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PHILIPSBURG:---  The One St. Maarten People Party has taken note of the statements of the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Mr. Richard Gibson to impose a 6% tax on goods purchased on line and his concerns about a 30% reduction of business reported by the business community. As a political party we are also very concerned when we hear about such a reduction in business because most of the time this also results in the loss of jobs, a very scarce commodity now in St Read more

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Ministry Vsa Issues Warning For Fire At Dump

GREAT BAY, (DCOMM) – The Collective Preventive Services (CPS), a government department under the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, is advising persons living downwind from the landfill fire, to close windows and doors, especially persons who have a respiratory challenge.  This action should also be taken in the future.

For persons who suffer from asthma, shortness of breath, or any other respiratory challenges, to close their windows and doors until th Read more

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Ministry Vsa Issues Warning For Fire At Dump.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Collective Preventive Services (CPS), a government department under the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, is advising persons living downwind from the landfill fire, to close windows and doors, especially persons who have a respiratory challenge. This action should also be taken in the future.

For persons who suffer from asthma, shortness of breath, or any other respiratory challenges, to close their windows and doors until the fumes cle Read more

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Health Insurance On St. Maarten For Less Than 3 Dollars A Day

From left: Jim Rosen (executive advisor, cabinet VSA), Eric Ellis (executive manager of claims Dept. Nagico), Ash Hodge (taxi driver), Ellen Benjamin (Manager Medical Dept. Nagico) and Minister of Public Health Emil Lee. Photo contributed

St. Maarten News – One of the Ministry of VSA’s top priorities is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable and quality healthcare Read more

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Leonard Submits Questions To Gibson About Moody’S And Airport Meeting

PHILIPSBURG--United People’s (UP) party Member of Parliament Tamara Leonard has submitted a series of questions to Finance Minister Richard Gibson about the downgr Read more

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Green Moon On April 20, 2016?….. Not True !!!!

Source Earth Sky (Reliable Website)

~No, there won’t be a green moon on April 20, 2016 … or on May 29. Some possible origins of this latest urban legend.~

This green moon photo was created via photo processing, and is via Wikimedia Commons.

There are several versions this (completely untrue) story, and we’ve gotten many questions about it from within our community, from people wanting to know if it’s true. Here’s the main version: the moon will appear green for the first time in 420 years on April 20, 2016 Read more

Gibson Espera Conseguir En Dos Meses Fondos Adeudados A St. Maarten

Traducido por: Máximo Castro

PHILIPSBURG.- El ministro de Finanzas Richard Gibson tiene la esperanza de concluir la tramitación con el ministro de Finanzas de Curazao José Jardim sobre los fondos adeudados a San Martín de la división de los activos de las antiguas Antillas Neerlandesas en un plazo de dos meses.

Gibson se reunió con Jardim en Curazao la semana pasada sobre el tema. Se informó el miércoles que las conversaciones habían sido “agradables” y “productivas” Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday, April 13, the launch of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Participatory Policy Planning Conference at the NIPA. This two day conference is intended to discuss the topics needed to form St. Maarten ECD Policy and the benefits of expanding investments of ECD on St. Maarten. Welcome statements and introductions were given by Honorable Minister of Education, Culture Youth and Sport Silveria Jacobs.
The Department of Youth Affairs within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport is the entity responsible for monitoring the Rights of the Child and had therefore assumed the responsibility for the role of ensuring that laws and policies for early childhood development are established.
In order to draft the preliminary Vision and Mission Statements of the ECD Policy, identifying the important activities and services to be developed under each Strategic Priority and considering the responsible entities and budgets for each type of activity or service must be established.
The effects of early intervention for especially disadvantaged children lead to improvements in children’s survival, health, growth, and cognitive and social development Read more

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School Bussing Service Update.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On April 7th 2016, a joint meeting was held between the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, headed by the Hon. Minister Silveria Jacobs and the Ministry of TEATT headed by the Hon. Minister Ingrid Arrindell, with the intention to work collaboratively to come up with a short term and long term solution concerning the School Bussing Transportation Service.
Both Ministers give the green light for a joint School Bus Committee which includes prominent members of both Ministries, since both Ministries are working on a solution to come to a more efficient, safer and cost effective School Bussing Transportation Service for a number of years.
The joint Committee had its first meeting on April 12th , 2016 Read more

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Remembering What We Share In Common: A Past In The Making.

