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Passenger Transport Registration

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Inspectorate of Economic and Transport Affairs (IETA) instructs all holders of a passenger transport permit to register their operation with the Transport Control Unit no later than Tuesday, February 25, 2025, to receive a confirmation letter. The confirmation letter validates that the operations documentation and vehicle meet the applicable regulations to carry out service.

In prior years, the annual confirmation letter process was solely conducted to pay the annual road tax payments Read more

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Tackling: Allowing Heavily Tinted Vehicles Poses Risks That Outweigh Potential Benefit

A heavily tinted vehicle.

~ Experience support regulating excessive tint ~

PHILIPSBURG--Justice Minister Natalie Tackling made her position on allowing heavily tinted vehicles clear when asked about the matter during the parliamentary debate on the 2025 budget last week. She said allowing heavily tinted vehicles poses unnecessary risks that far outweigh any potential benefit.

The minister said while statistics provide valuable insights, practical enforcement experience and the precautionary principle strongly support regulating excessive tint as a measure to enhance public safety and road security.

Heavily tinted vehicles reduce driver visibility, particularly at night, increasing the likelihood of accidents and also obstruct visibility for other road users, creating further hazards on the road, the minister noted.

While only a minority of tinted vehicles may be used in crimes, the concealment they provide facilitates illegal activities such as transporting contraband or evading recognition after a crime, necessitating proactive regulation to minimize these risks, the Minister told Parliament.

She was at the time responding to questions from National Alliance (NA) Members of Parliament (MPs) Ardwell Irion and Egbert Doran who asked what data is being used to indicate that tint on vehicles will be dangerous Read more

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Court Of Appeals Exposes Minister Of JusticeS Failings In Police Promotion Case

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, the Court of Appeals for Civil Servants rendered a landmark decision in favor of six dedicated police officers of the Sint Maarten Police Force (KPSM), who had been fighting for years against the inaction of the Minister of Justice. These officers, who were denied rightful promotions, finally succeeded in their legal battle.

Despite losing their case in First Instance, the officers persisted and secured a decisive victory on appeal Read more

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Minister Of Finance Announces Payment Of 2% Cola To Subsidized School Teachers

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Minister of Finance, Marinka Gumbs, is pleased to inform subsidized school teachers that the long-awaited 2% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), which was granted to civil servants in September 2024, has been disbursed to subsidized schools as of last week, and it is now the responsibility of the schools to ensure that these payments are made to the teachers.

The Minister empathizes with the challenges faced by subsidized school teachers due to the delayed payment of the 1% vacation allowance increase, the 1% COLA paid out in December 2023 to civil servants, and the recently disbursed 2% COLA indexation Read more

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Minister Brug Meets With The Integrity Chamber

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — recently the Honorable Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (VSA), Richinel Brug, held an introductory meeting with the Integrity Chamber. The purpose of this meeting was to foster a collaboration and discuss integrity matters of mutual interest. This meeting reflects the shared commitment of both parties to transparency and accountability within the Government of Sint Maarten, particularly the Ministry of VSA.

Integrity within our Government apparatus is of utmost importance Read more

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Education Minister Requests Investigation Into Fight Between School Bus Driver, Student

A screen grab of the altercation between the bus driver and student.

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Education, Culture Youth and Sport (ECYS) Melissa Gumbs has requested a thorough investigation into an incident involving a school bus driver and a student outside a school bus on Tuesday.

 A video of the incident that was circulating widely on social media on Tuesday captioned bus driver vs student shows the school bus driver holding the student by his top against the school bus and pushing him away from the bus Read more

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Lewis: Merchants Using Benches On Front Street As Laundry Line

 ~ Many dilapidated ~

 PHILIPSBURG--Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW) Member of Parliament (MP) Lyndon Lewis is concerned about the state and use of the concrete benches that have been placed along Front Street saying that not only are many of them dilapidated, but merchants are using some of them similar to laundry lines placing mats and other wet objects to dry.

He relayed his concerns during the continuation of the public meeting of Parliament on the draft 2025 budget on Tuesday Read more

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Kadaster And Kitlv To Preserve St. MaartenS Heritage Documents

Professors Francio Guadaloupe (left) and Diana Suhardiman (right) with Anelski Jundri Richardson of Kadaster.

PHILIPSBURG--Kadaster St. Maarten and the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies KITLV have entered into a partnership to enhance the conservation and management of the islands historical documents. This collaboration, initiated by Professor Francio Guadeloupe under the Islanders on the Helm project, aims to safeguard vital heritage records for future generations.

The agreement focuses on specialized training for Kadaster staff, encompassing both technical aspects of document preservation and essential soft skills for effective file management Read more

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New YearS Message And Conference Update From Csa President Rhoda Arrindell

Dear CSA Members and Friends,

On behalf of the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA), I extend warm wishes for a peaceful and prosperous New Year. May 2025 bring harmony and inspiration to our lives and communities.

As we prepare for the upcoming CSA annual conference in St. Martin, I am thrilled to share some exciting updates. The Executive Committee, Program Committee, Local Organizing Committee, and many others are working tirelessly to create an unforgettable conference experience.

Our host venue is the Simpson Bay Resort (SBR), which is offering anearly-bird specialon room rates Read more

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Govt. Receives Naf. 75.6M Loan From Dutch To Buy New Generators For Gebe

Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina.

  ~ No stringent conditions ~

PHILIPSBURG--The government of St. Maarten has received a 75.6 million Netherlands Antillean guilder loan from the Dutch government to help purchase new generators for utilities company GEBE.

The generators are part of governments long-term plans to further stabilise the energy crisis that faced the country last year Read more

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Former Mp Akeem Arrindell Sentenced To 18 Months, Banned From Holding Public Office

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten A former St. Maarten Member of Parliament (MP) has been sentenced to 18 months in prison and banned from serving as a civil servant or standing for elections for six and a half years in a vote-buying case. The ban period is the maximum as set out in the countrys criminal laws.

The Court of First Instance delivered its verdict on Wednesday morning in the case brought by the Prosecutors Office (OM SXM) against former MP A.A. and two co-suspects. The sentences reflect the gravity of the offense and its significant impact on public trust in democracy.

M, a co-suspect, received a 12-month sentence, with four months conditional, and a three-year probation period.

F, another co-suspect, was ordered to complete 180 hours of community service, with 90 hours conditional, along with a three-year probation period.

OM SXM believes the courts ruling sends a stern warning against attempts to undermine democracy in Sint Maarten Read more

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Minister Brug Warns Against Unnecessary Unrest In Our Community

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Richinel Brug warns against unnecessary unrest in our community. As flu season is upon us, rumors and misinformation can easily spread panic. However, Minister Brug emphasizes the importance of relying on accurate information backed by data from the ministry of Public Health, specifically from the department of Collective Prevention Services (CPS).

Amidst the current flu season, parts of China are dealing with what is referred to as the HMPV outbreak Read more

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