SXMElections.com

~ UP: stores should close half day ~

PHILIPSBURG--Today’s funeral services for bike patrol Police Officer Gamali “Benji” Benjamin will be streamed live via the World Wide Web and can be followed at

www.vidmedia.tv .

Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Ricardo Henson said in a press release on Wednesday that a decision had been made to have the funeral streamed live given “the magnitude of the event.”

The live streaming is being done by the Department of Communication DComm in collaboration with VID Media Solutions.

Henson said persons in St. Maarten and abroad who are unable to attend the funeral can log on to

www.vidmedia.tv and watch it live.

The United People’s (UP) party board in a press release on Wednesday called on businesses to show solidarity and close half-day. The party also conveyed its “deepest sympathy” to Benjamin’s family and friends, and the Police Force.

“We mourn with the entire country the passing of our local hero who proudly served with humility and honour. We call on the business community as a move of solidarity once again to close their businesses half-day on Thursday as a mark of solidarity with the family of Officer Benjamin and the Police Force of St. Maarten. At the same time it would allow employees an opportunity to pay their respects to our hero,” UP board said.

“We applaud the initiatives outlined by the Minister of Justice [Dennis Richardson – Ed.] to be taken, but we cannot stop there. It remains of paramount importance that all stakeholders positively contribute to curbing crime in our country. It is not only the responsibility of the Police Force and other law enforcement agencies. We need all hands on-board to fight this scourge.”

For the funeral services today:

At 10:30am Benjamin’s body will depart Royal Funeral Home to the Philipsburg police station.

At 10:45am a brief ceremony will be held at the Philipsburg police station while the uniformed departments will stand in front of the police station.

At 10:55am the procession of uniformed departments will leave the police station and head to Front Street where it will stop for a brief moment in front of Oro Diamante jewellery store, where Benjamin was shot on Wednesday, August 5.

At 11:30am, the procession will arrive at the Philipsburg Methodist Church.

At 12:00pm the official part of the ceremony will start at the church. The viewing of the body will take place at the Methodist Church on Front Street from 12:00pm to 1:45pm. Minister Reverend Liana Richardson-Woods will oversee the ceremony.

The parking lot opposite the Post Office was closed completely as of Wednesday around 9:00pm. This area will be used for parking for the funeral.

Today, Thursday, August 13, Front Street and Back Street will be closed off completely up to the side roads. All traffic will have to use Cannegieter Street. All buses and taxis will use the parking for taxis at the Government Administration Building. The section of E. Camille Richardson Street will be closed today from 10:00am to 9:00pm at the junction of Zoutsteeg.

Also today, the ring road from the Salt Pickers Roundabout to L.B. Scott Sports Auditorium will be open for one-way traffic from 7:00am to 7:00pm.

For the final part of the ceremony for the burial, the section of Long Wall Road and Kerkhofstraat will be closed. The area at the bridge at Little Bay Road will be closed for through traffic. All motorised traffic will be re-routed via Fort Willem Road.