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Sacred Heart School students and invited guests at Sabas Emancipation Day event.

SABA--Saba marked the start of the Commemoration Year of the Slavery Past on Saturday, July 1, with a well-attended Emancipation Day event with a number of speakers and a range of performances.

The events theme, Liberation through healing, was most fitting, said Commissioner of Culture Eviton Heyliger. Although healing hundreds of years of trauma will not happen overnight, we need to start the dialogue Read more

From left: President of Parliament Sidharth Bijlani, Janique Baly, Governor of St. Maarten Ajamu Baly, ECYS Minister Rodolphe Samuel, President of French Saint Martin Louis Mussington, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations and Digitalisation Alexandra van Huffelen.

PHILIPSBURG--Born Free was the theme of this years Emancipation Day event, the 160th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Abolishment of Slavery in 1863, across the Dutch Caribbean islands on Saturday, July 1.

The event commenced with an ecumenical service at Saints Simon and Jude Anglican Church, Back Street, in the morning, followed by a Freedom March on Boardwalk Boulevard to the Sports Park.

The beautiful ceremony was filled with performances and renditions of song, poetry and dance by local musicians, poets, dancers, singers and storytellers.

Performance by National Institute of Arts (NIA) dancers during the ceremony.

Symbol of freedom

In his speech, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Rodolphe Samuel noted the day as a symbolic celebration of freedom Read more

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Minister Of Finance Prepares Electronic Payment App Sen

Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion speaking at Islandpreneur Live 2023 event.

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion is about to launch a new app called Sen, explained by Irion as a hybrid between Cash App and Venmo Read more

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Ex-Pvv Mp Hero Brinkman Arrested

Hero Brinkman in 2009 when he was a member of the Second Chamber for the PVV party. (File photo)

AMSTERDAM--Former Member of the Second Chamber of the Party for Freedom PVV police inspector Hero Brinkman, known in the Dutch Caribbean for his often rough attitude towards the islands, was arrested on Monday. He is suspected of violating the official secrecy (“ambtsgeheim”).

  Police confirmed the arrest of a member of the Amsterdam police and stated that the person had been locked up and would be heard Read more

Upgrade New Governing Operating System 21.0 To Scure Future Growth

REMARKS AT THE SWEARING IN CEREMONY OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT

by His Excellency drs. Eugene B. Holiday, Governor of Sint Maarten

Harbour View, Sint Maarten December 20, 2016

Vice-Chairman of Parliament, Members of Parliament, Prefette of Saint Martin and St. Barths, Prime-Minister, Ministers,Vice-President of the Collectivity of Saint Martin,Vice-president of the Joint Court of Justice,Distinguished Guests,

Good Morning,

On September 26th, 2016, the people of Sint Maarten went to the polls and elected a new group of parliamentarians Read more

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Court Finds Wilders Guilty Of Inciting Racial Discrimination

AMSTERDAM--Strong reactions have erupted after right-wing politician Geert Wilders was found guilty of inciting racial discrimination against Dutch Moroccans in a court on Friday. Wilders was condemned for his actions leading a Party for Freedom PVV rally calling for “fewer” Moroccans in March 2014 -and now has a criminal record- but he received no punishment from the three judges.Read more

Minister Opposes Re-Division Of Coast Guard’S Expenses

THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert advised on Wednesday against the two motions of Party for Freedom PVV in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament to have a new division key for the expenditures of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard.

Hanson Recaps On Collectivité Projects In Bastille Day Speech

MARIGOT--Security, rehabilitation of Marigot town centre, the waterfront development project and other improvements formed part of President Aline Hanson’s general speech during the official Bastille Day ceremony on Thursday.

  She said the beautification of Marigot included opening up the alley next to the Methodist Church on Rue de la Liberté that leads to the waterfront, renovating the square outside the Post Office and demolishing the former Gendarmerie building on Rue de la Liberté, projects that will improve the circulation of pedestrians and open up better views to the waterfront.

  On the waterfront development, she said she was convinced St Read more

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Freedom Fighters Want Referendum Organised On Cannabis Legalisation

PHILIPSBURG--Freedom Fighters Foundation finally had its day in Parliament on Tuesday to discuss the legalisation of cannabis for St. Maarten.

