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SHTA – Engaged Learning Key in Tourism & Community Development.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- With a view towards World Tourism Day, the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), the largest private business representative on the island, during its Annual General Meeting last Thursday addressed the theme of this year's World Tourism Day, Tourism & Community Development. Both speakers of the night addressed the need to improve and utilize our talent, our human capital, and our communities; focusing on the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills to achieve change in their local communities.

President of the SHTA, Mrs Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- With the current developments concerning the formation of a new government where incumbent Minister of Health and Labor also Member of Parliament (elect) Cornelius de Weever has led on the people of St. Maarten including his party leader and the leaders of the National Alliance and the United St. Maarten Party the question that comes to mind is "who really is making big mistakes"?
MP de Weever made everyone on St Read more

Minister Lake Commends Shta On Level Of Discussion And Approach To Issues

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake, says he would like to commend the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) for its high level of discussion at its recent Annual General Meeting.

"We have to lift the bar, and the SHTA is one organization in our community that is doing that.

They also approach issues on a professional constructive level, and this is the type of approach that needs to be continued.

"Public-private partnership is the way to move our country forward Read more

Governor Starts New Consultations After End Of Marlin Formation

HARBOUR VIEW, Sint Maarten – On Thursday September 25, 2014, His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday met with the leader of the United People's Party, Mr. Theodore E. Heyliger.

During the meeting Mr. Theodore E. Heyliger presented the Governor a coalition agreement for the period 2014-2018 for the governing of Sint Maarten.

This agreement has been signed by the seven elected members to Parliament of the UPP and elected member to Parliament Mr Read more

Shta – Engaged Learning Key In Tourism & Community Development

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – With a view towards World Tourism Day, the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), the largest private business representative on the island, during its Annual General Meeting last Thursday addressed the theme of this year's World Tourism Day, Tourism & Community Development.

Both speakers of the night addressed the need to improve and utilize our talent, our human capital, and our communities; focusing on the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills to achieve change in their local communities.

President of the SHTA, Mrs Read more

Rumors Run Amok In Local Politics: Coalition May Fall Apart With De Weever’S Departure

Finance Minister Martin Hassink confers with National Alliance leader William Marlin while (from left) Frans Richardson and Romain Laville look on Read more

Formateur Gets More Time To Complete His  Mission  

St. Maarten – Yesterday Governor drs. Eugène Holiday, received an update on the formation process from formateur William Marlin. Based on the evaluation of the information presented to the governor in regard to the governing program and the time required to complete the ongoing screening of the candidate ministers, the formateur was g Read more

Tourist Bureau Embezzlement Investigation: Roorda, Labega And Richardson Called To Testify One More Time

St. Maarten – Bas Roorda, Regina Labega, Lisa Koffi, Frans Richardson, Hiro Shigemoto, Alex Richardson, Miguel De Weever and Keith Graham will all be heard at witnesses at the request of the attorney of Edward Dest, the former head of marketing at the Tourist Bureau who is standing trial on charges of embezzlement.

Judge Koos van de Ven adjourned the trial to an unspecified future date but ruled that it will have to take place within six months, considering that the charges refer to fact dating back to 2009 and also considering the defendant’s health.

The court rejected the request to hear other witnesses, like Lasana Sekou and Sherry Hazel, because it is not clear how hearing these witnesses would benefit the defense.

Dest is a suspect in an investigation into abuse of a Chase-bank account in New York that was set up by the government to cover the expenses for its New York based Tourist Bureau office Read more

Editorial - Better now than later

It seems the formation of a new government might not go as smoothly as expected after all. Although “formateur” William Marlin (NA) presented Governor Eugene Holiday with his report and the incoming NA/DP/US coalition’s governing programme yesterday, DP leader Sarah Wescot-Williams confirmed that her party’s number two vote-getter Cornelius de Weever had indicated meanwhile that he preferred to occupy his seat in Parliament rather than remain Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs as intended.

