St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 9, 2014
St. Maarten – The USA Today poll for the ten best Caribbean island destinations has landed St. Maarten in fourth place, after winner Puerto Rico, second best Curacao and Dominica. There were 19 islands in the mix for the contest. Cuba, voted by Tri
In a year when the national budget is groaning under austerity measures, it is only right that our decision makers do their part. The draft budget shows that all ministers will give up 30,000 guilders of the remuneration this year. The measure has
Twenty percent of people in the Netherlands never go to a dentist according to data from the Central Bureau for Statistics. The dentist umbrella organization NMT says that this is not a reason for concern “because the cost of healthcare are hardly
Yes, there were some doubts lately about the true intentions of then government with regards to the Emilio Wilson Estate. And yes, the purchase price is slightly ridiculous at $17 million. But when it is about commitment, governments of any color hav
Dear Editor, Please allow some space in your well read newspaper to complain about the practices of the regional airline Insel Air. Members of the St. Maarten public, including myself, booked reservations on Insel Air a few months ago to go to
Foreigners living in St. Maarten can breathe a little bit easier. In November 2012, Justice Minister Roland Duncan painted a picture that would have driven any foreigner with half a brain to North-Korea. Duncan’s megalomaniac ideas about a $100-mil
St. Maarten has been shooting itself in the foot for years. Not with a hunting rifle of course, and not with a Glock the government accidentally found in the bushes. This is about money. The decision by the government to impose a local driving licens
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 9, 2014
“Shoulder to shoulder we stand together” St. Maarten – The four Justice Ministers of the constituent countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (St. Maarten, Curacao, Aruba, and the Netherlands) held their first four party meeting of 2014.
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 9, 2014
PM: “We need a policy around the law” St. Maarten – “Is giving away electronic gadgets at the launch of a political party a form of vote-buying?” That was the question this newspaper put to Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams at yester
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 9, 2014
St. Maarten – Prosecutor Maarten Noordzij demanded 4 years of imprisonment yesterday against Jermaine Emanuel C. and Gilbert Ch. for their role in a prison fight whereby inmate Omar Nelson, aka Chucky, sustained serious injuries on May 4 of last y
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 9, 2014
St. Maarten – The Dutch Council of State declined last year to get involved in the dispute between the Government of St. Maarten and the Kingdom Council of Ministers in the row over the procedure that led to an instruction to Governor Drs. Eugène
Dear editor, It is no secret that TelEm is a government owned company and government has on several occasions blocked other companies (Scarlet and UTS) from expanding to protect TelEm. The purpose of governments owning any type of company is usual
The report we publish today about a former civil servant who has fallen on hard times is a sad story that deserves some attention outside of the realm of the courthouse. Sure, the lady stole a car, and sure, she is going to jail for it. End of story?
Where do we draw the line? At cell phones and computers or at pencil cases? Should we maybe make a law that forbids politicians to give away anything to anybody – ever? That would probably close all the loopholes with one big bang. Right now we
We were very delighted to hear that a Member of the Parliament of St. Maarten, namely Roy Marlin is planning to submit a motion during the 2014 budget debate calling for the lowering of NV Gebe tariffs. During our 2014 New Year address, we have indic
Being a country is a learning process, we are ready to concede that. So it is with some pleasure that we found the government willing yesterday to finally release the information it requested from the Dutch Council of State about the disputed instruc
Roland Duncan’s announcement that he will not return to politics as a candidate in the upcoming elections or as a member of any new cabinet signals the end of an era – and the beginning of a new one. The controversial former Minister of Justic
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 8, 2014
“St. Maarten has an aura to it” St. Maarten – “We’ve been going for the last 10 years,” Steven Kong said yesterday of the annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference to be held in New Orle
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 8, 2014
St. Maarten – Former Minister of Justice Roland Duncan will not return to politics during or after the elections, radio host Lloyd Richardson reports. “He has ruled out returning to active politics and will not be contesting parliamentary electio
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 8, 2014
St. Maarten – Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams received a presentation from the Chairman of the General Audit Chamber Ronald Halman and his Secretary General Joane Dovale-Meit at the Chamber offices yesterday afternoon about the baseline measur
My partner and I purchased a timeshare at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, on December, 23rd. However, we had doubts and looked into the contract and sought advice during the following days. Finally, we decided to exercise our
The young generation is a problem. Hmm, does that sound familiar? That is what our parents' parents must have thought, and that is certainly what our parents must have thought about the sixties generation. Now we are fifty years later and we are stil
Politics remains a game for those who are after power in the first place, as we pointed out yesterday based on the diaries of the conservative British politician Alan Clark. Of course, politicians will always deny this. They are there to work for the
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 7, 2014
St. Maarten – In August 2012, Romeo Pantophlet, then the Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs, set a series of events in motion that led to the dismissal of most members of the supervisory board of the Harbor Group of Companies. Among the victi
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 7, 2014
St. Maarten - Over the Christmas vacation, several St. Maarten Archaeological Center (Simarc) students and director Dr. Jay Haviser, participated in a limited archaeological test excavation at Simpson Bay. A few years ago, property owner Alan Peterso
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 7, 2014
Interreps threatens with legal action over unpaid invoices St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – The promotion of St. Maarten as a tourist destination in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg threatens to become non-existent because the Ministry of T
Dear Editor, We the Community Police Officers of the Sint Maarten Police Force were very much surprised to learn and read that we were chosen as persons of the year by the Today newspaper. We are truly grateful, thankful, proud, and honored to be
Politics is all about power and it is good to let this sink in during this election year. The rumblings have started, players are jockeying for position and when the dust settles, everything will continue the way it did before the elections –only w
Street robberies are not unique to St. Maarten. The Netherlands has its share of them and in the seat of government, The Hague, the police notes now that the robbers are getting younger and younger. Most street robbers have not even reached the age o
The draft budget for 2014 will be handled by the parliament this month and it promises to be an interesting debate. The measures the government proposes are tough and they will affect many people. The opposition will not like it – hell, the governm
Is it okay to be fat? Depends how you look at it. It is a bit like smoking – everybody is entitled to his or her own method of voluntary euthanasia. It is almost impossible to open a magazine or to watch a program about health without getting confr
The idea that the government will cut the marketing budget for tourism – if parliament allows it by approving the 2014 budget later this month – feels like a move in the wrong direction. As our front page story about the rise of Cuba as a tourist
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 5, 2014
Emil Lee: “We have to make clear that we offer a different product” St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – The slumbering tourist destination of Cuba is rapidly waking up. The traveler’s website TripAdvisor recently named its capital Havana as
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 5, 2014
Contribution for healthcare costs, frozen salaries and end to C.O.L.A. St. Maarten – SZV-insured citizens will have to pay a 10 percent contribution for their healthcare expenditures starting this year. This is one of the measures included in
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 5, 2014
"Concerns remain, but happy with positive developments" St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar - "I have a lot of respect for everything St. Maarten has achieved in such a short time," Jeroen Recourt told this newspaper last night at the end of the first
