the years will be given a lot of attention because of the large amount of visitors to the island and the many events that will be held during this event. The police department will be working in close collaboration with the V.K.S., the Coast Guard, Customs, Sint Maarten Sea Rescue Foundation, Immigration, Border Control and Protection, Harbor Group of Companies and the Public Prosecutors Office Read more

style="text-align: center;">Says Government knows who the owners of companies are that are doing business with Government Owned Companies.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams and the party advisor Emil Lee expressed concerns on the attitude displayed by some Government Owned Companies Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---Member of Parliament Silveria Jacobs while expressing appreciation for the presentation of the multiannual strategic plan by the Harbour Group of Companies via its CEO Mark Mingo during the Committee meeting on Thursday had several questions and observations.
Several issues were raised by the MP pertaining to Government's Program and its subsequent strategic plan, which has not yet been presented to Parliament Read more

Mp Silveria Jacobs Still Has Questions After Harbour Presentation To Parliament

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Member of Parliament Silveria Jacobs while expressing appreciation for the presentation of the multiannual strategic plan by the Harbour Group of Companies via its CEO Mark Mingo during the Committee meeting on Thursday had several questions and observations.

Several issues were raised by the MP pertaining to Government's Program and its subsequent strategic plan, which has not yet been presented to Parliament.

Is this strategic plan of the Harbour in line with Government's strategic plan and/or the country's National Development plan? In moving forward, there must be synchronization in setting strategic goals by Government and Government owned companies Read more

Minister Connor Meets With Police, Regatta To Ensure Safety, Security, Overall Experience

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Minister of Tourism Claret Connor on Monday hosted a meeting with all the key players in the organizing and security of the Heineken Regatta.

The meeting which was held at the Police Department focused on ensuring a safe and memorable experience for residents and visitors alike by making sure all contingent plans are in place.

The Minister stressed that the Regatta is important to the marine industry which, in turn, is important to St Read more

Civil Servants Receive Certificates, Successfully Completing English And Spanish Course

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - On Saturday, February 28 at the University of St. Maarten, a certificate ceremony was held for those civil servants who successfully completed the USM course in English and Spanish.

Present at the ceremony were Minister of TEATT, The Honorable Claret Connor, Secretary General, a.i., Ministry Education, Spo Read more