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Woman who claimed wrongful arrest had undeclared $20,000 in possession

~ Customs officer says she was arrested lawfully ~

PHILIPSBURG--Insel Air passenger Maria Isabel G.L., who claimed that she had been arrested wrongfully last week Tuesday and falsely linked to a robbery, had been attempting to board the flight with more than US $20,000 and not $5,000 as she told this newspaper on Friday.

Isabel could not be reached for comment on Sunday, as she had indicated earlier that her phone had been confiscated by authorities. Isabel shared her story to clear her name, saying that she had been arrested wrongfully in association with the Son Latino robbery.

Customs officer Franklyn Bernadina, who was involved in Isabel’s arrest, said she initially had told officers that she had nothing to declare, then indicated that she had $5,000 in her possession and then that she had more than $20,000, which had not been declared.

Bernadina said this amount was “way above” the minimum amount of $11,000 required by law to be declared to Customs Read more

‘Too much emphasis on financial management’

WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG--The Committee Evaluation Kingdom Law Financial Supervision placed too much importance on financial management, said Curaçao and St. Maarten in their objection against the advice to keep the legislation in place for now.

As reported earlier, the committee headed by former Antillean banker Ron Gomes Casseres concluded that while the new countries’ budgets of 2012, 2013 and 2014 met the most basic conditions set, there is as yet no question of a proper structural financial management.

For example, the annual accounts of none of those three years have so far been approved Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- When the governments of the Netherland and St Maarten fight, it is the citizens of St. Maarten that lose. The Democratic Party advocates that the interests of the citizens of St Maarten should always come first.

As the governments of the Netherlands and St Maarten discuss crime, corruption, transparency and integrity; they should not lose sight of the fact that the interests of the citizens of St Maarten should always remain the priority Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- While residents throughout St. Maarten were anxiously following the developments with TS Erika last week, another outcry came from those persons affected by the recent fire on the landfill (dump). The effects, such as the smoke and fumes of this fire could be felt and sensed a great distance away from the Philipsburg area, said Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams.
Understandably, the people of St Read more

UP MP Lake would like to see stakeholders for Waste to Energy Plant Project getting together to move project forward

>PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake sent a letter to the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, and also publicly made a statement on July 13th, 2015 requesting an update on the Solid Waste Ordinance and the progress of the long awaited Waste to Energy Plant to address the ‘growing garbage mountain.’

“As the former Minister of VROMI, my ministry and the Steering Committee was very much involved with the final stage the bidding process which was won by a company to build the plant Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, said on Sunday that joint cooperation and collaboration is the most feasible way to move forward in building and developing a longstanding relationship that is beneficial to both parties concerned within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Additional discussions will take place between Sint Maarten and the Netherlands with on how to tackle a number of areas such as border crossing crime, money laundering, the narcotics trade, robberies, and human smuggling and trafficking.
“Sint Maarten and the Netherlands both agree that the country’s judicial system needs to be strengthened Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams said in a press statement that as a country that has known our share of disasters, it is heart wrenching to see the reports and scenes coming out of Dominica, as this island was battered by torrential rains, flooding and mudslides, associated with TS Erika Read more

>PHILIPSBURG;---- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, has forwarded a letter to the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit expressing condolences to the people and Government of Dominica with respect to the damage left behind by Tropical Storm Erika.
“On behalf of the Government and the people of Sint Maarten, I Read more

Parliament not fully utilizing the forum of its committees to debate matters that affect the people of St. Maarten.

>PHILIPSBURG:---It was a progressive step when the parliament of St. Maarten in its wisdom decided to keep meetings of the parliamentary committees open. However, by not calling meetings of these committees as often as is possible and desirable, the purpose of these committees is defeated, said leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams.
The work of these committees is to a large extent determined by the members of parliament who chair these committees Read more

Uts Upgrading Clients To Be 4G Lte Ready

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – United Telecommunication Services is continuing on its course of improvement by offering its Chippie customers the opportunity to upgrade the SIM card they use to access the mobile operators’ mobile service.

For just USD $ 5 customers can purchase a 3G capable SIM card that will allow them access to the mobile operators’ premium mobile internet service. For a limited time only customers save $11.70 when purchasing their new SIM card.

With the upgrade campaign existing customers can visit the UTS store in Philipsburg from August 31 – September 19 and get their SIM card upgrade Read more

Parliament Not Fully Utilizing The Forum Of Its Committees To Debate Matters That Affect The People Of St. Maarten

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - It was a progressive step when the parliament of St. Maarten in its wisdom decided to keep meetings of the parliamentary committees open.However, by not calling meetings of these committees as often as is possible and desirable, the purpose of these committees is defeated. The work of these committees is to a large extent determined by the members of parliament who chair these committees. Members can ask for topics to be tabled, but there are no regulations that these meetings must be held Read more

Up Mp Lake Would Like To See Stakeholders For Waste To Energy Plant Project Getting Together To Move Project Forward

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake sent a letter to the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, and also publicly made a statement on July 13th, 2015 requesting an update on the Solid Waste Ordinance and the progress of the long awaited Waste to Energy Plant to address the â€˜growing garbage mountain.’

“As the former Minister of VROMI, my ministry and the Steering Committee was very much involved with the final stage the bidding process which was won by a company to build the plant Read more

Prime Minister Gumbs Expresses Condolences To The Government And People Of Dominica

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, has forwarded a letter to the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit expressing condolences to the people and Government of Dominica with respect to the damage left behind by Tropical Storm Erika.

