St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 31, 2014
Comments Off on Historic covenant signed at courthouse
St. Maarten – For the first time in history, the Common Court of Justice and the Public Prosecutor’s Office signed a covenant that regulates in great detail the way criminal cases will be handled in first instance. Chief Prosecutor Rick Noordhoek
Opinion - Posted by admin on March 31, 2014
Comments Off on Considers political career: Emil Lee resigns as SHTA-President
St. Maarten – Emil Lee, announced his immediate resignation as the President of the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association yesterday at the membership mixer at the Blue Mall. Lee, manager of the luxury boutique hotel Princess Heights, led th
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 31, 2014
Comments Off on Cheap cooking gas could cost St. Maarten dearly
St. Maarten - The promise of cheap cooking gas independent MP Romain Laville presented on Wednesday as part of a Memorandum of Understanding between St. Maarten and Dominica, is most likely too good to be true and – if executed – could cost the c
Separating facts from fiction in an election year is an interesting exercise. How many of the promises politicians suddenly unleash by the truckloads are real, and how many are just wishful thinking? The most recent example is obviously the Memora
Below is the unabridged letter SHTA-President Emil Lee sent yesterday to the board members of the organization. After careful consideration, I have decided to tender my resignation as President of SHTA as well as my position on the board of the SH
Emil Lee’s resignation from the presidency at the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association is a wonderful example of transparency. The SHTA has always been non-political and from his position as president Lee has for thirteen years been abl
Uncategorized - Posted by admin on March 31, 2014
Comments Off on Prosecution demands 18 years for manslaughter on Haresh Dayalani
St. Maarten – Public prosecutor Tineke Kamps demanded 18 years of imprisonment against Robertson Craig P. yesterday for two armed robberies at the former Pelican Resort in Simpson Bay on May 13 and 14 of 2009 and for the robbery and manslaughter on
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 31, 2014
Comments Off on Labor mediator Boasman presents annual report to De Weever
St. Maarten – Labor mediator Raphael Boasman presented the first annual report of his office to Labor Minister Cornelius de Weever yesterday morning at the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall. The report recommends the establishment of a separate bureau f
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 31, 2014
Comments Off on MP Laville presents agreement with Dominica: Cheap cooking gas, and grants for local students
St. Maarten – Independent MP Romain Laville presented a Memorandum of Understanding between the government of St. Maarten and the Commonwealth of Dominica to the media yesterday morning at a press briefing in the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall that e
Opinion - Posted by admin on March 31, 2014
Comments Off on Reader’s Opinion: Joyous occasion (Utilities relief to seniors)
It is with great acknowledgement that I extend my support for the Senior Citizens’ Utilities Relief signed by GEBE Supervisory Board Chairman Kelvin Bloyden and Managing Board of Directors President Romelio Maduro, in the presence of Minister Mauri
It has taken almost five years, but yesterday finally one of the suspects in the manslaughter on Indian businessman Haresh Dayalani stood before his judges. This crime rates among the most heinous ones in the island’s recent criminal history. Da
Dear Editor, Do you believe in fortune telling? Read this story. Well, I visited one lately. She was a beautiful woman, well dressed. Well built, and was wearing a long black coat. “Can I help you?” she asked, and looking straight into my e
Independent MP Romain Laville’s venture into a Memorandum of Understanding with Dominica is an interesting one. If it returns what it seems to promise – scholarships for local students, cheap cooking gas for residents – it is all good. There
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 28, 2014
Comments Off on Packed house at St. Maarten Parliament: “Leaked documents national security issue”
St. Maarten – It was a packed house yesterday afternoon in Parliament to debate developments at the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), and all 15 Members of Parliament (MPs) attended the plenary session. A number of Simpson Bay residents
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 28, 2014
Comments Off on Minister Plenipotentiary Voges about European elections: “There are benefits for St. Maarteners”
St. Maarten - The ministers plenipotentiary of St. Maarten, Aruba and Curacao have called on citizens to vote in the European elections on May 22 in a brief video clip the Information Bureau for the European Parliament published yesterday on its webs
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 28, 2014
Comments Off on Gebe moves towards relief program for senior citizens
St. Maarten – Kelvin Bloyden, chairman of Gebe’s supervisory board and Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake signed a Memorandum of Intent yesterday morning that must lead to tariff relief for seniors aged 62 and above. The exact details of the arrangement
Dear Editor, I would like to comment on the situation that is taking place between our government officials on the islands. First of all, I Roy Quinton Marlin, born on September 17, 1987, is having difficulty understanding the political jabs that
Nothing gets people going like the prospect of elections – local elections of course. Whether St. Maarteners will get as hot for the European elections remains to be seen – they still have until April 10 to register for it. Is there any way to
Every time we see someone with one of those silly electronic cigarettes we have to think about the Dutch comedian Youp van ‘t Hek and the way he blew Heineken’s alcohol-free beer Buckler from the market in his 1989 New Year’s show. That went li
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 25, 2014
Comments Off on UP leader Theo Heyliger: No coalitions “Our goal is a strong UP government”
St. Maarten – Leader of the United People’s (UP) party and Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger said that if given the mandate by the people in the 2014 elections, he would become Prime Minister. In 2010, Heyliger received the most personal votes o
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 25, 2014
Comments Off on Responsible for management of marine and terrestrial ecosystems: Nature Foundation inks deal to become ecosystem authority
St. Maarten – Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake signed a service level agreement yesterday with the Nature Foundation worth 612,000 guilders (close to $342,000) over the next three years. Under the agreement, the Nature Foundation becomes the management
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 25, 2014
Comments Off on Julius Lambert remembered as friend of environment
St. Maarten - Tributes continue to pour in for the late Julius Lambert; former managing director of GEBE who died on March 15 at the age of 67. On Sunday, local radio host Stephan de Robert dedicated his radio show Breakfast With de Robert to the
Elsewhere on this page, Rosemary Didier has a beef with the white men in the judicial system. It is an opinion one is free to have, but this newspaper does not embrace it. Judging people by the color of their skin is like judging a book by its cover.