PHILIPSBURG:--- What past do St. Martiners (Sint Maarteners & Saint Martinoise) long for, when they talk about the good old days? St. Martiners have been described as those Born Here and those Born to be Here. This non- ethnic and non-racial definition, brilliantly introduced by the honourable governor of the island, Drs. Eugene Holiday, is meant to be both accommodating and normative. St Martiners are those who put the island first. They are patriots, persons who love the island. Dr. Louis Jeffry who can trace back his ancestry to the time of slavery, and Father Charles, the island’s revered Catholic priest, who was born on Saint Lucia, equally qualify.

I found this definition rather inclusive until I spoke to my long-time friend, Ruford Serrant, who I dare say was one of the first St Read more

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Tax Attorney Max Pandt About The Panama Papers “Don’T Blame The Companies, But Blame The Legislators”

Tax attorney Max Pandt. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

St. Maarten News – by Hilbert Haar – That the name of St. Maarten will surface one day from the by now infamous Panama papers is unlikely, says tax attorney Max Pandt, whose activities as a trust service provider have withered over the years. Nevertheless, Pandt has clear ideas about the ins and outs of offshore activities and the reason companies use such constructions: to pay as little taxes as the law allows.

In the recent past, one company with local links established in Panama has surfaced: Octavio Holdings, Inc Read more

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St. Maarten / St. Martin Parties Sign Sea Border Demarcation Treaty

Préfète-Déléguée Anne Laubies and Prime Minister William Marlin sign the treaty. Photo contributed

Quadripartite meeting

St. Maarten News – The Government of Sint Maarten hosted the third annual Quadripartite Meeting last Wednesday. The meeting was formulated in 2014 as a forum for representatives of the governments of the French Republic (led by the Ambassador for Regional Cooperation for the Antilles-Guyana Veronique Bertile), the Kingdom of the Netherlands (led by Director of the Western Hemisphere Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joost Reintjes), Saint-Martin (led by President of the Collectivity Aline Hanson), and Sint Maarten (led by Prime Minister William Marlin) to discuss issues of mutual interest.

The agenda of the 50-delegate strong meeting touched on issues related to military cooperation between both the French and Dutch state on the island and the police cooperation treaty, which will regulate the manner in which armed forces exercise their authority in instances of transnational policing Read more

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Szv And Vsa Joint Controls To Begin This Week

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - In the Ministry’s effort to increase labor compliance, Minister of public health, Social development, and Labor Emil Lee held discussions with SZV and the inspectorate of VSA about joint controls, and informed that this week, they will start to conduct joint controls.

“This is a good idea because both inspectors will have complimentary authorities, and responsibilities Read more

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Debt Standard Proposed For Curaçao, St. Maarten

~ CFT advices in 2015 annual report ~

By Suzanne Koelega

THE HAGUE--A debt standard with a maximum threshold should be introduced for Curaçao and St. Maarten to keep the debts of the countries manageable in case the interest rates of capital loans increase.
The Committee for Financial Supervision CFT for Curaçao and St. Maarten drafted an advice to this effect early in 2016 on the request of Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk. The advice was mentioned in the CFT 2015 annual report which was presented in The Hague on Wednesday.
The CFT advised Plasterk that the two countries should be able to maintain a debt quota standard of 40 per cent on a medium term Read more

Health Insurance For Uninsured Less Than $3 A Day

PHILIPSBURG – One of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA’s top priorities is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable and quality healthcare. Having affordable health insurance is a critical part of having access to healthcare. Besides being a barrier to accessing healthcare, being uninsured can also place huge financial strains on the family.

Unfortunately, during the time in office, Minister of Health Emil Lee had already signed off for a few uninsured persons to be evacuated for emergency medical reasons Read more

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Gibson Reports Progress In Share Division From Dismantling Of Antilles

PHILIPSBURG – Plans are underway for St. Maarten to receive its share of the division of assets from the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles.

