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Court orders Maduro not to act on behalf of GEBE

PHILIPSBURG--Pending the outcome of the court case concerning the validity of his reappointment as GEBE’s Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Managing Director, the Court of First Instance has ordered Romelio Maduro not to perform any acts of administration on behalf of the utility company.

Maduro was also banned from accessing the GEBE offices. The Judge also empowered GEBE to scrap Maduro’s name as company director from the Chamber of Commerce’s registers.

GEBE’s Supervisory Board and Maduro squared off in the Court of First Instance in an injunction concerning his suspension Read more

Editorial - What’s going on?

The visa requirement for Colombians to visit Curaçao and St. Maarten was dropped effective July 1. Although it took another week after that for the authorities in Bogota to actually make the official announcement, both islands are hoping the measure will lead to an increase in vacationers from the South American country, but not of immigrants overstaying their welcome.

Little has been heard since on the handling of the change in practice, especially by immigration officials at the respective airports, but apparently there have been no major complaints so far either Read more

Notices July 18

Saturday, July 18

PET'S FOOD DRIVE

Organised by PAWSITIVE SXM and CIA Students

Place: COST-U-LESS

Time: 9:00am to 2:00pm

For the Dogs in our Shelter

For Free Cats Colonies

NOTICES

First Responder

WIEMS is now registering for the annual First Responder (EMR) course starting Tuesday, September 1, 7:00pm at the Dutch Quarter Community Center. For more information: www.wiems.org . To register: email us at International Justice Day

PHILIPSBURG:---- Acting governor for country St. Maarten his excellency Reynold Groeneveld called for a law faculty for the island during his address at the ceremony for comemorate justice day on Friday July 17. St. Maarten should work with the University of St. Martin to establish this as soon as possible said the acting governor.
The uniform division of the Justice chain marched from the Police station
in Philipsburg to the Festival village for the ceremony Read more

Mussington Calls For University To Be Established On St. Martin

MARIGOT, St. Martin - Former Councilor and leader of the MAP Party on French St. Maarten educator, Louis Mussington is advocating that a Branch of the University in Guadeloupe be established on the island.

Speaking to our news department, Mr Read more

Central Bank President calls for joint risk fund

PHILIPSBURG--The establishment of a joint risk fund among the Dutch Caribbean countries, once the authority to borrow is removed, was recommended by Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten President Emsley Tromp in his presentation of the Bank’s Annual Report 2014 to the press, in St. Maarten on Thursday.

“Curaçao and St. Maarten are small open economies very susceptible to external shocks, including natural disasters,” Tromp said. “If they will have to finance capital investments through surpluses on the current account budget, creating extra fiscal buffers to mitigate the social and economic costs from external shocks will not be viable.”

To provide for that buffer, “an insurance-type stabilisation fund” can be established for the Dutch Caribbean from which temporary funds can be obtained to mitigate the impact of such an external shock.

“Instead of burdening future generations with unsustainable debt, the standing subscription rule can be used to provide the initial resources for the suggested stabilisation fund Read more

Govt: contractors must plan, prepare for hurricane threat

PHILIPSBURG--Contractors and builders are requested to have a plan in place to prepare and secure their job sites in the event of a hurricane threat to the country, a press release by Department of Communication DComm urged. “Every effort should be made to be prepared in the event of a threat.”

Contractors and home builders during severe weather are responsible for securing job sites for the protection of the public, property and surrounding areas. Materials such as plywood, shingles, zinc, and other construction material could become flying missiles capable of impaling brick walls or anything in its way, the department warns.

“Construction debris can cause severe damage to property and lead to possible loss of life Read more

Central Bank President warns against monetary union split

PHILIPSBURG--"I think it is ill-advised, at this juncture, to have a split in the monetary union," said Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten President Emsley Tromp about the union shared by the two Dutch Caribbean countries since October 10, 2010.

However, the decision to split or stay together is purely "a political decision" Tromp told the press in St. Maarten on Thursday. He was in the country to present the Bank's Annual Report 2014.

Both past and present governments of Curaçao and St Read more

Editorial - Mixed messages

The latest word from the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) does not give rise to optimism particularly where Curaçao’s economy is concerned (see related story). For the third consecutive year a decline was registered in 2014 and it isn’t until 2016 that a small growth is foreseen.

