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St. Maarten's Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs: "Reparatory Justice Is Gaining Momentum"

GREAT BAY, St. Martin - St. Maarten Prime Minister, Hon. Marcel Gumbs, has made what might be the first direct statement here on Reparations by a leader of government on either part of the island, at the recent Emancipation Day Lecture.

"The movement for reparatory justice is gaining momentum and greater focus than ever before in the Caribbean region," said Prime Minister Gumbs at the University of St Read more

Male And Female Team To Represent St. Maarten At 9Th Unesco Youth Forum

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Ms. Majorie Cortico Ramirez and Mr. Ralph Cantave have been selected to represent St. Maarten at the 9th UNESCO Youth Forum, which will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France from 26 to 28 October 2015.

The Forum will take place under the general theme "Young Global Citizens for a Sustainable Planet", focusing on how young women and men, as global citizens, can contribute to building sustainability,from the global to the local level, explained Ms. Marcellia Henry, Secretary General for Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO.

The selection of the youth representatives is a joint venture with the Youth Department within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports.

The St Read more

Court Battle Brewing Between Sneek And Van Putten On Statia

BES Island, Statia - Leader of government on St. Eustatius and Councilman of the PLP, Clyde van Putten has five (5) days to retract his statement of corruption of allegations made again former Commission Nicholas Sneak, or face him in court.

Seemingly, Clyde van Putten is accusing the former Commissioner of embezzling some 80 thousand dollars destined for the Housing Development Foundation on St. Eustatius.

According to the Councilman of the Statia Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Now that the contract signed by the former Chief Operations Officer (COO) of GEBE Romelio Maduro and St. Maarten Service Provider is in public domain, the big question that are on the minds of several persons is if the Supervisory Board will hold the former COO liable who found it fit to bind the government owned company to pay a consultant $10,500.00 per month whether or not they provide work for GEBE, further to that will the Supervisory Board of Directors exonerate themselves from this contract since they claim not to know anything about the contract with St Read more

Notices July 4

Teachers, Volunteers Needed

I Too Can Learn (ITCL) Foundation is seeking teachers (Special Ed) and volunteers for their Center. For more information call 547 0890 or 524 6067. Your resume can be sent to: \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots Read more

Swift action, evacuation for 2nd KLM bomb hoax

AIRPORT--Another KLM plane was the target of an apparent bomb-scare hoax on Friday afternoon. An anonymous caller phoned airport check-in counter 46 and said that there was a bomb on KLM flight 785. Although no bombs were found after thorough searches of both the plane and the airport building, this is the second such costly and disruptive bomb-scare in a matter of months.

Another scare, also pointing to a bomb on KLM, prompted a mass evacuation of Princess Juliana International Airport SXM on Saturday, December 6, 2014.

Friday’s threat was called in at 11:45am, airport Special Projects Coordinator Robert Brown relayed during an impromptu press conference held jointly with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Claret Connor and Chief Inspector Police spokesperson Ricardo Henson.

Emergency procedures started after the agent to receive the call informed a security guard Read more

Gumbs supports Aruba's call for independent investigation

PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has written to Aruba Prime Minister Mike Eman expressing support for Eman's call for an independent investigation in connection with the recent death of Aruban Mitch Henriquez (42) while in Dutch police custody in The Hague.

St. Maarten is prepared to support the inclusion of an Aruban on the independent commission, according to the letter sent on Thursday.

Gumbs expressed condolences on behalf of the government and people of St Read more

All-clear at airport after bomb threat, operations resumes, roads reopened

AIRPORT--Police have given the all-clear sign and the bomb threat at Princess Juliana International Airport SXM is over. Airport operations are back to normal as of 2:15pm. Access roads leading to the airport from Simpson Bay Causeway roundabout and from Maho roundabout have been reopened.

Persons traveling today, Friday, should check with their airlines for adjusted flight schedules.

Tourism and Transportation Minister Claret Connor, Police Spokesman Inspector Henson and Airport Representative Clifton “Cliffy” Brown gave an impromptu press conference standing at the causeway roundabout about the situation.

The terminal building and the KLM aircraft to which the threat was directed were searched by various government agencies Read more

style="text-align: center;">Prime Minister allegedly lied to Parliament when he said he could not obtain documents -- Reliable Sources.