Opinion - Posted by admin on March 25, 2014
Comments Off on Opinion: Payback for crime (instead of prison time that cost money)
Nickels make dimes, dimes make dollar and dollars make you a rich sonofabitch. In short, that sums up the mentality of the mafia in the twenties and thirties of last century. Thomas Rica, a civil servant in the American village of Ridgewood (25,000 i
On the scale of the Netherlands, St. Maarten is a village the size of Doetinchem (with around 57,000 inhabitants on around twice the physical space). A little place like Brummen (21,000 inhabitants) is obviously a lot smaller than St. Maarten in term
The Corporate Governance Code of Country St. Maarten states that a supervisory director of a government owned company shall not demand or accept any donations from the corporation for himself. The Code further states that a conflict of interest shall
The service level agreement the Vromi-ministry signed with the Nature Foundation yesterday marks a step in the right direction. Never before has a government so clearly committed itself to the protection of our natural environment. Before we hang
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 25, 2014
Comments Off on Court orders demolition of illegal garage in Cole Bay
St. Maarten – Wilfred Laurore has to demolish a garage he built on a property in Cole Bay and he has to remove all car wrecks from the site as well. The Court in First Instance gave the order yesterday morning in a ruling in summary proceedings ini
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 25, 2014
Comments Off on Attempt to remove judge from election fraud court case fails
Great Bay, St. Maarten – The Common Court of Justice rejected yesterday a request by attorney Cor Merx to remove Judge Koen Luijks from the election fraud trial. Merx filed the request at the trial on February 17 based on the perceived lack of impa
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 25, 2014
Comments Off on St. Maarten Airport officially unveils bronze pelicans: “This roundabout is for you”
Simpson Bay, St. Maarten – “Our island is the smallest landmass in the world divided by two European nations, but our airport is the busiest in the region,” airport Managing Director Regina Labega said yesterday, before the large bronze pelican
Editorial - Posted by admin on March 25, 2014
Comments Off on Editorial: About time (banish race and discrimination from politics)
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that we shouldn’t stigmatize and label all Antillians and Moroccans. It’s about time the head of the Dutch government did. Geert Wilders may be the most obvious and odious representative of European far right
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 21, 2014
Comments Off on Police arrest suspect in stolen motorbike case
St. Maarten – On Tuesday, police arrested a 23-year-old man, with initials H.F.M., and born on Curacao, in connection with the December 2, 2013, theft of a motorbike at the Tamarind Hotel in Pointe Blanche. During the robbery security guard who tri
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 21, 2014
Comments Off on NA-leader William Marlin: “No guarantee for election date”
St. Maarten – “There is no guarantee when elections will be held,” National Alliance leader William Marlin said at a press conference yesterday morning. “We said already a year ago to dissolve the Parliament and we still stand by it. The peop
Opinion, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 21, 2014
Comments Off on The American DEA is among us (on St. Maarten)
What exactly is the American Drug Enforcement administration doing in St. Maarten? That question seems legitimate after the organization’s name surfaced for the second time in a month in a court case in Philipsburg, this time complete with the name
Opinion - Posted by admin on March 21, 2014
Comments Off on Opinion: Calm down (Election time is coming)
Who will get his or her way? Minister of General Affairs Sarah Wescot-Williams has set the date for the parliamentary elections at September 5. UP-leader Theo Heyliger wants to have elections before the summer, to stay away from the peak month of the