This also has relevance for St. Maarten, which saw a 1.5-per-cent increase of its gross domestic product (GDP) but is part of a monetary union including shared currency with Curaçao Read more

Notices July 17

First Responder

WIEMS is now registering for the annual First Responder (EMR) course starting Tuesday, September 1, 7:00pm at the Dutch Quarter Community Center. For more information: www.wiems.org . To register: email us at \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, was present at Princess Juliana International Airport last weekend to support Island Hoops Basketball Academy and a team of young trainees who would be partaking in an international basketball camp in Pennsylvania.
Minister of Sports Hon Read more

>AIRPORT/ PHILIPSBURG:--- The Management and Supervisory Board of Directors of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) has yet another set of questions to answer before the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs decide on whether or not he will sign the building permit registered under the number BP 229/14 that was sent to him on June 29th 2015 for signature since the department of VROMI completed their task and found no reason to withhold the building permit.
SMN News learnt that instead of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs signing off the building permit so that PJIAE could continue with its renovations; he dispatched a letter to the Chairman of the of the Supervisor Board Mr Read more

Governing Program Entitled "Ready To Work For You" Ratified By Council Of Ministers Thursday

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Governing Program 2014 – 2018 was ratified by the Council of Ministers of St. Maarten on Thursday.

After its ratification, the Governing Program was then sent to the Parliament of St. Maarten.

The 2014 – 2018 Governing Program was signed by the faction leaders supporting the coalition government, namely MP's Read more

Dutch Police Phone Taps Now Automatically Include Internet

HOLLAND - Dutch police now automatically intercept internet traffic when setting up a telephone tap, online magazine Computerworld reports on Thursday.

The news was buried in the justice ministry's annual report which was published in May and has only now been made public, the website states.

In the report, the ministry says officials placed more than 25,181 taps last year, down around 1,000 on 2013.

However, the ministry says in a report footnote that it no longer gives separate figures for internet taps because they are now 'technically and procedurally standard'.

In 2013, investigators placed 17,800 taps on IP addresses.

Privacy group Bits of Freedom (BoF) said the change breaks government pledges to improve transparency Read more

Bus Association Unhappy With Cabinet Shake-Up  

President of the Dutch St. Maarten United Bus Drivers Association Alexis Williams. Photo Today / Andrew Dick

GREAT BAY-The Dutch St. Maarten United Bus Drivers Association is not happy with the upcoming change at the Ministry of Transportation. The expected shake up in the Council of Ministers will move Minister Claret Connor to the Vromi-ministry Read more

Chta Addresses Sargassum But Understates Nuisance

Seaweed is ruining beaches like here in Mont Vernon at the far end of Orient Bay. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

St. Maarten – The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is working with its 32 member hotel and tourism associations to provide hotels, government officials and stakeholders with best practice information aimed at mitigating the negative effects of high levels of Sargassum seaweed that has been reported at some local beaches.

The organizations have released a resource guide, compiled by the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST), a CHTA initiative in collaboration with strategic partner OBM International to assist with local efforts.

Sargassum is a free-floating seaweed that moves with the ocean currents Read more

Locally Born Cardiologist Emiko Bird-Lake Sworn In

From left: Acting Governor Reynold Groeneveldt, cardiologist Emiko Bird-Lake, and Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. Photo DCOMM

St. Maarten – Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs attended the oath-taking ceremony at the Governor’s Cabinet on Friday for Emiko Bird-Lake, the first-Sint Maarten born cardiologist.

In the presence of her mother, Veronica Lake, and the cardiologist’s husband, Acting Governor Reynold Groeneveldt administered the oath.

Bird-Lake is part of a specialist rotational program established by St Read more

Only 6 Of 22 Motions Since 2012 Yielded Results: Motions Carry The Day – But Only In Parliament

St. Maarten – The motions Members of Parliament submit during the annual budget debate seldom yield results. This newspaper examined 28 motions a host of parliamentarians tabled since 2012. With 22 of them successive government did absolutely nothing. Six of them yielded (some) results.