PHILIPSBURG:--- As the scandals at GEBE continues to surface SMN News managed to obtain some of the checks that were paid out to the owner of St. Maarten Service Provider Alfred Harley a former journalist on St. Maarten and former representative of UTS-St. Kitts and also the former executive director of SHTA (St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association.)
Harley told the newspaper he once worked for that he never collected any monies from GEBE however the checks written out to St Read more

Few of Roumou’s Supporters camped out at Prosecutor’s Office holding posters (UPDATED) Pretrial Detention Extended.

style="text-align: center;">Blogger J.R. remains in pre-trial detention for a couple of days

PHILIPSBURG: --- A handful of people decided to show up at the Vineyard Building on Thursday afternoon holding up green posters with the words “Free Judith”. Since Roumou was arrested on Tuesday several persons exploded on Facebook claiming that the justice system has arrested the blogger because she was exposing corruption within government. Some stated in their Facebook posts that they now have to watch what they write on their Facebook page because they too might get arrested like Roumou was on Tuesday when police showed up at her St Read more

Bomb Threat Over, All Clear Sign Given; Access Roads to SXM Airport Reopened

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---- Police have given the all-clear sign and the bomb threat at SXM Airport is over. Airport operations are back to normal as of 2.15PM.

The access roads leading to the SXM Airport, from the Simpson Bay Causeway round a bout and from the Maho round a bout have been re-opened.

Persons traveling today will have to check with their airline in connection with their flight schedule.

Minister of Transportation Hon. Claret Connor, Police Spokesman Inspector Henson and SXM Airport representative C Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---  Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs on Thursday forwarded a letter of support to the Prime Minister of Aruba Hon. Mike Eman in connection with the untimely death of Aruban citizen Mitch Henriquez (42).
Gumbs in his letter to the Aruban Prime Minister expressed his condolences on behalf of the Government and people of Sint Maarten to the family, friends, the Government and people of Aruba.
Prime Minister Gumbs also stated in his letter to Eman that the Government of Sint Maarten is prepared to support Aruba’s call for an independent investigation by a commission into the death of Mitch Henriquez.
Such a commission would investigate what transpired and hold those responsible by seeking justice.
Sint Maarten is also prepared to support the candidacy of an Aruban to be a part of the independent commission.
The letter was also copied to Aruba’s Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague, the Netherlands Hon Read more

Prime Minister Gumbs Supports Aruba In Call For An Independent Investigation Into The Death Of Henriquez

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs on Thursday forwarded a letter of support to the Prime Minister of Aruba Hon. Mike Eman in connection with the untimely death of Aruban citizen Mitch Henriquez (42).

Gumbs in his letter to the Aruban Prime Minister expressed his condolences on behalf of the Government and people of Sint Maarten to the family, friends, the Government and people of Aruba.

Prime Minister Gumbs also stated in his letter to Eman that the Government of Sint Maarten is prepared to support Aruba's call for an independent investigation by a commission into the death of Mitch Henriquez.

Such a commission would investigate what transpired and hold those responsible by seeking justice.

Sint Maarten is also prepared to support the candidacy of an Aruban to be a part of the independent commission.

The letter was also copied to Aruba's Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague, the Netherlands Hon Read more

Tightened exam requirements in effect at MPC in new school year

SOUTH REWARD--The new tightened Dutch examination requirements will go into effect at Milton Peters College (MPC) in the new academic year, MPC General Director Wim de Visser said on Thursday.

The tightening of the rule means that the average mark for the central written exams must be 5.5 or higher.

De Visser said MPC would introduce the 5.5 average rule, the subject regulation (grote vakken regeling) and the mathematics test (rekentoets) in the HAVO and VWO departments as of the new academic year.

Grote vakken regeling refers to key subject regulation for the three major subjects math, Dutch and English Read more

Board: GEBE ‘severely overbilled,’ Harley ‘deliberately misrepresented’

PHILIPSBURG--GEBE's Supervisory Board of Directors has contradicted statements made earlier this week by Alfred Harley of SXM Services Provider, the public relations company contracted under GEBE's recently-suspended Managing Director Romelio Maduro.

According to the Board, Harley made a "political" statement about the board being overpaid that was "incorrect and a deliberate misrepresentation of the facts" and Harley's company "severely overbilled" GEBE under Maduro's directorship.

Board payment

A press statement signed by Board Chairman Rene Richardson quoted Harley as saying in a June 29 article in The Daily Herald, "The MPs should question how one member of the Supervisory Board could receive $10,000 plus a stipend of $3,500 per month, while the whole board and the opposition bench in Parliament is ready to cripple a small local company providing work for local people."