Foundation representatives President Roland “Ras Bushman” Joe, Dr. Jay Haviser, Dr. Dan Johnson and businessman Arun Jagtiani presented their plans to Parliament’s Justice Committee. They requested that Parliament organise a referendum and combine it with the elections scheduled in September Read more

Richardson: Court May Rule In Favour Of Collectivité But ‘Battle With State Not Over’

~ Compensation owed is over 100 million euros ~

MARIGOT--Former President of the Territorial Council Alain Richardson has cautioned he expects the State to fight “tooth and nail” to reduce what is owed if the Constitutional Court agrees the Collectivité never received just compensation for the transfer of competences at the time of the change of status in 2007.
He explained the organic law stipulated transfer of competences must be done in “financial neutrality,” meaning from day one transfers and financial means must come at no cost to the Collectivité.
But it turned out total revenues were exceeding costs of compensation by 634,000 euros that resulted in the negative balance arrived at by the Commission d’ Evaluation des Charges Read more

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Official Funeral Ceremony Today For Officer Boasman

PHILIPSBURG--Police are mourning the death of police officer Alexander Anselmo Boasman, who will be laid to rest today. Police released an extensive programme for public knowledge.

At 10:00-10:30am, family members will be escorted to the Royal Funeral Home and colleagues will be able to pay their last respect. At 10:30-10:45am, family members will have a private moment with the deceased.

From 11:00-11:20am, the body of Selmo will be escorted to the Philipsburg Police Head Quarters where in the presence of the Chief of Police, a picture of the deceased will

be placed in the photo gallery, along with a route of honour guards in the street Read more

Dutch Mps Laud Vote Buying Investigation

THE HAGUE--The liberal democratic VVD party, the Labour Party PvdA, Socialist Party (SP) and the Party for Freedom PVV in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament lauded the move of the St. Maarten Prosecutor’s Office in Wednesday’s arrest of St. Maarten Member of Parliament (MP) Silvio Matser and two others in the vote buying investigation.

Members of the Second Chamber André Bosman (VVD), Roelof van Laar (PvdA) and Ronald van Raak (SP) were especially content that the Prosecutor’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies were moving ahead with the active investigation and prosecution of illicit acts by elected/government officials.

Sietse Fritsma (PVV) stated that Matser’s arrest in connection with election fraud didn’t come as no surprise as “vote buying has been the common practice for many years in the banana republic St Read more

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The Salt Reaper CD, poetry by Lasana M. Sekou, music by Angelo Rombley.

Poetry-music review

Rediscovering the collaboration of Lasana Sekou and Angelo Rombley By Tamara Groeneveldt

GRAND CASE, St. Martin (February 14, 2016)—The Salt Reaper – selected poems from the flats by Lasana M. Sekou is a poetry-music CD from which each spoken word track unfolds like a morsel for the listener. As the poet’s voice and the negotiating music by Angelo Rombley travel into each poem or enter the listener, the whole palette of the listener’s senses becomes tantalized.The Salt Reaper poems vary from stingingly salty and succulently sweet, to scorchingly sour and bitingly bitter Read more

Bushman: Marley Tribute More Than Reggae Music

SIMPSON BAY--“The tribute to Bob Marley is more than about reggae music. It is about who he was and what he taught,” said Roland “Bushman” Joe as Freedom Fighters Foundation gears up for the two-day annual Marley Tribute slated for Karakter Beach Bar on Friday, February 5, and Ital Shack on Bush Road on Saturday, February 6.

Governor requests judges to evaluate positions in ongoing political impasse

~ To provide advice in five working days ~

 HARBOUR VIEW--Governor Eugene Holiday has requested that “a special panel of three judges” from the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba and the Constitutional Court of St. Maarten “evaluate the constitutionality of the implementation of the political positions” in the current impasse between Parliament and the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet.

Due to the urgency of the situation, the panel has been requested “to provide an advice within five working days.”

The “independent” panel is specifically requested to evaluate the Constitution in the context of the country’s Constitutional Law to “provide a clear legal position regarding Articles 33, paragraph 2; Article 40; paragraph 2 and Article 59 of the Constitution.”

The Governor met with all parties involved in the impasse on Friday to inform them that he deemed it “prudent” to install the special panel to obtain an urgent advice Read more

Former MP De Weever stands trial for stealing blogger’s tablet

PHILIPSBURG--Former Member of Parliament (MP) Petrus Leroy de Weever (61) stood trial Wednesday on allegations he had stolen blogger J.R.’s tablet during an altercation on Front Street on January 11, 2014.

The Prosecutor’s Office considers the case proven and requested that the Court sentence the senior politician to payment of a NAf Read more

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Parliament wants blueprint for Dispute Regulation by year end

THE HAGUE--The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament wants the Dutch Government to achieve a blueprint for the Dispute Regulation (“geschillenregeling”) for the Kingdom together with the Dutch Caribbean countries before the end of 2015.