When governments fail to execute motions, parliament never retaliates. In the Netherlands, a cabinet that refuses or neglects to execute a motion that is carried by a majority in parliament, could lead to a cabinet crisis Read more

Mp Marlin-Romeo Supports Budding Artist Arndell

Zabian Arndell shows some of his work with MP Marlin-Romeo by his side. Photo contributed

St. Maarten – Independent Member of Parliament Leona Marlin-Romeo has started with her Giving Back to the Community Program. The first recipient is artist Zabian Arndell.

Marlin-Romeo established the program to recognize the contributions of citizens, organizations, public schools and positive initiatives in the community.

Marlin-Romeo uses part of her monthly salary towards initiatives “that constructively aid in the advancement of those who illustrate extraordinary talent, innovative ideas, contribute to the community, and or are seeking educational advancement,” the MP stated in a press release.

“Each month I will make a contribution, starting with Zabian Arndell Read more

Armed men rob Splash Jewellers

SIMPSON BAY--Three armed masked men robbed Splash Jewellers of an undisclosed amount of jewellery during a brazen evening robbery on Monday, July 13.

The robbers stormed the establishment located in Simpson Bay Resort and began destroying the glass countertops. They grabbed what they could and fled the scene in a small vehicle that was retrieved in the surrounding area shortly afterward by responding patrols, acting police spokesperson Steven Carty said in a press release on Tuesday Read more

Gendarmes, Firemen, honoured in Bastille Day pinning ceremonies

MARIGOT--The usually predictable format of the Bastille Day programme took on a different twist Tuesday when military medals were bestowed on six Gendarmes and, in a separate ceremony, three professional firemen promoted in rank received their stripes.

The medal ceremony for the Gendarmes of St. Martin and St. Barths conducted by Colonel Thiriot, second in command of the Guadeloupe Gendarmerie, preceded the wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial in the garden of Hotel de la Collectivité.

Dignitaries from both sides of the island and Anguilla had attended a service in the Catholic Church just earlier.

The Military Medal, France’s third highest military distinction, was pinned on the lapels of Adjudant-Chef Nicolas Heslon (48) of the St Read more

Seniors Association highlights disparity in health rights to UN

PHILIPSBURG/NEW YORK--St. Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association (SMSPA) Vice-President Raymond Jessurun highlighted the human rights perspective of those afflicted with dementia in low- and high-income countries as a panellist at the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on Ageing Conference in New York on Tuesday.

After highlighting recent global and regional policy developments, standards and principles, Jessurun exemplified the vast difference in diagnosis and treatment of two patients based on location Read more

Prosecutor’s Office investigating Harbour, building of causeway

PHILIPSBURG--The Prosecutor’s Office has started civil proceedings looking into the affairs of the St. Maarten Harbour Holding NV.

The investigation covers a range of areas, including the construction of the Simpson Bay causeway, which was financed by the harbour. In a press statement issued late last night, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Claret Connor said he hoped the harbour would “fully cooperate” with the inquiry.

In a letter dated July 13, the Prosecutor’s Office requested information regarding the policies and “course of affairs” from St Maarten Harbour Holding NV and from its closely linked companies.

Prosecutor Karola van Nie said in a press release on Tuesday that the investigation concerned the “corporate governance” of the port authority and addressed issues such as its compliance with the law, compliance with the statutes, transparency and some specific issues, including the course of affairs relating to the construction of the Simpson Bay causeway bridge.

Van Nie said the proceedings had been prompted by claims from the community, including the Integrity Inquiry report into the functioning of government conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2014 and the final report “Doing the right things right,” produced by Commissie Integer Openbaar Bestuur, also in 2014.

The investigation is a civil proceeding and not a criminal investigation.

Van Nie said due to public interest and based on the Civil Code of St Maarten, the Prosecutor’s Office is authorised to submit a request to the Common Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, St Read more

Lakes seeks update on solid waste ordinance

PHILIPSBURG--United People’s (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake has asked government to give an update on the progress of the draft solid waste ordinance. The ordinance, which will serve as a cornerstone in the solution of the country’s solid waste woes, is said to still be in the Legal Affairs Department and dates to the time when Lake was a minister almost a year ago Read more