In response, the Board said, "The simple fact of the matter is that the monthly allowance for all Supervisory Board Directors is gross NAf Read more

Integrity Chamber back on agenda Kingdom Govt

~ VVD demands AMvRB measure for St. Maarten ~

THE HAGUE--The establishing of the St. Maarten Integrity Chamber is back on the agenda of the Kingdom Council of Ministers. The next meeting is on July 10 and a General Measure of the Kingdom Government ("Algemene Maatregel van Rijksbestuur" AMvRB) is a real option.

Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk did not state specifically during a debate in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Thursday that a decision would be taken regarding St Read more

Koos Sneek files charges against Clyde van Putten

ST. EUSTATIUS--Island Council member and Director of Norako N.V. Nicolaas "Koos" Sneek of the opposition Democratic Party (DP) of St. Eustatius filed a criminal complaint Tuesday against Island Councilman Clyde van Putten of coalition partner Progressive Labour Party (PLP).

Sneek filed a complaint against Van Putten with Acting Prosecutor Jacques van der Horde in connection with defamation, slander and damage to his reputation.

According to a letter sent by Sneek's attorney to Van Putten, the PLP leader allegedly levelled "evidently incorrect and serious allegations" against Sneek during a meeting of members of the Island Council with members of the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT on Friday, June 26.

Van Putten allegedly accused Sneek during this meeting of having defrauded St Read more

Charville: ‘Bay of Marigot project lacks detail, precise information’

MARIGOT--Independent Councillor Jules Charville said Thursday, disclosure that the main impact studies for the current version of the Bay of Marigot Project will be passed onto the investor throws it into a different light, not least in terms of cost, and is contrary to the belief these studies would have been done before the investor came on board.

As it stands following last Thursday's Territorial Council vote, where the project was presented by Philippe Ricochin from Cabinet Tropisme, the estimated 300-million-euro project now moves from the diagnostic/ preparation phase to a bidding phase Read more

Editorial - Time running out

It appears a General Measure of Kingdom Governance to impose an Integrity Chamber on St. Maarten may have become unavoidable (see related story). The Dutch Government earlier had actually withdrawn this option and the related request for advice from the Council of State.

The latter was done based on a protocol signed between Ministers Ronald Plasterk of the Netherlands and Dennis Richardson of St. Maarten for the passing of a national ordinance to establish such a chamber by the end of June Read more

Notices July 3

Teachers, Volunteers Needed

I Too Can Learn (ITCL) Foundation is seeking teachers (Special Ed) and volunteers for their Center. For more information call 547 0890 or 524 6067. Your resume can be sent to: \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The board of the United People’s (UP) party has taken note of recent comments made by Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams.

"We find it ironic that the former Prime Minister and present opposition MP is able to maintain such a high visibility by questioning so much about government while the same MP led government up until December 2014, less than seven months ago," remarked the UP Party Board on Thursday.

The UP Party Board added, "Now is not the time to play with the emotions of the populous especially when our people require us to band together to deal with the challenges the nation is facing Read more

Up Board Calls Out Mp Wescot-Williams On Past Indecisiveness In Three Cabinets Over Four Years

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The board of the United People's (UP) party has taken note of recent comments made by Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams.

"We find it ironic that the former Prime Minister and present opposition MP is able to maintain such a high visibility by questioning so much about government while the same MP led government up until December 2014, less than seven months ago," remarked the UP Party Board on Thursday.

The UP Party Board added, "Now is not the time to play with the emotions of the populous especially when our people require us to band together to deal with the challenges the nation is facing.

The MP was also given the opportunity to be in government when she joined the coalition, but backed out a few weeks later Read more

Emancipation celebrated at historic Emilio Wilson Estate

CUL DE SAC--St. Maarten's families, dignitaries and artistes gathered for the main Emancipation Day Celebration and Cultural Manifestation, celebrating 152 years since the emancipation proclamation, under the theme “Emancipation from Within-The Voice of Our People” at Emilio Wilson Park on Wednesday, July 1.

The day’s commemorations and celebrations started with an Ecumenical Service at St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church and two Symbolic Wreath Laying Ceremonies by the country’s leaders at the One Tete Lohkay and Freedom Fighters monuments Read more

Sarah calls for urgent filling of open CFT post

PHILIPSBURG--“Government has really dropped the ball,” says Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams about the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet’s failure to find and appoint candidates to represent St Read more