This creates a problem, because DP quickly will have to choose another nominee to become one of its two cabinet members, while the names of all seven candidate ministers already had been submitted Read more

Solution Seems Near For 4-Year Old Crime: Man Arrested For Clemencia Josie-Ann Julot-Murder

St. Maarten – Detectives arrested a 21-year-old man last week as a suspect in a four-year old murder and rape case. The suspect, identified in a press release from the prosecutor’s office as A.R.S.R., is now in pretrial detention for the murder and rape of Clemencia Josie-Ann Julot, who went missing on July 20, 2010 and was found two days later along the Oyster Pond Road on French territory.

The 20-year-old victim left her home on the Tintamarre Drive in Middle Region around 5 a.m Read more

>HARBOUR VIEW:--- On September 24, 2014, His Excellency the Governor of Sint Maarten, drs. E.B. Holiday, received an update on the formation process from, with formateur William Marlin. Based on the evaluation of the information presented to the Governor in regard to the governing program and the time required to complete the ongoing screening of the candidate ministers, the formateur was granted an extension until Friday October 3, 2014 to finalize his formation report.
After completion of the formation report a date will be established for the appointment and swearing-in of the new cabinet.

From the Cabinet of the Governor of St Read more

No Quorum for Budget Debate --- UPP, De Weever, Illidge Absconded.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The budget debate that was scheduled for Wednesday September 24th, 2014 to amend the 2014 budget could not take place due to a lack of quorum. Members of Parliament from the United Peoples Party, Member of Parliament Petrus Leroy de Weever and Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge did not show up to the meeting.
While the UPP and DP are in government it is clear that the United Peoples Party will not attend the meetings to amend the budget until they know who will be in government and if things will go their way Read more

Governor Holiday Grants Formateur Extension Until Friday October 3, 2014

HARBOUR VIEW, Sint Maarten – On September 24, 2014, His Excellency the Governor of Sint Maarten, drs. E.B. Holiday, received an update on the formation process from, with formateur William Marlin.

Based on the evaluation of the information presented to the Governor in regard to the governing program and the time required to compl Read more

D66, SP oppose removing voting rights of foreign island residents

~ Debate in Second Chamber today ~

THE HAGUE--Opposition parties the Socialist Party (SP) and Democratic Party D66 in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament will be objecting to the proposed law change to take away the voting rights of foreign residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba during its handling in the Second Chamber today, Wednesday.

D66 Member of Parliament (MP) Wassila Hachchi is planning to table a motion if Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk does not present a solid argument during today's plenary debate as to why he will not establish a so-called Electoral College for the Caribbean Netherlands, which would be the solution to maintain the voting rights of foreigners on the three islands, according to her and the majority in the First Chamber.

In that motion, Hachchi will call on the minister to send a law proposal to the Second Chamber before the summer of 2015 to establish an Electoral College that would elect the members of the First Chamber on behalf of the island residents with Dutch nationality.

MP Ronald van Raak (SP) will offer a different solution for the constitutional dilemma to have foreign residents maintain their right to vote in the Island Council elections while at the same time preventing this small group from having any possible influence on the composition of the First Chamber when Island Council members acquire the right to co-elect members of the First Chamber once the amended Dutch Constitution has been adapted.

Van Raak will propose giving everyone on the islands voting rights for the Island Council, but giving neither Dutch citizens nor foreign residents influence on the composition of the First Chamber by taking away everyone's right to vote for the First Chamber.

According to Van Raak, people in Bonaire, St Read more

New registration system for medical professionals Jan. 1

PHILIPSBURG--A registration system for medical professionals operating in St. Maarten will go into effect as of January 1, 2015.

An ordinance has been approved by the Council of Ministers and will go into effect once it has gone through the necessary channels. All persons operating in the medical field will be required to register and will have to re-register every five years.

There are currently about 475 persons operating in the medical field in St. Maarten.

The Inspectorate of Public Health will be responsible for the registration of medical professionals and supervision of the ordinance, which is part of efforts by government to improve the quality of health care in the country Read more

Pastor Smith urges incoming coalition govt, ‘make it work’

~ Governing programme finalised ~

CAY HILL--The incoming coalition partners have completed the governing programme and will be presenting it to formateur William Marlin today, Wednesday. Marlin is expected to report to Governor Eugene Holiday on the formation of the new government on the deadline today.

St. Maarten United Ministerial Foundation (SMUMF) President Pastor Wycliffe Smith, who met with the coalition leaders and their representatives as they finalised the document at Bearing Point yesterday, urged the coalition to "make it work."