Minister of Finance Richard Gibson, as promised, met with his Curaçao counterpart recently and reported that the meeting went surprisingly well. “We will be meeting again somewhere around May 17.

That’s next month, to continue our discussions. In the meantime, support staff from the Minister in Curaçao as well as support staff from the Ministry of Finance of St Read more

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Education Ministry Updates On School Bussing Service

PHILIPSBURG – On April 7, a joint meeting was held between the Ministry of  Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, headed by Minister Silveria Jacobs and the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications (TEATT) headed by Minister Ingrid Arrindell, with the intention to work collaboratively to come up with a short and long-term solution concerning the School Bussing Transportation Service.

Both Ministers gave the green light for a joint School Bus Committee, which includes prominent members of both Ministries, since both Ministries are working on a solution to come to a more efficient, safer and cost-effective School Bussing Transportation Service for a number of years.

The Joint Committee had its first meeting on April 12 Read more

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Committee Established For School Bus Solution 

PHILIPSBURG – A committee has been established with officials from the Ministry of Education, Sports, Youth and Culture and the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications (TEATT), including the respective ministers, to come up with solutions to deal with the school bus issue.

“We have come together with the intention once again to work collaboratively to come up with a short-term and long-term solution concerning the school bussing transportation service,” said Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs Read more

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Businesses advised to have documents in order

PHILIPSBURG:--- In the Ministry’s effort to increase labor compliance, Minister of public health, Social development, and Labor Emil Lee held discussions with SZV and the inspectorate of VSA about joint controls, and informed that this week, they will start to conduct joint controls.
“This is a good idea because both inspectors will have complimentary authorities, and responsibilities Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- One of the Ministry of VSA’s top priorities is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable and quality healthcare. Having affordable health insurance is a critical part of having access to healthcare. Besides being a barrier to accessing healthcare, being uninsured can also place huge financial strains on the family.

Unfortunately, during the time in office, Minister Lee has already signed off for quite a few uninsured people to be evacuated for emergency medical reasons Read more

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Prosecutors Demanded Lifetime Sentence For Kilo Gotti And 25 Years For Second Accomplice.

Philipsburg:--- The prosecutor that handled the Menam murder case (Gamali Benjamin) asked the court to punish the main suspect DAMISSE
Ridge aka Kilo Gotti, while they asked the judge to sentence the second suspect LEON
Jovanny to 25 years imprisonment. The prosecution took the time to give the court detal explanation as to how Officer Gamali Benjamin life was taken when he responded to armed robbery at the Ore Diamante Jewelry store in Philipsburg.
The complete presentation to the court by the prosecution follows.
On Thursday the trial will continue with the other two suspects.

“Vigilant and committed to serve and protect all, in a decisive and professional manner” Read more

Adult Clubs Taking Govt. To Court Over Abrupt Stopping Of Permits

~ Move stifling their operations ~

PHILIPSBURG--Nine of the eleven adult entertainment centres operating in St. Maarten are taking Government to court over the abrupt discontinuation of the processing of employment and residence permits for exotic dancers, pending the finalisation of a new policy.
The clubs are particularly concerned that since the discontinuation four months ago, no mechanism has been put in place for them to bring in girls in the interim to sustain their operations while the new policy is being ironed out Read more

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Sarah Questions Teatt Minister On Survey Fraud

PHILIPSBURG--Chairperson of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has sent a number of questions to Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT) Ingrid Arrindell about the reported fraud in the KITLV survey carried out in St. Maarten.
In her letter to Arrindell, Wescot-Williams questioned what, if any, actions would be taken by the Department of Statistics STAT regarding this matter, and whether it is STAT’s intention to revisit previous surveys conducted in St Read more

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Questions To Teatt Minister On Alleged Fraud In Kitlv Survey

PHILIPSBURG – President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has dispatched questions to Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT) Ingrid Arrindell pertaining to the recently corroborated reports of fraud in the KITLV survey carried out on St. Maarten by “seasoned interviewers,” who were hired as independent interviewers via the Department of Statistics (STAT).

In her letter to the Minister Arrindell, Wescot-Williams questioned what – if any – actions would be taken by the STAT department, and whether it is STAT’s intention to revisit previous surveys done on St Read more

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