A majority of the Parliament supported the motion of Member of Parliament Roelof van Laar of the Labour Party PvdA urging the Dutch Government to continue efforts to solve the deadlock to establish a Dispute Regulation before the end of this year.

The motion, submitted during the handling of the draft 2016 Kingdom Relations budget last Thursday, called on government to use the May 2015 agreement of the Inter-Parliamentary Consultation for the Kingdom IPKO as a guideline Read more

Nobel winner: World must carry out UN slavery pledge

NEW DELHI--The new U.N. global development pact may have been a significant step towards ending human trafficking and slavery, but governments must now follow through on their pledge, Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi said on Tuesday.
  Although slavery is illegal everywhere, almost 36 million people are enslaved worldwide - trafficked to brothels, forced into manual labour or victims of debt bondage, the Walk Free Foundation estimates. Last month, the 193 U.N. member states made ending modern-day slavery one of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which will shape development and poverty eradication efforts for the next 15 years.
  Satyarthi, an Indian whose charity Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) is credited with rescuing more than 80,000 enslaved children, welcomed adoption of the SDGs but said governments now had a responsibility to allocate adequate budgets and design suitable policies.
  "Freedom has always been considered a matter of human rights, but for the first time it has been acknowledged that without freedom there can be no development Read more

PVV moves on with expulsion law Dutch Caribbean criminals

THE HAGUE--The Party for Freedom PVV will not put aside its law proposal to set up a system of forced return of criminal persons from Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten, despite the objections of the Council of State against the 2014 law proposal.

PVV Members of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Sietse Fritsma and Machiel de Graaf, who presented the law proposal on the eve of the handling of the draft 2015 Kingdom Relations budget early October 2014, have stated that they do not agree with the observations of the Council of State that the law proposal was, among others “disproportionate and discriminatory.”

“The advice of the Council of State to reconsider the law proposal will not be followed by the initiative takers because they don’t share the doubts that the Council has regarding the proposed expulsion Read more

PVV’s call to sever ties leads to heated debate on Kingdom

THE HAGUE--Wednesday’s handling of the draft 2016 Kingdom Relations budget in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament was the scene of a heated discussion on whether to sever the ties with the Dutch Caribbean countries or not.

At the centre of the discussion was Member of Parliament (MP) Sietse Fritsma of the Party for Freedom PVV who repeated his earlier calls to get rid of the United Nations (UN) regulation that former mother countries cannot unilaterally decide to get rid of a former colony Read more

Brilliant move by Heyliger & Marlin

Dear Editor,

There was a call by the leaders of the largest political parties in Parliament for independence. As could be expected, very little was carried on the subject in the local press, but be that as it may for us as a budding nation we have finally garnered enough courage to say we stand ready to do it for ourselves. However, this is but a small step, we would hope that all factions in Parliament would come together and approve a referendum in the coming year, where the people can give their blessings to the desire to make use of our right to self-determination, and put an end to the many colonial dictates insults and disrespect.

People choose for varying political systems depending on how they see their own development and their ability to govern themselves rather than be governed by anyone else Read more

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Kentucky clerk in gay marriage dispute switches to Republican Party

WASHINGTON--A county clerk in Kentucky who was briefly jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples said on Friday that she and her family have switched to the Republican Party because the Democrats no longer represented them.
  Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, 50, who has said her beliefs as an Apostolic Christian prevent her from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, said they had changed parties last week. She was a long-time Democrat in eastern Kentucky.
  "My husband and I had talked about it for quite a while and we came to the conclusion that the Democratic Party left us a long time ago, so why were we hanging on?" she told Reuters in an interview at a hotel in Washington, where she has traveled to be feted at a Family Research Council event later on Friday.
  Davis also said she did not foresee a problem with the current marriage licenses being issued by her office in Morehead, Kentucky Read more

Open letter to Parliament

Dear Editor,

Please allow me some space in your newspaper to address the chairman of the house of parliament, the honourable Lloyd Richardson and the honourable members of parliament of country Sint Maarten.

Ladies and gentlemen, please permit me to draw your kind attention to the following problem taking place here on this lovely twin island of St Read more

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Colombia, FARC vow to end 50-year war within six months

HAVANA--Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the top FARC rebel commander pledged on Wednesday to end their 50-year war within the next six months, sealing their pact with a handshake likely to stand as a lasting image in the South American nation.
  Santos and FARC rebel leader Rodrigo Londono, better known by the nom de guerre Timochenko, also agreed the leftist guerrillas would lay down arms within 60 days of signing the deal, which now has an official deadline of March 23, 2016 Read more