He said a coalition of three was much more challenging than a coalition of two, noting that in this case the margin was thin as there was just a one-seat majority Read more

U.S. and Arab allies launch first strikes on militants in Syria

WASHINGTON/BEIRUT-- The United States and its Arab allies bombed militant groups in Syria for the first time on Tuesday, killing scores of Islamic State fighters, members of a separate al Qaeda-linked group and opening a new front amid shifting Middle East alliances.

The attacks encountered no objection, and even signs of tacit approval, from President Bashar al-Assad's Syrian government, which said Washington had warned Damascus in advance.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates participated in or supported the strikes against Islamic State targets, U.S Read more

Governor To Be Notified Of New Coalition Agreement This Week

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Reliable sources have confirmed there is a new agreement consisting of eight (8) MPs-Elect to form a new coalition to govern the country for the next four years.

According to our sources the agreement has been signed between the UP party (7 seats) and Minister Cornelius de Weever (1 seat).

This new situation explains the trouble that the NA, US and DP coalition agreement experienced on Wednesday.

The contents of the report submitted to the Governor by formateur MP William Marlin on Wednesday afternoon is not known.

However in a press release on Wednesday evening the Governor stated that formateur William Marlin updated him on the formation process and that based on the evaluation of the information, the formateur was granted an extension until Friday October 3, 2014 to finalize his formation report.

In the meantime the leader of the UP party MP Theo Heyliger is expected to contact the Governor as soon as Thursday.

At that point he is expected to inform the Governor that he has the support of eight (8) MPs Elect to form the new government of St Read more

style="text-align: center;">Self Interest Rules on St. Maarten

PHILIPSBURG:--- The people of St. Maarten is facing yet another problem with the formation of a government they voted for. While three of the political parties that received the majority votes when combined were busy forming a broad based government which had to be finalized on Wednesday September 24th, 2014, Minister Cornelius de Weever has decided that he will put his own interest and the interest of his families first instead of the people of St Read more

Dp Leader Responds To Political Rumors Wednesday

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Residents woke up to rumors on Wednesday morning that the national coalition of the National Alliance, the Democratic Party and the United St. Maarten People's Party was no more.

According to circulating rumors, the number 2 candidate on the slate of Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake stated on Tuesday that Ministry VROMI is working closely with Nature Foundation regarding the removal of Sargasso seaweed on certain beaches.

A backhoe has been in operation at a beach in Point Blanche which has seen a large amount of Sargasso seaweed come ashore.

Residents have been complaining about the smell and burning eyes that live at Ground Dove Apartments which is right next to the beach.

"I've had a very good working relationship with Nature Foundation Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake announced on Tuesday that he is in the process of visiting the different districts where it concerns trench cleaning works based on contracts that were signed earlier this year.

"I am very proud of the work that has been carried out by our young small business owners, the local contractors Read more

Remain vigilant and prevent mosquito breeding.

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Collective Preventive Services (CPS), says that the community should remain vigilant in preventing mosquito breeding. Frequent rainfall allows mosquito's to breed when the rainwater gets trapped into containers around homes and businesses.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) have both recently appealed to countries that have mosquitoes that transmit dengue and chikungunya to step up their vector control efforts and prepare for a possible increase in patients suffering from these diseases.

The PAHO/WHO recommendations come as the peak transmission season for dengue approaches and following local transmission of chikungunya in a number of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Resident's at home and owners of businesses are advised to continually take measures to mitigate the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that is responsible for the transmission of dengue and chikungunya.

Minister of Public Health Hon Read more

style="text-align: center;">"Agree to disagree agreeably" - Pastor Wycliffe Smith

CAY HILL:--- Several Pastors from various churches came together on Tuesday afternoon and prayed for the three leaders of the three political parties that came together to form the coalition government for 2014-2018. The short but powerful prayer service took place at Bearing Point in Cay Hill where several persons including nine persons appointed by the three political parties have been working on the Governing Program for the next four years.
Pastor Wycliffe Smith the main organizer of the event said that the churches have been praying throughout the election period, on Election Day and even up to today as the political parties worked on forming the new government they have been praying Read more