“On behalf of the Government and the people of Read more

Financial instruction for St. Maarten unavoidable

~Minister Hassink relays objections to The Hague~

By Suzanne Koelega

THE HAGUE--St. Maarten has faced the threat of a budgetary instruction before, but this time there seems no escaping: the Kingdom Council of Ministers is expected to give St. Maarten an instruction on September 4, to get its 2015 budget in compliance with the requirements of the Financial Supervision Law.

According to St. Maarten Finance Minister Martin Hassink, in the Netherlands earlier this week for talks with Dutch authorities, the measure against St Read more

New Turkish cabinet includes opposition

ANKARA--Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu appointed nationalist and pro-Kurdish opposition politicians to an interim power-sharing cabinet on Friday, but left his finance and economy ministers unchanged in a team dominated by ruling party loyalists.
  Davutoglu was forced to form the temporary cabinet after his AK Party failed to find a junior coalition partner following the loss of its parliamentary majority in a June election which ended more than a decade of single-party rule Read more

Japan student group injects new exuberance into anti-war protests

TOKYO--Wearing shorts and a baggy T-shirt and clutching a microphone, Aki Okuda stands before a crowd, the pyramid-shaped roof of Japan's parliament lit up against the night sky behind him. "No War", "Protect the Constitution", "Abe - Quit!", he chants in a hip-hop rhythm, echoed by the crowd.

Okuda, 23, is a founding member of a group of students that has become a fresh face of protest against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to enact a more robust defence policy - steps critics say violate the pacifist constitution and could ensnare Japan in U.S.-led wars.

Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs) is also denting the image of Japanese students as either apolitical introverts, who left protests to their elders, or rightwing geeks Read more

Ujima takes treatment for ‘at-risk’ boys to another level

~ Applications Open for New Day Treatment Programme ~

By Judy Fitzpatrick

Ujima Foundation has taken its programme to help youngsters in St. Maarten to a new level with the launching of its new Day Treatment Programme for “at-risk” boys in the country. The treatment programme is an extension of Ujima’s Residential Treatment Programme and will be in the form of an after school programme targeting boys ages eight to 13. The programme began on August 24, and registration is currently ongoing.

UJIMA Foundation had offered a day programme in the past, focussing on academic support and therapeutic activities for persons who completed its residential programme Read more

Editorial - A while longer

What was becoming increasingly obvious now appears unavoidable. St. Maarten faces an instruction to bring its 2015 budget in line with requirements of the Kingdom Financial Supervision Law (see related article).

Just last Wednesday Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs had stated that draft amendments were at Parliament to increase the budget by 15 million guilders and shift some allocations, based on increased income projections and other complementing factors Read more

Port St. Maarten and Lagoon Authority Clearance Offices Partially Closed on Friday, 28 August

>PO-INTE BLANCHE:---  Port St. Maarten and the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority hereby announces that the clearance offices at Great Bay and in Simpson Bay will be closed on Friday, August 28 from 9.30am to 1.30pm.

For those who would have some business to attend too, please do so before 9.30am or after 1.30pm.

The closure is related to the staff attending the memorial services for former Netherlands Antilles Senator and Minister of Finance Hon. Frank Mingo, father of Port St Read more

TelEm Group offices re-opening Friday.

>PHILIPSBURG:---  TelEm Group announced Thursday night that all company locations will be opened to the general public at the start of the business day Friday following the passage of Tropical Storm Erika.

Erika passed further south than anticipated with less rainfall than expected on the island.

Company personnel will be assessing assets and equipment for possible water damage and then begin the process of assisting any customers with damaged or faulty telecommunication services following Thursday’s storm.

The company says TelCell’s mobile service and TelEm Group’s high-speed ADSL service both continued to operate efficiently throughout the storm providing valuable updates to customers throughout St Read more

The Caribbean Future Forum Brings Together Young Thinkers And Senior Un Officials As A New Wave Of On-Line Discussions Gets Underway

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago - The first in a new series of Caribbean Future Forum webinars kicks off this Friday, 28 August at 11.30 am, and will focus on what the Sustainable Development Goals will mean for people in the Caribbean.

On 25-27 September 2015, world leaders will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to agree on a set of goals and targets to ensure that countries across the globe not only achieve economic and social development, but that they do so in a way that will not exhaust our planet’s environmental resources Read more

Up Family Extends Condolences To The Families Of Those Lost In Erika Flooding And Prayers For The Nation Of Dominica

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Leader of the United People's Party (UP) Member of Parliament Hon. Theo Heyliger was shocked after viewing news footage of the flooding devastation in the Caribbean island of Dominica. 

The extreme flooding is attributed to the passing of Tropical Storm Erika through the Leeward Islands Read more

Plasterk And Richardson Smoke A Peace Pipe In The Hague

Protocol remains in place, cooperation back on track

ST. MAARTEN / THE HAGUE – Tensions between the Netherlands and St. Maarten have eased after a meeting between Justice Minister Dennis Richardson, Minister of Safety and Justice Ard van der Steur and Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk during a dinner in The Hague on Wednesday. The brusque announcement by Gerard Bouman, chief of the Dutch national police, that he will not work together with the local government and the local police force to combat corruption and organized crime in St Read more

Tropical Storm Erika Leaves Island In One Piece

Huge waves, driven by Tropical Storm Erika battered the coast. Photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten – Tropic al Storm Erika did not live up to expectations and given the chaos the storm caused on other islands like Dominica, that is something to be grateful for. The island was battered by strong winds on Thursday, but the expected excessive rainfall did not materialize.

As a precautionary measure, the government ordered all businesses to remain closed yesterday. At 6 p.m., Prime Minister Gumbs announced that restaurants and casinos could reopen Read more